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Railway and trams in Leipzig 2009 - very image intensive!


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Railway and trams in Leipzig 2009 - very image intensive!

 

by 1216 025

 

original page on Old RMweb

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??? posted on Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:41 am

 

Morning icon_wink.gif ...

 

So, I finally got around to formatting my images from our summer vacation in Leipzig between 28 July and 11 August icon_biggrin.gif . I had to pick and choose as I snapped more than 300 photos, but even so I ended up with a selection of some 104 images. I will spread them across several postings in this thread over the next few days, however, so as to not bulldoze you into the ground, and to give you time to comment, if you like icon_smile.gif .

 

So, let's start with what I photographed on the day of the inbound trip. We had been booked onto ICE 1559, scheduled to depart from Frankfurt Central Station at 11:19. Having stayed at my girlfriend's place the night before we had to catch the U6 and U4 light rail lines to get to Central Station, which proved to be no problem at all, even though we had Trude with us again, of course!

 

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This was our U4 service waiting to depart Bockenheimer Warte for Enkheim, composed of D??wag U2 type LRVs that day. The majority of U4 services is run with the more modern U3 type - some peak traffic services also being operated by Ptb types. However, the U2s were only cleared for that line in 2008. For many years there had been doubts that they would be sufficiently powerful to handle the steep gradients on the section between Konstablerwache and Bornheim, but apparently these were eventually proven wrong. A driver I know told me that they are actually better suited for the U4 line than the Ptbs where their horsepower is concerned.

 

Now, if you're confused with the designations for the light rail lines and vehicles in Frankfurt being so similar, here's a brief explanation. In the early days of light rail operation there also was a U1 type, which but was built in two units only and was replaced on the production line by the improved U2 type, which was built between 1968 and 1990. These are now operated on the U1, U2, U3, U4 and U7 lines. Then in 1977 the U3 type was introduced, this one being fitted with chopper controls instead of rheostat controls, and used exclusively on the U4 line. These were followed by the even more advanced U4 type which was built between 1994 and 1998 and which is related to the R type tram which was built around the same time. The U4 type can be seen on lines U1, U2 and U3 only.

The most recent development, however, is the U5 type which was first delivered last year. These LRVs, built by Bombardier rather than Siemens, are intended to replace the U2, U3 and Ptb types eventually. As of now they have been spotted only on the U2 and U3 lines.

And lest I forget the Ptb type - this one was originally developed for both tram and light rail use, one batch being fitted with folding steps and later called Pt, and the other having fixed steps and called P - the latter being usable only in tram service with street level platforms. The Ptb type was eventually created by attaching extensions to the body sides around the doors to reduce the gap between the train and the platform. All remaining non-rebuilt Ps and Pts were retired by 1 April 2007 - though one Pt has been modified as a driver instruction car in the meantime. The Ptb type is used on lines U4, U5, U6 and U7.

 

We eventually arrived at Central Station and made our way for platform 6. However, several minutes later an announcement came on that ICE 1559 - which originated from Wiesbaden - would terminate at Frankfurt Central due to a malfunction and that a backup IC service would be made ready for boarding on platform 5. As soon as it was, we took seats in one of the carriages, but of course our backup IC would have to wait for the malfunctioning ICE to arrive in order to allow passengers from that train to catch the replacement. This resulted in a delay of some ten minutes before we could actually depart for Leipzig.

 

However, ICE 1559 was not the only long distance service troubled by technical difficulties that day. While we were waiting, ICE 278 bound for Berlin Eastern Station was replaced by a backup IC as well, which was headed by engine 120 138...

 

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The trip to Leipzig then went without a hitch, however - the only thing which grated on my nerves rather badly being one kid who kept asking "are we theeeeere yet????" every minute, or so it seemed icon_mutter.gif ... However, having arrived at Leipzig Central Station just shy of three o'clock and having been picked up by my future FiL, the first thing we had to do after arriving at our place was to get some food and rest.

 

Later that day I then felt a weird and sudden urge to go spotting a little more icon_lol.gif . And so I caught a number 16 tram for Central Station around 20:30 and went a-snappin' ...

 

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The eastern states of Germany are definitely a bonanza for fans of the class 143 electrics icon_biggrin.gif . This here was 143 844, standing by to depart for Halle Central Station at the head of RE 26034...

 

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...and her sister 143 867 working a line S11 S-Bahn service to Wurzen.

 

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This is a Siemens Desiro (though some railfans prefer to call them "Desastro", this being derived from the German word for "disaster") DMU owned by private operator Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn, a Veolia subsidiary, standing by to work the MRB 82689 regional service to Geithain.

 

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Why should us railfans always discriminate against driving trailers? icon_what.gif This here is one of the double deck rakes on the S10 line for Halle Central Station.

