Mosel Valley - 2012

[MarshLane]

The discussion on the Rheinland thread has been wonderful, and while talking I remembered I had been down the Mosel line three or four years ago - when I looked it was seven!  How time flies.  So this was 2012, it was towards the end of the Class 181 reign on the through Luxembourg workings.  Instead of operating from Koblenz to Luxembourg as they do now with EMUs, these were through trains, 181 worked in the main to Koblenz from where another DB electric, usually a 101, took over for the onward working into Germany.

 

I have got probably three/four batches showing freight and passenger workings along the line, but we'll start with the 181s....

 

Rich

 

 

181215 stabled at the back of Koblenz awaiting the Luxembourg bound arrival.

 

181209 passing Winningen, south of Koblenz on the run to Trier and Luxembourg

 

 

An unidentified 181, but believed to be different to the other two, heading a rake of DB IC stock over the Moselle at Bullay, bound for Koblenz and after a loco change, further into Germany.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by MarshLane

[MarshLane]

Morning all,

There are others from this trip, but in many cases they either duplicate views or traction. But here we go with the freight and passenger action...

 

South of Koblenz is the vineyard area of Winnigen.  From the station, there is a footpath/cycleway that leads up through the vineyards and follows the river, but on a higher level.  Partway down this footpath was my base for a morning. A little wrongside light, but for once given that the day was due to cloud over I went with it!

 

DB 185018 heads a rake of covered steel wagons south towards Trier.  The station at Winnigen is a no-go, as the platform is very narrow, and staff do not let anyone out of the station building until the passenger service is almost arriving, on safety grounds.  But this view is taken from the old loading dock in the goods yard.

 

Having moved down the footpath, and now gained some height, we see DB 143090 approaching with a fellow classmate on the rear.  Surprising for me, given that there was a driving vehicle in the formation, that this set spent at least three days in this formation!  I can only assume communication problems between the locos and the stock.  I was fortunate to be out there during the final months of loco-haulage on this service, it went over the pure 442 operation at the next timetable change.

 

One of the former SNCB operated Bombardier Traxx Class 186s, in this case 186247 heads south with a rake of PKP Cargo open box wagons

 

These trains were always some of my favourites.  Coal empties from the industrial Rhur Valley heading back north. Winnigen station can be seen in the far distance, with the Mosel behind.  I need to look up the numbers!

 

Southbound freight again, this time steel coil behind DB 185072.

 

Before DB disbanded its Railion devision, the larger branding and low grey bodyside stripe made a change from the standard DB colour scheme. Here DB Railion 189084 heads south with Nacco-owned tanks.  Given their resemblance to those tanks that venture into Scotland from Europe carrying China Clay slurry, I am assuming these could be the same.

 

A close-up bodyside view of DB Railion 189084.  I do tend to photograph the trains in the landscape, as well as individual locos, coaches and wagons at various times!

 

Moving south we come to Bullay.  One of my favourite locations on the Mosel route.   The station is not particularly photographic, but the adjacent river crossing is somewhat idyllic in my eyes!  Unfortunately the enemy approacheth!  A few weeks earlier and this would have been a Class 143 push-pull set, but here we see 442203, one of the new style EMUs that took over from the local loco-hauled service

 

A view that never fails to impress!  The substantial viaduct over the Mosel.  There is also a nice, if somewhat of a tight angle, view from the viewpoint just to the left of the tunnel in this shot.  Here a SBB Cargo Traxx loco heads over the bridge, heading south, with empty car carriers.  Are these produced in model form?

 

Expecting the 'topped and tailed' Class 143s to reappear I was somewhat disappointed when this 442 set burst from the tunnel!  The road/rail usage of the bridge is clearly evidenced in this view.

 

However the disappointment of the 442, was made up for by the appearance of this 218, albeit it pushing, heading through Koblenz. For some reason that I now forget, the set had been deployed on Rhine Valley services around Bingham because of a lack of Siemens Desiro units for MittleRheinBahn (which operates the local/regional Koln/Koblenz to Bingham and Mainz).  I had been fortunate to get the 218 at Bingham the previous day (see a future post on the Rhine Valley thread) but getting it returning from its hire duties at Koblenz was a definate bonus, and a case of right place at the right time!

