Well, today I decided to take a day off my learning and depressurize - and what better things can there be for people of our mind than roaming the rails?

In addition, my girlfriend went on a short trip to her family in Leipzig today (missing her already, even though she'll return on Friday - any of you know the feeling? ), and before her train came in I first snapped an unexpected TGV POS set coming in from Paris Est...

TGV POS set 4403 - the German class number for these being 475 - arriving as TGV service 9553. The EMU to the left is a class 425, while a ICE 3 set is waiting further in the background.

And this was 425 015, working the RE 25014 service to Treysa. Interestingly, the regional services to Treysa and Dillenburg run to Gie??en as one train, there to be split and continue to their respective destinations. In this case, the last of the three 425s forming the train carried the service number 25114, with destination Dillenburg.

I then proceeded into the city, intending to snap one of the VGF's new U5 type LRVs. This here, however, is a U4 type which I captured while I was waiting at Heddernheim for a U5 set to show up. More specifically, it is car 515, working a line U3 service to Oberursel Hohemark. The LRV depot for the lines U1, U2 and U3 is just beyond the station - behind me, actually. The U4 type was procured between 1994 and 1998, and 39 units were built by a consortium of DUEWAG and Siemens. They have a very eerie sound, I should add!

Some of you may have seen these before - this is the U2 type, the oldest one working the U1, U2 and U3 lines, and now being replaced by the U5 type. Seen here is car 354, working the U1 line to Ginnheim.

And then a triple unit of U5 cars showed up . This here is car 616 at the head of a U2 service to Bad Homburg-Gonzenheim. The U5 type belongs to Bombardier's Flexity Swift line and will be procured both in double ended and single ended units - the latter, whose delivery will begin in 2011, being intended to be coupled back to back, with a shrouded passageway between both units. Interestingly, the U5 type will be compatible with the U4 type in order to work in mixed formations. No such formations have yet been seen in traffic, however.

Having returned to Frankfurt Southern Station I then snapped 411 065 "Bad Oeynhausen" working the ICE 1548 service from Dresden to Frankfurt Airport...

...and 111 214, sandwiching the RE 4544 service from W??rzburg Central Station to Frankfurt Airport Regional Station together with another 111 at the rear of the train. The RE services on the W??rzburg line are hauled either by a pair of 111s in a front-and-back lashup or one 146. By the way, Frankfurt Airport has two railway stations. The original, older station from 1972 is now known as "Regionalbahnhof" or Regional Station, while the newer station, opened in 1999 and normally used only by ICE and IC services is - unsurprisingly - known as "Fernbahnhof". There are only two long distance services still using Regional Station, namely ICE services 608 and 609.

In order to maximize the distance between the pantographs, the leading 111 must raise its forward pan. The carriages are so-called "Modus" types. These were rebuilds from old Halberstadt coaches. The frames and bogies from these were retained, but had an entirely new body furnished.

Well, this was it - hope you enjoyed the photos .