 

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The "brand name" for the Halle-Leipzig S-Bahn network, written out as "Halleipzig", which I think looks a bit silly. After all the Rhine-Main S-Bahn has similar inscriptions on their rolling stock, written out as "S-Bahn Rhein-Main" - so what is wrong with a hyphenated name?

 

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Next in line was ICE-T set 415 024 "Hansestadt Rostock" which had arrived with ICE 1655 from Wiesbaden to Berlin-Gesundbrunnen, but had been uncoupled at Leipzig Central, the remaining section being worked only by the class 411 set attached to it. The 411 is the seven-car variant of the ICE-T tilting sets, while the 415 has only five cars.

 

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Can you tell I like the 143? icon_lol.gif This here was 143 020, standing by to work a line S1 service to Miltitzer Allee.

 

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By now I was quite tired and decided to call it a day. But before I caught my tram back home I did snap NGT12-LEI set 1201 "Saxonia" working a service to Sportforum. The "E" in the destination indicator means that this is not a regular line, the designation being used for all sorts of specials on routes other than the regularly scheduled ones. Booster services on regularly scheduled lines are given their regular line number with an "E" suffix - such as 16E, for example.

 

Well, that would be the first round of images. The next photos to be posted here will be from 29 July through 1 August and depict mostly trams icon_wink.gif .

 

Later icon_biggrin.gif .

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??? posted on Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:42 am

 

Well, here we go again icon_wink.gif . As stated in advance, the following images are from 29 July till 1 August.

 

After a good night's sleep and some breakfast we headed out to the city again, with a good East German D???¶ner kebab having been planned for lunch icon_biggrin.gif . There is a rather good outlet for it near the Petersbogen shopping arcades, if you should come to visit Leipzig and want to have a try. However, I also spent some time railfanning - having been able to get an overview of what is where in Leipzig during my stay around Easter made finding good locations a lot easier, of course.

 

As usual, Central Station was my starting point, being conveniently located along the routes of tram lines 12 and 16 - our place having been just about in the middle between the two lines.

 

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Another image of 143 020 on the S1 line, but this time in broad daylight. The driver has yet to drop the forward pan and raise the rear one, but as another S-Bahn service was approaching the platform I was standing on I had no time to dawdle. I personally avoid taking images of trains when a platform would obscure the chassis whenever possible, I should add.

 

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Returning to the tram stop outside the station I snapped 2136, a Tatra T4D-M tram, with a low-floor NB4 trailer behind. These classic trams remain the backbone of the LVB (Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe - Leipzig Transport Authority) inventory - 149 motor cars and 43 unpowered B4D-M trailers are in service at this time. They were built between 1969 and 1986 by ??KD-Praha, being 14 metres long, weighing in at 17 tonnes and having a top speed of 55 kph. All remaining T4D-Ms have been thoroughly refurbished after 1991, receiving chopper controls, air-conditioned cabs, improved lighting and an electronic passenger information system in the process. Like all LVB trams they have also been fitted with CCTV cameras - as a matter of fact, I have seen no traces of vandalism on any LVB tram icon_thumbsup2.gif .

The NB4 trailers, however, were procured after the low-floor conversion of B4D trailers had been found to be unviable for some reason or other, resulting in only eight of them being actually rebuilt.

 

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Tram 1207 "Stuttgart" is another NGT12-LEI unit, belonging to Bombardier's Flexity ClassicXXL line. These cars were derived from the NGT D12DD sets for Dresden which were first delivered in 2003. As of now 24 NGT12 sets operate in Leipzig, with another nine having been ordered in January 2009. They are 45.09 metres long, weigh in at 59 tonnes and have a top speed of 70 kph.

 

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Next we went for a stroll through the city centre, and as I mentioned in my Eurosprinter thread on here, I stopped by at a model shop not far from St. Thomas Church and got myself a DBS class 182 from Roco icon_lol.gif . The remaining afternoon was spent with my girlfriend and MiL, though icon_wink.gif .

 

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The next day we were planning to meet with some friends of my girlfriend's and head down to a lake at the southern outskirts of Leipzig. That day we first caught the number 12 line which is operated mostly with these NGT8 cars. Seen here is unit 1139 "Gustav Hertz" working a service going the other way to Gohlis-Nord. 56 of these cars were built by a consortium of Duewag, Waggonbau bautzen, ABB and Siemens between 1995 and 1998.

 

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We had to change for the number 13 line at Goerdelerring and caught Tatra car 2121 with a NB4 trailer for the ride down to Knautkleeberg. However, due to construction work being carried out at a substation on the southernmost branch of the line the number 3 and 13 lines terminated at Gro????zschocher, with the rest of the route being served by buses.

