Berlin - What to see, where to go?

[admiles]

I'll be in Berlin for a few days next month. Apart from the obvious visit to the Hbf (hard not too, hotel is 200 metres away!  ) can anyone point me to any locations with some decent railway action?

 

Sharing the trip with the girlfriend's need to shop means I'd like to make the most of any platform time I can get.

 

Any suggestions gratefully received.

[Guest 40-something]

I flew into Schoneberg and whilst wait on my train to the city there was a constant procession of local passenger and freight.  Could have stayed there for ages!!!

 

Next to the old main post office there was a model shop, its the starting point for a bike tour of the city so that might help you find it!!!

[rekoboy]

Take your girlfriend to the amazing (even for a non-shopper) Alexa shopping mall at Alexanderplatz (next to the station - U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Regionalbahn) and let her melt her credit card in the stores while you go to the top floor and visit Loxx which is a fantastic model railway on a similar scale to the Miniaturwunderland in Hamburg. You will be amazed!

www.alexacentre.com

www.loxx-berlin.de

Have fun!

[bbishop]

The Stadtbahn runs East West through the centre of the city - some IC/ICE, a lot of RB/RE and some S Bahn.

 

The Ring runs round the city, crossing the Stadtbahn at Ostkreutz and Westkreutz, both of which are interesting stations in their own right.  The Ring is the province of the S4 and its derivatives, but none of them actually achieve a complete circuit.

 

You can get a travelcard for 72 hours, I think.  This gives you various discounts, including the Deutsches Technikmuseum (just to the south of the centre) and LOXX Modelleisenbahn Berlin.  The latter is in the Alexa shopping centre, near the Alexanderplatz, and will have the advantage of killing two birds with one stone; by reputation, it's not to the standard of the Hamburg model railway.

 

Oh and there will be trams sculling round Alexanderplatz Bahnhof.

 

Are you interested in Model Railway shops?

 

Bill

[admiles]

Thanks for the ideas and info guys! Much appreciated.

 

We're flying into Schoneberg so hope to bag a few freight trains there.

 

Sounds like the Alexa shopping mall is a must (for both of us!  )

 

Travel card duly researched and will be purchased on arrival. Sounds like a real no-brainer.

 

Any know of any easily accessable locations (by pubilc transport) to view/photograph freight trains from?

 

And finally - Yes Bill, German model railway shops are my idea of heaven!!   I mostly model German and Austrian N gauge.

[bbishop]

Personally, I would go to Turberg Modelleisenbahnen, and would suggest the following technique .....

 

Go to Wittenbergplatz U bahn station with other half.  You will see the KaDeWe store, in which you can leave her for several hours, but ensure you have the credit card!  Continue along Tauentzien Straße, then left into Ranke Straße, at the end of which you will see the Turberg shop.  The actual address is Lietzburger Straße 51.

 

Ignore all pleas to return with said credit card.

 

Bill

[Revolution Mike]

Ostkreutz was interesting when I was there last month. If you go there then it is well worth a quick trip to Treptower Park (one(?) stop on the S Bahn from Ostkreutz) to see the magnificent Soviet monument to the second world war (10-15 minute walk to the park).

 

Cheers, Mike

[jonhall]

Hmmm, Loxx is about 1/10th of Minature Munderlans - I wouldn't bother myself.

 

Jon

[ForestPines]

Personally I thought LOXX has a higher modelling standard than Miniatur Wunderland, although at the latter there's a noticeable difference between different sections of the layout. LOXX certainly has fewer gimmicks and clichés.

 

In the eastern suburbs there's the 600mm gauge Berliner Parkeisenbahn, one of a series of narrow gauge lines built in communist East Germany for their equivalent of the Scouts to operate. It connects to the S-Bahn at Wuhlheide.

 

In the west are two very interesting museums: the U Bahn Museum in the old signalbox at Olympiastadion station, and the S Bahn Museum which is at Griebnitzsee station between Wannsee and Potsdam. However when I last visited both were only open one day per month - and it was always the same day! The U Bahn also did run open-top tours on a few dates a year, which might be worth checking for.

