Cheers once again!

 

Today, I should like to entertain you with a bit of a photo strip from a short trip to Berlin we made on Friday and Saturday – the occasion being a slightly different sort of excursion on the city's underground.

 

Specifically, BVG offer excursions on open flatcars equipped with passenger chairs, intended to illustrate the enormity of the planning and engineering work which an underground system as large as this embodies. And in my impression, that goal is well and truly achieved. I suppose one might argue that "all you will see are long, dark tunnels", but from my experience, I can assure you that it does make a major difference to be seeing all the myriads of technical installations of various types, as well as the route profile and physical structures, which you usually aren't really able to from aboard a train.

 

These "Cabrio" tours can be booked through BVG at http://www.bvg.de/de/Service/Berlin-erleben/Detailansicht?newsid=262 , which page appears to be available in German only, though. Do keep in mind that there seems to be a large demand for these tours, which will often be sold out months in advance. Also, you should be aware of them usually taking place at night, for the understandable reason of not interfering with the densely timetabled daytime revenue services.

 

 

Prior to our underground excursion, we visited a couple of locations around the city, also diverting to Alexanderplatz in order for me to capture a few glimpses of tram operations. Here, F8E 8003 was just a few minutes from terminating at Hackescher Markt on Line M6.

 

 

 

 

In turn, F8E 8006 had just begun its next round at Hackescher Markt, working Line M4 to Zingster Straße in Hohenschönhausen.

 

 

 

 

The Bombardier Flexity Berlin trams exist in single- and double-ended versions, as well as lengths of five and seven segments, designated F6E, F6Z, F8E and F8Z internally. Here, F8E 8028 is calling at Landsberger Allee/Petersburger Straße, working Line M5 to Zingster Straße.

 

 

 

 

While waiting for a M10 service to Warschauer Straße, F6Z 4027 was travelling outward to Central Station.

 

 

 

Our underground excursion began at Deutsche Oper Station on Line U2. The itinerary for these tours has changed a bit over the years, with the current one being as follows:

 

Deutsche Oper (Obi) – Deutsche Oper East Turnback – Richard-Wagner-Platz (Rw) via small/large profile connecting tunnel – Wilmersdorfer Straße (Wd) – Adenauerplatz (Ad) – Konstanzer Straße (Kn) – Fehrbelliner Platz (Fpu) – Blissestraße (Bli) – Berliner Straße (Beu) – Berliner Straße West Turnback – U7/U9 connecting tunnel – Güntzelstraße (Gt) – Spichernstraße (Snu) – Kurfürstendamm (Kfu) – Zoologischer Garten (Zu) – Hansaplatz (Ha) – Turmstraße – Birkenstraße (Bi) – Westhafen (WF) – Amrumer Straße (Am) – Leopoldplatz (Lpu) – Leopoldplatz Turnback – U9/U6 connecting tunnel – Seestraße (Se) for a 15-minute break – U9/U6 connecting tunnel – Nauener Platz (Np) – U9/U8 connecting tunnel – Osloer Straße (Ofu) – Pankstraße (Pk) – Gesundbrunnen (Gb) – Voltastraße (Vo) – Bernauer Straße (B) – Rosenthaler Platz (Ro) – Weinmeisterstraße (W) – Alexanderplatz (Ap) – Jannowitzbrücke (Jb) – Heinrich-Heine-Straße (He) – Moritzplatz (Mr) – Kottbusser Tor (Kbu) – Schönleinstraße (Sl) – U8/U7 connecting tunnel – Südstern (Sü) – Gneisenaustraße (Gs) – Mehringdamm (Me) – Möckernbrücke (Mu) – Yorckstraße (Y) – Kleistpark (Kt) – Eisenacher Straße (Ei) – Bayerischer Platz (Bpu) – Berliner Straße (Beu) – Blissestraße (Bli) – Fehrbelliner Platz (Fpu) – Konstanzer Straße (Kn) – Adenauerplatz (Ad) – Wilmersdorfer Straße (Wd) – Bismarckstraße (Bmu) – Richard-Wagner-Platz (Rw) – Richard-Wagner-Platz North Turnback – large/small profile connecting tunnel – Deutsche Oper (Obi)

 

All abbreviations are BVG operational facility codes, as also represented in this track plan: http://www.gleisplanweb.eu/Maps/Berlin2.pdf . Note that numerous stations have multiple levels if served by different lines, so these codes will also disambiguate between such crossing stations.

 

As the itinerary will also show, the various connecting tunnels are among the tour's attractions as these tunnels aren't normally used for revenue services. Furthermore, I should like to point out that the small profile (U1, U2, U3 and U4) and the large profile lines (U5, U55, U6, U7, U8 and U9) are technically incompatible due to different loading gauges, conductor rail design and traction current polarity, thus effectively constituting two separate networks.

 

 

Hard hats were obligatory, and in addition, RF audio guide sets with earphones were provided for the purpose of a live audio commentary from our tour guide. I cannot really tell the precise locations of any of the following tunnel photos, though!

 

 

 

 

 

Tunnel clearances do differ widely across the network, also owing to various sections having been built with different methods. As underground services continue for 24 hours through Friday and Saturday nights, we also needed to pull out into passing loops and turnbacks occasionally in order to allow timetabled services past.

 

 

Numerous underground sets are stabled in turnbacks en route through the night, and while there are guarded by security staff for protection against vandalism. Which does occur even in tunnels, madly dangerous as this is!

 

 

 

 

While no general passengers are present here in this view of Konstanzer Straße, we were greeted by cheering revellers while passing other stations as the night progressed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I said, watching the enormous complexity of engineering and technology involved across the network, as well as considering the architectural differences between stations built in specific eras, was, to my mind, seriously intriguing.

 

 

 

 

During our break at Seestraße, I captured our locomotive. 4052 and 4053 are a pair of dual mode electric and battery-powered SA97 type locomotives, built by Schalker Eisenhütte in 1997. Normally used for PW work in both networks and thus built to the small profile loading gauge for compatibility, these locomotives are rated at 440 kW and for 40 kph, measure 13.8 by 2.28 by 3.17 m, weigh 36 tonnes and have height-adjustable couplers in order to also be able to provide breakdown assistance on either network.

 

 

With a centre cab with dual control stands, the SA97 locomotives are well-suited for their purposes, and capable of reversing quickly.

 

 

Shoegear is provided for both networks, as the small profile lines use top-contact conductor rails, while the large profile lines have bottom-contact rails.

 

 

 

 

4157 is one of six SP82 type control cars, which are used for facilitating bidirectional operation of PW formations. They are, however, not driving trailers in the traditional sense as there is no control cabling on PW stock. The operator aboard the control car thus needs to relay commands to the locomotive's driver by radio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having returned to Deutsche Oper, our tour ended at 12.30 am, after which we could easily return to our hovel using night-time services. I can happily recommend these tours to anyone!

 

Thanks for reading!