 

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Most of the buses providing rail replacement service were older Mercedes O405 GN types, but that day one of the "Silberpfeil" O 530 G Citaros was used as well. These buses were originally designed for the city of Hanover by British designer James Irvine on the occasion of the EXPO 2000 world fair, but Leipzig would also obtain several of these. I quite like this design, I admit.

 

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Eventually our stay at the lake drew to a close and, having packed our things and returned to the tram stop at Gro??zschocher by bus, we prepared to board 2108 and trailer which had just emerged from the reversing loop in the background.

 

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Back at Central Station I then snapped NGT8 car 1121 "Franz Mehring" working a line 15E service...

 

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...and 2181 on a trip to Knautkleeberg or, more, properly, Gro??zschocher - apparently there is no entry for Gro??zschocher on the rollsigns.

 

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The last tram to be snapped that day was car 1149 "F. Caroline Neuber" on a line 4 service to Gohlis, Landsberger Strasse.

 

The next day was 1 August and we headed into the city once again for some shopping. We caught this line 16E service operated by NGT12 car 1219 "Nanjing", dropping off at Augustusplatz...

 

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...where I returned when I needed a break from the crowds populating the city centre - nothing like railfanning to relax, is there? icon_biggrin.gif

 

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This is 1202 "Birmingham" on a line 15 service to Meusdorf - the imposing building under construction in the background is a new part of Leipzig University, by the way.

 

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Next came 1146 "Wilhelm Wundt" on a line 12 service...

 

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...and 1109 "Johann Gottfried Seume" on a line 4 service, advertising for "Freiberger" beer icon_biggrin.gif .

 

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Also on the road that day was this "Gro??zug" of two Tatras and a trailer on the number 15 line to Meusdorf. In case you're wondering - the Leipzig T4Ds have conducting couplers, meaning that the first motor car in a double unit can supply the second one with power without the need for the latter to raise its pantograph. Far as I know this was actually required because in earlier years the points were controlled by overhead switches which were triggered by the tram either drawing power or idling. This, of course, might have led to the unpleasant situation that the points could have been reset before the second power car would have passed them, causing a derailment icon_eek.gif .

 

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This was 1220 "Thessaloniki" working a line 16 service...

 

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and another "Gro????zug" led by 2126 on a line 15 service to Miltitz.

 

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1155 "Anton P. Reclam" is one of those NGT8s which have been given the new LVB colours.

 

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And this here is another type of tram I like a lot, namely a NGTW6-L "Leoliner." Built by HeiterBlick, a company created from a former LVB repair shop, this is meant to be a tram based on modern technology, but with less well financed transport operators in mind. They have six wheelsets and a 70 kph top speed. The two prototypes, which were put in preliminary service in 2004, were actually fitted with conducting couplers much like the Tatras, but as the points had long been converted to induction-based operation by that time this feature was dropped from the production units which first appeared in 2005. As of now 30 Leoliners operate in Leipzig, with another order of 18 units having been made in January this year. The city of Halberstadt bought five metre-gauge Leoliners, and other operators including those from Gotha, Plauen, Bucharest and indeed Alexandria in Egypt are considering orders of their own.

This double unit on the number 7 line to B?¶hlitz-Ehrenberg is headed by car 1319 "Schleu??ig".

 

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Next in line was NGT8 1122 "Karl Heine" working a line 4 service to Gohlis, Landsberger Strasse...

 

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...immediately followed by NGT12 1203 "Dresden" on the number 15 line to Miltitz.

 

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As we were preparing to head back home I snapped NGT8 1126 "Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber" on a line 4E service to Riebeckstrasse/St???¶tteritzer Strasse.

 

Later than day we would be going out for dinner, with me and my girlfriend fist visiting her sister and boyfriend before proceeding to the restaurant. We headed to the south of the city, and while we were waiting at Ro??platz I captured another few trams icon_wink.gif .

 

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This was 1132 "Karl Tauchnitz" on the number 10 line to L?¶??nig...

 

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...and 1140 "Dr. Carl Friedrich Goerdeler" on a line 9 service to Thekla. Note the yellow-coloured buildings in the background with the "Volkseigene M?¶belkombinate der DDR" signs on the roof. Far as I understand this was a former furniture factory which has been preserved as a historical monument.

 

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Next came Leoliner 1324 "Mockau" working singly on the number 2 line to Lausen.

 

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And another Tatra "Gro??zug" working the 11E line to Wahren...

 

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...followed by 1109 "Johann Gottfried Seume" on the number 10 line to L?¶??nig again. Cheers! icon_thumbsup2.gif

 

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On our way to the restaurant we met this Gro??zug on the number 11 line to Markkleeberg Ost on one of the main streets in the borough of Connewitz.

 

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Well, dinner was great and night had fallen in the meantime, but before changing for the number 16 line at Central Station on our way back home I snapped another Gro????zug on the number 7 line to B?¶hlitz-Ehrenberg headed by car 2102.