 

South of the city is the Schöneberger Südgelände, a former marshalling yard and loco depot which was abandoned by the Reichsbahn when the sector borders were closed and left to turn itself into a birch wood. After reunification it became an official nature reserve, but still with most of its abandoned railway infrastructure hiding in the woods. It's also on the S Bahn.

 

There isn't much freight inside the city because it mostly uses the Outer Ring line built in the 50s to enable the wall to be built - so the old airport station (has the new one opened yet?) is your best bet.

[Coldgunner]

The Technikmuseum is well worth a visit for some 1:1 scale (with roundhouses!)

 

[Clay Country]

If you're looking for places to photograph trains on the Stadbahn, the bridge over the Spree on Michaelkirchstrasse (a couple of minutes walk from Jannowitzbruecke station on the S-Bahn) is a good spot, with river in the foreground and the iconic TV tower for a backdrop. There's also a nice shot of trains crossing the river near Bellevue station from Bellevue Ufer, which is the footpath following the south bank of the river coming from the Tiergarten side.

[ForestPines]

The Technikmuseum is well worth a visit for some 1:1 scale (with roundhouses!)

Plus a nice H0 model of the Anhalter Bhf!

[rekoboy]

Going back to my praise of Loxx - the reason I like it so much is that it shows chunks of Berlin in model form. My last visit to Miniaturwunderland in Hamburg left me feeling disappointed because of the hordes of visitors - even late in the evening. When you visit Loxx you have time to stand and stare and admire!

[FelixM]

Hi

 

There have been no freight trains in Schöneberg for some years now.

 

When visiting the Parkeisenbahn, you should arrive via S-Bahn station Wuhlheide. The outer (freight) ring passes over the bridge here.

 

To see some freight trains inside the city, travel with the S-Bahn near the station Westhafen. There are the harbour yard and a marshalling yard. Class 66s regularly arrive here.

 

Another unusual feature of Berlin is the Night train coach Maintenance Depot at S-Bahnhof Warschauer Straße (near Ostkreuz). You can take good photos from the overbridge. If you are lucky you can witness the trip workings between here and Lichtenberg over S-Bahn tracks (due to major construction works at Ostkreuz) but I can give you the time though.

 

To see some traction you should travel with open eyes along the S-Bahn line S3 in the area of Betriebsbahnhof Rummelsburg. ICE trains were maintained here, as well as storage of other passenger and departmental trains. If you are interested in DMUs and stored coaches, you should travel to Lichtenberg station (near Ostkreuz). The storage tracks extend to Nöldnerplatz S-Bahn station.

 

The best S-Bahn station to watch Stadtbahn trains flow is Savignyplatz in my opinion. Savignyplatz itself is a good address for fashion shopping and restaurants.

 

The busiest station in Berlin is probably Spandau, but due to its remoteness in the north west and the fact that freight trains pass outside the station hall I cannot recommend it wholeheartedly.

 

Make shure you travel with U-Bahn line U1 between Gleisdreieck and Warschauer Straße. The tracks are elevated on viaducts and date back to 1902.

 

Alexanderplatz is good for exploring Berlins tramways. Travel to Hackescher Markt, where you will find a giant tram track roundabout complete with 4 storage tracks for the tramway lines which end here.

 

A must do is a ride on the double deck bus line 100 from Alexanderplatz to Zoologischer Garten. Line 100 is famous for visiting a lot of tourist attractions in the city and is therefore popular with tourists. There is even an audioguide which you can download in advance to get some information about what you see through the windows.

 

Kind regards

Felix

[Bernard Lamb]

 

 

To see some traction you should travel with open eyes along the S-Bahn line S3 in the area of Betriebsbahnhof Rummelsburg. ICE trains were maintained here, as well as storage of other passenger and departmental trains.

Certainly worth a look.

I was trying to think of the name of the place.

Usually a varied and interesting collection can be seen  but not sure if it is possible to find a place where you can get a good view.

Only ever passed while on the train.

As Felix comments that will give you a good general impression.