 

Hope you've enjoyed these!

 

Rich

[admiles]

Lovely photos. Although less dramatic I much prefer the Mosel line from Trier to Koblenz to the lines along the Rhine.

 

I had three consecutive trips to the area in 2014/15/16 and the 143s were still working the Dostos (Doppelstockwagen) alongside the 442s as late as 2016.

[MarshLane]

15 minutes ago, admiles said:

Lovely photos. Although less dramatic I much prefer the Mosel line from Trier to Koblenz to the lines along the Rhine.

 

I had three consecutive trips to the area in 2014/15/16 and the 143s were still working the Dostos (Doppelstockwagen) alongside the 442s as late as 2016.

 

Thanks for that. Wish I'd known at the time, I'd have been after going back out again!!  I always thought they finished with the start of the 2012 Winter timetable.  When I was in Koblenz last week, it was still nice to see the 146s on push-pulls, admittedly going north to Koln etc..

[duff man]

Thanks for posting the photo's. Always nice to see some continental shots on here, if you have more please share them with us.

Craig.

[MarshLane]

5 hours ago, duff man said:

Thanks for posting the photo's. Always nice to see some continental shots on here, if you have more please share them with us.

Craig.

Thanks for the comment Craig,

I have added another small batch from 2012 to the Rhine Valley thread, and I have another batch to go on at some point in the next few days.

 

Rich

[Sir Madog]

The Mosel line is one of my favourite lines! I have fond memories of a trip from Koblenz to Trier when the line was still worked by steam in the very early 1970s. The demise of steam actually effected a change in the wine quality from the grapes of the vineyards along the tracks.

 

Unfortunately, all the pictures I took back then were lost in a house move,

 

Rainer Tielke made a very nice Z scale diorama, which was on display at the Intermodellbau 2019!

 

 

[Northmoor]

Just found this thread and some lovely shots of trains in the landscape; I visited the Mosel valley when on a school trip to Trier in 1985 but sadly haven't been back since.  On one day's trip to Bernkastel and Burg Eltz I think, during a break in Cochem a mate and I went up a road alongside the railway just outside the tunnel.  I hope it's OK if I add a couple of slightly blurred shots taken on a little 110 camera which reference to Google Earth suggests are completely unrepeatable as the sidings where the Kof and tanks are stabled are where the alignment for the new tunnel has been built.

  

 

Sorry I can't rotate the first shot of the 181 in original blue.  The tank wagon in the siding is interesting; it looks like a steam loco (possibly Kreigslok?) tender but I can't make out the wheel arrangement.

 

Rob

[MarshLane]

Hi Rob,

More than OK .  In many cases little has changed, in other ways, lots has!

 

Rich

[Steamysandy]

My first visit out of Britain was to the Mosel Valley with the LCGB on 4 th of October 1970.140-231 picked us up at Venlo and took us to Monchengladbach where 4-6-2 no 003 111-2 took over for the run to Koblenz Lutzel via Koln and the right bank mainline.After an engine change ,001-073-6 headed along the Model Valley to Bullay where the train was split and a section made an out and back run to Traben Trarbach edit behind 0-10-0 t no 094 640 normally a shunter at Dillingen steelworks.

001073-6 continued toTrier where the train reversed to head over the EifelBahn behind 044 178 to Euskirchen.

We ended steam in the dark with 055 647 and 848 to Aachen where 140 231 was waiting to take us back to Venlo.

I got to Koblenz in 1986 and Tried ( behind 41 241!) in 1992 but I've never been back to the actual valley.

Edited November 11, 2019 by Steamysandy
Error

[stivesnick]

 

Some pictures taken along the Mosel Valley Christmas 2019. The Class 442 units are still there and a mix of 4 car and 2 car sets work the hourly stopping service between Trier and Koblenz. There is also an hourly regional limited stop service usually formed of a DB Class 429 coupled to a CFL 3 car double deck unit. The train splits at Trier with the CFL unit going to Luxembourg and the 429 going to Saarbruken.