 

Alright then - so much for now. The next images will be from 2 through 5 August.

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Comment posted by Thirty2A on Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:16 pm

 

Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

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Comment posted by Bernard Lamb on Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:37 pm

 

Many thanks for posting your pics. Familiarity breeds cotempt and I have never considered the trams to be of much interest to any body.

It looks like you had a good trip. The model shop by the Thomas Church certainly carries an impressive range. I must have spent a small fortune in there over the years. You missed the best station in Leipzig, the Bayerischer Bahnhof. That was the one that they 'moved' a few years ago. The trams are a bit more up to date than when I was last there about three years ago. Route 1 from the side of the station to Der Adler was my local line. The building that looks like a water tower in one shot is the New Town Hall. I got married there way back in 1974.

Bernard

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??? posted on Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:28 am

 

Bernard Lamb wrote:

The model shop by the Thomas Church certainly carries an impressive range. I must have spent a small fortune in there over the years.

It is a nice shop indeed and I can imagine why you have been going there repeatedly icon_biggrin.gif . Shops like these do seem to be getting increasingly rare over here, unfortunately.

 

You missed the best station in Leipzig, the Bayerischer Bahnhof. That was the one that they 'moved' a few years ago.

I passed Bayerischer Bahnhof several times, but it looked to me as if it was currently inaccessible due to the railway tunnel construction work. But it's certainly a good thing that this station is going to be reborn, even in an entirely different shape. Wasn't there something about it to the effect that the Bavarian and the Saxonian tracks were not connected in any way and that the Bavarian part of the station had its own (Bavarian) stationmaster?

 

The trams are a bit more up to date than when I was last there about three years ago. Route 1 from the side of the station to Der Adler was my local line. The building that looks like a water tower in one shot is the New Town Hall. I got married there way back in 1974.

My first visit to Leipzig was in 2004 and there were neither the Leoliners nor the NGT12 at that point. As for the New Town Hall - this sure is an impressive piece of architecture.

 

As previously announced, additional photos from my stay in Leipzig will follow soon - stay tuned icon_wink.gif .

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Comment posted by Bernard Lamb on Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:20 am

 

Hi Dominik

As you say there are not many model shops like that one about these days. It is a similar situation in the UK but here the decline has taken place over a much longer period. I had heard the story about the two stations and their independant operation. When I first visited the site there was just one platform in use and the rest of the area was abandoned. After 1989 there were some cosmetic repairs carried out and several preserved 52 80s were kept there. The rebuilding is taking an age. I expected it to be finished by now.

I was reluctant to take photos back in the DDR period. I had a visa that entitled me to go any where and this carried a lot of weight with local officials, but you always had to be aware that you might be under observation. What many people do not know is that the wide streets used by the trams on the ring around the inner city is the result of Napoleon pulling down the city walls. Leipzig has had more than it's fair share of vandalism by various administrations over the years. Your photos do show the best bits and the air is rather better now that the brown coal industry has been curtailed.

Looking forward to the next set of photos.

Bernard

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Comment posted by Re6/6 on Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:03 am

 

Thanks for posting Dominik. I love the clean, tidy and uncluttered platforms, so different to here!

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??? posted on Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:31 am

 

Bernard Lamb wrote:

When I first visited the site there was just one platform in use and the rest of the area was abandoned. After 1989 there were some cosmetic repairs carried out and several preserved 52 80s were kept there.

I haven't seen Bayerischer Bahnhof in operation at all, but I did read it served as a terminus for regional services up until its last years. Overall it should be interesting to see how the city tunnel will affect the layout of the railway and tram lines.

 

I was reluctant to take photos back in the DDR period. I had a visa that entitled me to go any where and this carried a lot of weight with local officials, but you always had to be aware that you might be under observation.

In a sense it is a shame, is it not? Images from the East Bloc are much too rare for my taste and I always appreciate seeing how everyday life has been like on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

 

What many people do not know is that the wide streets used by the trams on the ring around the inner city is the result of Napoleon pulling down the city walls.

I admit I did not know this bit of information either, but it does make sense when you look at how wide the ring road is. In any case, it's been a good idea to have the tram run around the centre, if you ask me.

 

Leipzig has had more than it's fair share of vandalism by various administrations over the years. Your photos do show the best bits and the air is rather better now that the brown coal industry has been curtailed.

I have never been there while brown coal was still the fuel of choice, but my girlfriend told me that when they moved to Leipzig in the mid-90s lots of it was still used and the air did have a rather unpleasant smell to it. One of the opencast mines to the south of the city has been converted into a lake in the meantime (called Lake Cospuden) and is hugely popular with beachgoers and nature lovers.

 

I also read that back in the GDR days there were actually plans to eliminate Leipzig entirely in order to exploit the brown coal deposits located in the city area icon_eek.gif .