Bernard

[admiles]

Thanks for the time taken for all the info guys. Very much appreciated.

 

I'm there for four days but the time dedicated to enjoyment of railways both model and real will be limited to the patience of the girlfriend! Plus I'd like to see some non railway bits too myself.

 

I'm really just after a busy spot to plonk myself with a camera for a few hours. Anything loco hauled is good by me, be it freight or passenger.

[M Graff]

Don't forget about Michas Bahnhof!

Nürnberger Str. 24a am Tauentzien

My favorite alongside Turbergs.

Many second hand bargains to be made!

[Dogmatix]

Turberg is my favourite; I often pop in there. Michas is within walking distance of Turberg; it has a lot of second-hand stuff. Another good shop is Modellbahn am Mierendorffplatz, which is... well, at Mierendorffplatz, on the U7.

 

Loxx is more Berlin-specific, but Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg is much bigger, and has a bigger airport. They also want to add a British section one day...

 

The busiest underground station is Wittenbergplatz, the stop nearest to KaDeWe (the big department store). On one of the platforms you will find a familiarly-shaped station name sign (a present from London Transport).

[ForestPines]

Is Wittenbergplatz really busier than Alexanderplatz? That has all the interchange traffic with the S Bahn and the tram network too.

[FelixM]

Hi ForestPines

 

Wittenbergplatz has 5 U-Bahn platforms side by side, so you can watch all trains at the same time. It is felt busier.

 

Alexanderplatz has 3 U-Bahn lines which all have different station constructions. U2 and U8 are relatively far apart, U5 is downstairs. Tramways are at ground level and S-Bahn and regional traffic have its station elevated. So you neber see them all at once, but in sum there is of course more traffic at Alexanderplatz than at Wittenbergplatz.

 

To make clear what I mean here is the track plan of Berlins U-Bahn: http://www.berliner-untergrundbahn.de/gleisplan2007.pdf.

Additionaly you can download station area maps of Wittenberplatz and Alexanderplatz from this site: http://www.bvg.de/index.php/de/3714/name/Standortplaene.html. (All station area maps are in alphabetical order.)

 

Kind regards

Felix

[ForestPines]

Thank you Felix!

 

In my photos I have the track diagram of that part of the U-Bahn in about 1930 - it's an exhibit at the Berliner U-Bahn Museum.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/forest_pines/6208723458/in/set-72157627587980925/

[NGT6 1315]

Lots of good advice in here already! I personally find the elevated underground stretches along the U1 and U2 lines to be rather worthwhile. If you're into urban commuter stuff, there's a lot to see indeed. This includes the trams which continue to exist mainly in former East Berlin, reaching out to the lakes on the outskirts and making for some rather nice impressions.

 

Do note that a couple of years ago at least, BVG security staff would regularly ask for a written photo permit. If in doubt, just e-mail the BVG customer help desk, who I'm sure can assist you.

[Gordonwis]

Just to clarify that the person who said Schoneberg meant Schönefeld (airport). 

 

It is a great place to see trains  - or go along to other station on the outer ring:

 

http://gwizz.piwigo.com/index?/category/70-april_2013_saarmund_berlin_aussenring

[Purley Oaks]

Many thanks to this topic - just spent a few wonderful days in Berlin staying on Alexanderplatz. Wouldn't have found Loxx at all - liked its representations of the city.

Berlin is so easy to get around once you get your bearings. 

The free guided tour of the Reichstag, booked online a few weeks earlier, was superb - a wonderful building updated by Norman Foster. Good to see a modern democratic chamber.

Will definitely return

Mal

[Dogmatix]

Wittenbergplatz has 5 U-Bahn platforms side by side, so you can watch all trains at the same time. It is felt busier.

Wittenbergplatz was designed to accommodate a sixth platform, but only the part under the surface building was built. Access to it is through a small door halfway along the northern wall.The idea was that trains to/from Uhlandstrasse (currently line U1, previously line U15 and U3) would continue in a north-easterly direction. There is also a section of tunnel under the main running lines east of the station.