Morning all!

 

Long time no see on here but now, the engineering works campaign going on this summer yielded a traffic pattern sufficiently out of the usual to merit a blog post. I should also mention I gladly volunteered for this specific service and have been booked on corresponding shifts several times, so I may also amend this post with additional photos!

 

The engineering project I was referring to concerns track renewal and water piping renewal at Lindenauer Markt and on Kuhturmstraße, scheduled to last from 27 June (meaning they're through the first day already) till and including 10 July. As a result, the western branches to Böhlitz-Ehrenberg and Miltitz of what ordinarily are Lines 7 and 15 plus Line 8's western branch to Grünau-Nord – the line sharing this part of its route with Line 15 – are, effectively, cut off from the rest of the network during this period.

 

However, our network is still structured such to permit a replacement shuttle service merging said branches of Lines 7 and 15, on the strength of the old Leutzsch Depot still being in existence and workable. This depot had lost its role for regular revenue service in 2001 but as it was never disconnected from the network, has still proven useful for periods of engineering works on several occasions since that time – most importantly during the extensive refurbishment of Angerbrücke Depot which took place from 2003 till 11 June, 2005. During that period, Lines 3, 7, 8, 13 (now integrated with Line 3) and 15 had been supplied by Leutzsch.

 

For greater clarity, I should like to link this track plan, courtesy of Christian Stade at gleisplanweb.eu and provided under CC-BY-NC-SA licence: Click. This means that, utilising the route through Odermannstraße – which is the small stretch between Demmeringstraße and Lützner Straße, but not highlighted as such in the track plan – we can provide a shuttle service on these two key routes in the west of the city.

 

The traffic pattern is designed such that a temporary stop has been deployed at the intersection of Odermannstraße and Lützner Straße to allow short connecting walks to the rail replacement bus service to Angerbrücke, where said service connects to the remainder of Lines 7 and 15 on the other side of the engineering section.

 

Furthermore, trams change back and forth between Lines 7 and 15 accordingly. Eastbound services coming from Miltitz as Line 15 run as "E" services on the stretch from Lindenau, Bushof (which is our principal bus depot) to Odermannstraße and hand off passengers to the bus service at the bus depot, while eastbound services coming from Böhlitz change to Line 15 at Odermannstraße and hand off citybound passengers there.

 

 

As mentioned in my photo post about the farewell charter for NGT6 prototype 1302, Leutzsch Depot is located on Rathenaustraße in a quiet residential area highlighted by numerous Gründerzeit mansions dating to the late 19th and early 20th century. This would be the depot approach immediately outside the premises, with this area regularly served by Line 67 quarter buses, which reverse through the depot area. The stop seen here also is the final stop served by trams returning to this depot before entering the Home Loop around the old admin building, seen half-hidden by trees to the left.

 

The points belonging to Leutzsch Depot are all manually set, requiring drivers to pay attention in order to prevent false routings. This is especially true if you should intend to sortie the depot out of tracks 10, 11, 13, 15 and 16, in which case you would enter the Home Loop clockwise and would have to watch how Point 233 – located roughly parallel to where the dark BMW is parked – is set. If it were set to Left, you would, essentially, commence wrong line operation!

 

 

The Home Loop consists of an inner and outer loop, with only the outer loop being designated for operation at this time.

 

 

The outbound end of the Home Loop and the tracks going out of the old open stabling area – designated tracks 1 through 7 – which but has had the OHLE removed and is now used only for storing retired Tatra cars.

 

 

 

 

Looking at Point 233 from the facing end to illustrate the risk for embarrassment involved!

 

 

 

 

The admin building is, theoretically, still workable, with one floor currently being leased to Deutsche Bahn.

 

 

 

 

To begin my shift, I then had a pleasant walk of no more than 15 minutes along Rathenaustraße and up to the Rathaus Leutzsch stop where I would then book on.

 

 

Intersection with Blüthnerstraße and Pfingstweide.

 

 

In daytime, outbound services to Miltitz have a programmed dwell time of four minutes at Lützner/Merseburger Straße to allow the rail replacement buses – which terminate at Lindenau, Bushof – sufficient time to keep ahead and drop off connecting passengers…

 

 

 

 

…and inbound services destined to cross over to Line 7 also have four minutes of dwell time at Lindenau, Bushof, where inbound rail replacement buses start their turns.

 

 

 

 

The pair of 1347 "Zweinaundorf" and 1332 "Leutzsch" at Böhlitz-Ehrenberg – the borough where this terminus is located actually being historically called Gundorf…

 

 

…and at Miltitz.

 

 

 

 

The second shift half was conducted on 1338 "Lindenthal" and 1316 "Eutritzsch", with these two cars currently testing a revised door control programming and therefore needing to remain coupled.

 

 

 

In between, my break took place at the Lindenau bus depot, which I had never been to before.

 

 

L-IK 280, formerly Car 208, is a Hungarian-built Ikarus 280 type bendy bus from our historic inventory.

 

 

 

 

12277/L-PW 452 is a Göppel go4city 12E all-electric bus currently being evaluated on Line 89, which due to its routing right through the largely pedestrianised city centre has been the first stomping ground for hybrid buses in Leipzig. Such buses are, obviously, well suited for pollution-sensitive areas where ridership numbers but do not make tram lines viable.

 

This bus utilises a roof-mounted pantograph for opportunity charging en route, with a corresponding charging station being installed at Connewitz, Kreuz at the southern end of Line 89.

 

 

 

 

L-NV 1760 is an IFA W 50 L based wrecker also based at Lindenau.

 

 

 

 

it's also interesting to note that the Lindenau bus depot has, in fact, been a hybrid bus and tram depot originally and also comprised the main repair works up until the opening of Heiterblick in 1927. Buses have been stationed here since 1928.

 

 

The remaining tracks have been disconnected from the Lützner Straße route since 2008.

 

Anyway, so much for the moment. Circumstances permitting, I might, as mentioned further up, provide some additional photos of the "Western Shuttle" after my next shifts there. Thanks for reading!