 

Re6/6 wrote:

I love the clean, tidy and uncluttered platforms, so different to here!

Wait until you see the images I took at Leutzsch! icon_lol.gif I think I also took a couple at Gohlis which does look rather decrepit. However, the tram stops do look very tidy indeed. So does Central Station - which I think is not a big surprise as this is the station probably seen first by the majority of travellers going to Leipzig.

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Comment posted by jongwinnett on Fri Sep 25, 2009 11:15 am

 

Strewth, how things have changed! I was there (and Halle) in 1993 briefly (ill-fated love affair icon_redface.gif ). As an impecunious (sp?) student I didn't have a camera - but I left (hurriedly!) for Berlin behind I think a wine-red 132 (might have been a 232 by then?) in green coaches (Halberstadt?)

 

What a contrast now.

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??? posted on Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:00 am

 

And here we go yet again icon_wink.gif . The following images were taken from 2 through 5 August.

 

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The 2nd of August saw us heading down to the same lake where we'd spent an afternoon before. However, our stay there was eventually cut short by a rather fierce thunderstorm. We did manage to grab our things and head back to the tram stop at Gro??zschocher in time before the clouds burst. NGT8 car 1113 "Werner Heisenberg" was the one to take us home again and is seen here arriving at the reversing loop at Georg-Ellrodt-Strasse. This car still carries the old LVB colours.

 

The following day saw us playing a round of skittles at a centre a bit north of the Trade Fair Centre in the north of the city. However, we first met our friends on the number 12 line and rode down to the nearest interchange for the 16. I first snapped this down service operated by car 1142 "Ulrich von Hutten"...

 

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...followed by 1125 "Thomas M??ntzer" on an up service.

 

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Riding back to town in the early afternoon from the Trade Fair Centre I then snapped NGT12 car 1224, one of the two sets not carrying any name, waiting to begin its trip back down to L?¶??nig.

 

One bit of information I might mention at this time is that the Leipzig tram network is built to the rather odd gauge of 1,458 mm (4 ft, 9.4 in). The original plans from the 19th century did call for the international standard gauge to be used, but the first thing to go wrong was that somebody used 4 ft, 8.6 in as the basis, resulting in a metric value of 1,438 mm instead of 1,435 mm. Later there was an even bigger problem in that the roadbed had apparently been built rather sloppily, meaning that seeping water and the weight of the carriages slowly widened the gauge to as much as 1,460 mm. However, the executives of the time felt it to be too expensive to readjust the gauge on all affected sections, deciding to just regauge all carriages to 1,458 mm instead.

 

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Anyway: We first went down to Ro??platz again where I snapped NGT8 car 1132 "Karl Tauchnitz" working the number 2 line to Lausen.

 

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Then, having had some coffee in the city centre, we proceeded to check out the S1 S-Bahn line to Miltitzer Allee. The service which took us there was powered by 143 327. I am wondering how I might comment on the sky reflecting that way in the windshields of the engine - perhaps something like, "Feels like heaven"? icon_biggrin.gif

 

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Those East German double deck driving trailers aren't exactly a joy to behold, but I did like the impression of this image icon_wink.gif .

 

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Right before heading back from Miltitzer Allee on the service waiting on track 2 I snapped this inbound service which terminated on track 1. However, I still cannot help but feeling that this station is located quite in the middle of nowhere. Might have something to do with it being located in a trench, though, as there are, in fact, residential areas to both sides of the railway.

 

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We changed back for the tram at Gohlis where I captured this RB service to Wei??enfels, pushed by - you guessed right - another 143 at the back of the train. I did mention Gohlis Station looks just a bit decrepit, did I not? icon_lol.gif

 

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Our next destination was the western terminus of tram lines 1 and 2 at Lausen where there is a fenced and gated reversing loop which also serves as an overnight stabling place. This here was a Tatra double unit headed by 2135 just before entering the loop...

 

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...and this was NGT8 1117 "Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz" having just arrived on a line 2 service. The interesting thing about this one is that the interior has been decorated with vinyls creating the atmosphere of a football stadium (the car itself advertising for Leipzig's Central Stadium), including the floor which looks like a lawn icon_eek.gif .

 

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Preparing to head back to the city centre on 1117 I first snapped 2155 and its NB4 trailer about to depart on a line 1 service to Mockau.

 

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Inside car 1117 there was this sticker informing passengers about the 100 ?‚¬ reward for all citizen reports leading to the apprehension of vandals...

 

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...as well as this sticker reminding passengers about the unpleasantries of fare dodging. The sticker says, "We can provide you with a noticeable blush for just 40 ?‚¬ - Fare dodging carries a 40 ?‚¬ fine and will cost you a lot of nerves." There are several more of these slogans to be found on the LVB buses and trams.