 

No obvious freight terminals along the line - but some coal trains both DB and privately operated and some general freight trains with a mix of high sided open wagons, steel flats and long wheel vans.

 

First lot of pictures taken at Cochem -showing station, old goods shed and trains (with my usual just coming up the stairs when the freight train arrives!)

 

Nick

Edited December 28, 2019 by stivesnick

[stivesnick]

Some more pictures taken this week around Lof and from the top of valley overlooking Hatzenport 

 

Nick 

[MarshLane]

Hi Nick,

Thanks for adding these to the topic - they are superb. What a shame the scaffolding is around the church in the last picture.  Im hoping to get a few days out there again this year - possibly spending a day down the Mosel Valley. Was there much freight about during your visit?  Very quiet the last time I was down through Cochem, but locals were saying that was unusual.

 

Rich

[stivesnick]

Richard 

 

I did not spend a great deal of time adjacent to the railway so difficult to judge. The freight yard at Trier was empty. There appeared to be a daily general freight in each direction, Class 143 hauled with between 10-20 wagons. The two coal trains heading west through Cochem passed through within an hour of each other. In contrast, during an hour and half trip down the Rhine from Boppard, I saw freight trains every 5-10 minutes. 

 

Nick  

[Mike at C&M]

A few of mine from various trips to the Mosel Valley in the 1980s

 

 

The Kaiser Wilhelm tunnel at Cochem, before work was started on the new bore.

 

 

The Bullayerbrucke

 

 

Little and large: The branch line service from Bullay to Traben-Trarbach was operated by single car Class 798 railcars.

 

 

Express passenger duties were shared between Class 181 and Class 110 electrics. A blue liveried Class 110 leaves the Bullayerbrucke as it arrives in Bullay, on it's way towards Koblenz.

 

 

A Class 140 hauled freight approaches the Kaiser Wilhelm tunnel as it passes Ediger-Eller, heading towards Koblenz

 

 

A Class 181/2 hauled express from Trier to Koblenz crosses the hanging viaduct at Punderich. The vineyards below it will be turned into Mosel wine.

 

 

The same train. The tunnel the train is about to enter emerges on to the Bullayerbrucke

[Mike at C&M]

 

In the 1980s, many of the coal trains to the Saarland were hauled by double-headed Class 140s. However, to see two in the older green livery was rare. This train is passing Punderich, just to the west of the hanging viaduct seen previously.

 

 

Climbing up to Bullay station, with the Mosel river behind, A class 181/2 leads an express towards Trier. (apologies for the dirt on the scanned slide)

 

 

On the same stretch of line, between Neef and Bullay, 181.212 heads west towards Trier. At the time, this was one of only 3 named locomotives running on the DB, it was called "Luxembourg", and name is the blue 'stripe' on the ivory colour behind the cab door.

 

 

181.215 passes the huge river lock at Neef, on another westbound service.

 

 

The next westbound express has a streamlined Class 110 at the front as it approaches Neef station.

 

 

Taken from above the tunnel through the Neeferberg, a westbound freight train heads towards Bullay

 

 

Picking it's way through the vineyards near Neef is an eastbound express headed by a Class 181/2 electric. The blue livery of the locomotive identifies as one of the first 10 examples of the class

[Mike at C&M]

 

From above the Neeferberg, the view towards the east. In the distance is the Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel. At this time, it was the longest railway tunnel in Germany (4,205 metres), and was just a single bore. Longer tunnels have now been built on various Neubaustrecke, and the Kaiser Wilhelm now has two bores due to geological problems.

 

 

A Class 141 hauled local train crosses the Ellerbrucke over the river Mosel, heading west towards Bullay.

 

 

One of the first 10 Class 181/2 electrics passes through Neef village on a westbound express toward Trier.

 

 

[MarshLane]

Superb shots. It’s a nice era in Germany the 1980s, like our BR blue but with a little more variety!