 

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We rode down all the way to Meusdorf where I captured 1117 and a Leoliner double unit on the number 15 line headed by car 1330 "Wiederitzsch" waiting side by side just before the reversing loop.

 

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Quite different visual profiles, are they not?

 

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Before boarding car 1330 I snapped it again at the departure platform.

 

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I then returned to Central Station as I wanted to get a look at the "InterConnex" which is a kind of long distance passenger service operated by Veolia nowadays. First introduced in 2002, there are four daily services between Berlin and Leipzig as well as Warnem??nde. This here was train X 80004 which had arrived at 18:32 hours and would depart as X 80005 back to Berlin Central Station at 18:55 hours. It was powered by engine 146 522 which was built in 2005 and carries the works number 34051.

 

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Some inscriptions from one of the carriages which, by the way, are set up as "married pair" units. "Spargast werden" is a bit of a play on the German word "Fahrgast", meaning "passenger", but would have to be translated as something like "saving guest" icon_eek.gif .

 

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Additional inscriptions on the side of the same carriage. The "Bpmdza" code means "2nd class open coach with air conditioning; overall length in excess of 24.5 metres and shrouded passages; multipurpose or bicycle compartment; carriage powered by ETS; carriage fitted for "Technikbasiertes Abfertigungsverfahren", which means that the doors are protected by pressure-sensitive edges and may therefore be closed without the train staff monitoring the procedure.

 

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Moving outside the train shed I captured this regional service entering the station. The driving trailer is a refurbished East German type which has been given a cab front in the style of the Bombardier double deckers. I'm not sure just how much exactly these carriages do look better than the type I showed you before in the images from Miltitzer Allee.

 

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One platform over 101 041 was departing with IC 2146 to Hanover Central Station.

 

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And the driving trailer on the InterConnex.

 

This concludes this round of images - the next one will feature those from 6 through 9 August icon_biggrin.gif .

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??? posted on Sat Sep 26, 2009 1:28 pm

 

Not wanting to keep you waiting longer than necessary, I would now like to present you with the next set of photos icon_wink.gif .

 

6 August saw us head over to Dresden for a change. The first item on our agenda was a visit to the German Hygiene Museum, which but actually deals with several themes from medicine, psychology and human physiology. Now, I don't want to portray the museum in a negative light at all, but I personally did feel quite uncomfortable among all those exhibits, and felt quite sweaty and a bit nauseous when we left. The staff, however, were friendly all around - so this is just a bit of advice for those of you who do not have a resilient stomach either.

 

Dresden, the capital of Saxony, is a hugely popular destination for travellers, of course, and certainly rightly so - its location on the banks of the river Elbe and the hills straddling the river does have a huge appeal. However, I personally prefer destinations which are quieter and not that overrun by tourists - Leipzig being close to a perfect balance between business and calm, in my view.

 

Of course, I also took a couple of photos in Dresden icon_wink.gif .

 

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On our way from the museum to the city centre where we were also hoping to find a nice place for lunch we were passing Pirnaischer Platz. This here is one of the Bombardier NGT D12DD trams which served as the basis for the Leipzig NGT12-LEI sets, seen here coming up Wilsdruffer Strasse on a line 2 service to Kleinzschachwitz. The Dresden tram network has a gauge of 1,450 mm, by the way.

 

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Right behind came this NGT6DD unit working the number 4 line to Laubegast.

 

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Meanwhile, NGT8DD set 2704 was coming the other way on a line 2 service to Gorbitz...

 

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...and NGT6DD unit 2513 on the number 4 line to Radebeul West.

 

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Needless to say, Dresden's Church of Our Lady, whose 13-year reconstruction was finished only in 2005, is hugely popular with tourists, as you can easily see here. It sure is an impressive piece of architecture - hats off to the people who rebuilt it! icon_thumbsup2.gif

 

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Having a soft spot for all kinds of ships I was hugely delighted to witness one of the paddle steamers plying up and down the Elbe icon_biggrin.gif . This here was the "Stadt Wehlen", seen here while she was manoeuvring in to the pier. Simple, but graceful, isn't she?

 

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Returning my attention to the tram I next snapped NGT12 set 2828 at Pirnaischer Platz, working a line 7 service to Weixdorf...

 

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...followed by set 2824 on a line 3 service to Wilder Mann. Who the H came up with that name, by the way? icon_lol.gif

 

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The last tram to be photographed before we returned to Leipzig was NGT8DD set 2707 working the number 12 line to Leutewitz.

 

The next day was 7 August, and of course I made good use of that day as well. First up that day was a trip down the southern half of the number 16 line to L?¶??nig. A

 

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At Deutsche Nationalbibliothek I captured NGT12 set 1216 "Kiev", which we subsequently boarded. The building in the background with the golden roof is the Russian Orthodox church.

 

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And this is 1216 again, preparing to leave the reversing loop at L?¶??nig. The next leg of the trip would be on the number 10 line to Wahren.

 

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Heading the other way on the number 10 line was NGT8 car 1154 "August Bebel".

 

Next up was 8 August, and that day would see us head up to Wahren, there to change for the S-Bahn whose station is a few hundred metres from the reversing loop where the number 10 and 11E tram lines terminate.

 

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Having alighted from the tram at Wahren I spotted car 1101 "Johann Sebastian Bach", the first of the NGT8s, waiting in the reversing loop used by lines 10 and 11E.

 

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After several minutes on foot to Wahren Station it was 143 action again icon_biggrin.gif . First up was 143 324 on a line S10 service to Halle.

 

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Do you sometimes have the impression that certain engines or units keep following you wherever you go? This was certainly true of 143 020 which I had now seen all of three times icon_lol.gif . Today she was working the S10 line, however, and returning from Halle.

 

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We disembarked at Gohlis again as we were planning to head to Leutzsch on the S1 line. This here is a disused factory to the north of Gohlis Station. Certainly something to consider if you do not want to build your layout all shiny and glitzy, which is rarely prototypical nowadays.

 

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Leutzsch Station was not exactly glitzy either, as you can most likely tell from this image of the signal box. Right next to the station is a now disused tram depot where several retired Tatras are stabled - badly vandalized, I am sorry to have to add.

 

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This was actually why I had come here - capturing an S-Bahn service heading engine first to Miltitzer Allee in front of the oldish station. This service here was headed by 143 563. Not even one minute before, however, I was surprised by a Veolia 185 with a fuel train which passed through the station on the leftmost track in this image. Of course, I did not have any chance of getting into position in time in order to snap that one, too icon_frustrated.gif . This would conclude my photo trip for that day.

 

9 August was a Sunday and would see me just head to the eastern end of the number 7 line at Sommerfeld. This line is mostly operated with Leoliners.

 

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My ride that day was car 1308 "Sommerfeld" - funny concidence there icon_lol.gif .

 

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Returning to Central Station I then turned my attention to this IC set shunted into position by 362 551 - actually a six-wheel diesel-hydraulic West German V60 type engine. Shunters like these are often overlooked, but of course vital for railway operation.

 

Well, so much for now, then. The remaining images from 10 and 11 August will follow in the next posting!

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Comment posted by Bernard Lamb on Sat Sep 26, 2009 5:20 pm

 

1216 025 wrote:

 

I have never been there while brown coal was still the fuel of choice, but my girlfriend told me that when they moved to Leipzig in the mid-90s lots of it was still used and the air did have a rather unpleasant smell to it. One of the opencast mines to the south of the city has been converted into a lake in the meantime (called Lake Cospuden) and is hugely popular with beachgoers and nature lovers.

 

I also read that back in the GDR days there were actually plans to eliminate Leipzig entirely in order to exploit the brown coal deposits located in the city area
icon_eek.gif
.

 

I know the lake quite well as it is only about 3km from where some of my relatioms live. I have cycled out to it several times. Twenty years ago it was a huge hole in the ground with a giant digging machine extracting the lignite. There was a narrow gauge railway in the bottom of the hole to transport the lignite to the edge. It was common knowledge that the next kilometre towards the city would be cleared within the next five years or so but I never heard of a plan to destroy the whole of Leipzig.

Did you visit the book shop in the main station ? It has the most incredible selection of railway books, magazines and DVDs. There is nothing like that at any railway staion in the UK.

If you thought that Dresden was busy then you should visit it during the Jazz Festival.

Do they still use the tram way system to carry materials for the car factory during the night?

Bernard

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??? posted on Sat Sep 26, 2009 6:07 pm

 

Bernard Lamb wrote:

Did you visit the book shop in the main station ? It has the most incredible selection of railway books, magazines and DVDs. There is nothing like that at any railway staion in the UK.

Yes, I did. Some of those book stores in major stations are really a great source for all sorts of rail-related mags and books. As a matter of fact, I found you are often more likely to find this sort of thing in these book stores than in many of the general ones.

 

Do they still use the tram way system to carry materials for the car factory during the night?

Yes, they still have the "CarGoTram," but I did not see it myself, though it operates on a two-hour interval all day, according to what I've been told. Very interesting concept in any case and I would hope that other cities might find it feasible to implement a similar system. Zurich also has a "Cargotram," but this is used only for transporting bulky waste.

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??? posted on Sat Sep 26, 2009 6:58 pm

 

I hope none of you mind my posting two messages in a row, but this one will be the one to showcase the last of the images from my vacation icon_wink.gif .

 

It was now 10 August and a rain and thunder cell had really fixed itself in place over the Leipzig area that day. But I did head out to the city anyway as I still wanted to snap some more tram and railway action.

 

I first headed down to Central Station and positioned myself at the tram stop to the west of the station. The ground was still wet from a rather heavy shower which had poured down in the early afternoon, but I did not let that stop me.

 

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Sadly I cannot remember which line this service was working, but it was NGT8 car 1106 "F. Gottlieb Klopstock" in the old LVB colours.

 

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However, one of the more specific reasons I had ridden down to the city was that I wanted to check out the number 14 line, which is the shortest tram line in Leipzig nowadays. It operates only between Central Station and the Angerbr??cke tram depot at this time, though its usual route would be to Plagwitz Station. However, urgent renovation work on King Albert Bridge requires it to be detoured. Here, Tatra car 2145 is approaching Central Station and will proceed to the reversing loop at the west side. Far as I know the 14 is the only line to be regularly operated with single Tatras.

 

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Of course, the fact that the number 14 line terminates at one of the LVB depots is another reason for riding it - but of course you can also use the 3, 7, 8, 13 and 15 lines to get there. In any case, after alighting at Angerbr??cke I captured Tatra car 2145 and a B4D trailer working the number 8 line to Miltitz. The depot is behind the building at the left edge of the photo.

 

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That service was soon followed by a Leoliner double unit on the number 7 line to B?¶hlitz-Ehrenberg, headed by car 1319 "Schleu??ig".

 

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Then a line 8 service to Paunsdorf-Nord composed of two Tatra motor cars began its duty, headed by unit 2124.

 

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And another NGT12 in all its beauty icon_cool.gif . This here was car 1208 "Nuremberg" on the number 15 line to Miltitz. After this I caught the next line 7 service to B?¶hlitz-Ehrenberg as I wanted to have another ride on a Leoliner icon_biggrin.gif .

 

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And this is the set I took in the reversing loop at B?¶hlitz-Ehrenberg. Car 1332 "Leutzsch" is in the lead.

 

Having headed back to Central Station I next checked to see if there was anything of interest on DB tracks.

 

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And indeed there was...well, uhm, where exactly? Oh yeah, back behind the weeds icon_lol.gif . These were several class 612 tilting DMUs.

 

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143 354 came in with a regional service...

 

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...while a sneaking, slithery ICE-T set snaked its way through the underbrush.

 

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This is another of those East German double deck driving trailers which have been refitted with new cab fronts in the style of the newer Bombardier ones.

 

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642 019, a Desiro type DMU, was heading out on a RE service to Geithain.

 

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And this was 101 062 coming in with an IC set.

 

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As we had a little reunion planned for the evening I decided to call it a day when 143 048 had left with her regional service. I noticed many drivers would leave at least one cab door open, certainly owing to the summer heat in order to improve air circulation in the cab and engine room.

 

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Well, let's say I almost called it a day icon_lol.gif . Later that evening I rode out to the Trade Fair Centre on the number 16 line once again in order to try and capture a tram in the dark, which I did. This here was NGT12 set 1220 "Thessaloniki."

 

Well - the next day was 11 August, and all too quickly we had to return home icon_cry.gif . However, while we were waiting for ICE 1548 to arrive I did have a last look around Central Station and was very lucky indeed...

 

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This here was an empty stock service, most likely headed to a carriage repair facility and composed of a mixture of IC and regional single and double deck stock. It was hauled by engine 115 350 - this being a renumbered "Crease" bodied class 110 engine operated by DB AutoZug. The other engine behind it was 110 343, but it was dead in tow as the 110s (and 115s) are not fitted for MU operation.

When you look closely you can see a red-painted IC coach in the second position behind the engines. This is a refurbished carriage used for the 200 kph Nuremberg-Munich regional service, called "M??nchen-N??rnberg-Express" or "M??N??X".

 

Eventually, ICE 1548 did arrive and we took our seats for a smooth ride back home. We would disembark at Frankfurt Southern Station.

 

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Farewell shot of ICE-T set 411 001 which is actually one of the twelve sets hired to the ?–BB and thus also known as class 4011. Unit 411 006 has also been hired to the ?–BB, but was damaged by a fire and is currently out of service. However, the ?–BB sets operate on the same duty rosters as the other DB sets, with care being taken that only these sets, which had to have several modifications fitted, operate on those services actually going to Austria.

 

Right then - I hope you enjoyed this collection of images! I sure enjoyed writing up my memories from this vacation.

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Comment posted by max stafford on Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:24 pm

 

Thanks for posting this excellent feature Dominik, it's nice to see Leipzig and Dresden again. How lucky you were to catch the Bugelfaltenon the empty stock. The view of the 101 waiting to depart also reminds me of the excellent day I spent there! icon_biggrin.gif

 

Dave.

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Comment posted by jongwinnett on Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:38 am

 

Yes, thank you Dominik. Great feature and smashing photography.

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