neal cooper Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Hello everyone, I want to plan a short (one or two nights trip, preferably via Eurostar but flying an option if it's cheap!) to Germany to show my son what real railways looked like as all he knows is the current scene in Britain. He's interested in photographing freight trains on the move, diesel or electric, and I'm hoping for some guidance as to where is a good spot to do this. A station platform location is ideal but not essential. (They have rain cover and coffee shops!) Hamburg-Harburg, right bank of the Rhine, Hamm to Bielefeld come up in internet searches. Does anyone out there know these locations? Any information, help and guidance would be much appreciated. Cheers, Neal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhall Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I spent an unplanned hour at Hamburg Harburg yesterday and there was a lot going on, There has been a great deal of freight action on the lines in the Bremen area this week as well. Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Claude_Dreyfus Posted April 23, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 23, 2014 The Rhine Valley is a great place to see freight trains, especially in the stunning scenery south of Koblenz. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Brasher Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I live in Swanage which is twinned with Rudesheim on the Rhine. There are lots of freight trains there. The Germans blew up the railway bridge over the Rhine to halt the Allies' advance. The Germans cannot rebuild it now because of objections from conservationists as some rare species live on the remains of the bridge. There are lots of trains a day which have to go through Rudesheim instead of crossing the Rhine to Bingen. The railway crosses the road at a level crossing. Every time a train goes past it brings the traffic to a halt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted April 24, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 24, 2014 Yes the Rhine gorge is definitely a good place and almost anywhere between Koblenz and Bingen will give good view across the river to the mainly freight traffic on the opposite bank. You might even take one of the KD boats that ply the gorge and get a mid river view - and so be able to see the lines on both sides of the river. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 If heading for Koblenz, then it might be worth trying a couple of locations in the Mosel valley en route. Backtracking a little further, Wasserbillig in Luxembourg sees both local and cross-border traffic (in fact there's quite a lot of freight-generating industry in Luxembourg, including some private operations at Wasserbillig). Trier sees some freight, but the station platform is south-facing and not the best for photography. The town is interesting both architecturally and as the birthplace of Karl Marx. Ehrang had a large allocation of 044 2-10-0s in steam days, but little more than shunters now (I think). There are plenty of vantage points along the Mosel. Stations that can be good for observation include Cochem (where there is a tunnel) and Bullay (where the main road and railway line crosses the river on a double-deck bridge). If you want a sedate change from freight operations, there's a branch line terminus at Traben-Trarbach. Koblenz has a branch of the DB museum: http://bswgruppekoblenz.de/index.php and at least one good model shop (others can better advise). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Forum member 1216 025 might help - here's one of his blogs: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/74/entry-13806-the-freight-of-spring/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordonwis Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Neal, I see you are based in St Albans. Therefore, here's my two penn'orth It takes the best part of a day to get to Germany by train. perhaps too much time lost for a short visit. As you are in St Albans, I suggest you fly Easyjet from Luton to Berlin. Easyjet's flights from Luton (and Gatwick which you could also access from St Albans - you cluld go one way and back the other) depart early morning so you can be watching German trains by 10am German time! Your son will be gobsmacked that after a five minute walk from the terminal you will be in a station with freight passing through quite frequently. Schonefeld is clinging to life as there should have been a new airport and railway station open by now, but it has been delayed significantly. ON the flip side, since the demise of the communist GDR Schonefeld station is not the hub it once was, so facilities are limited. However, its huge expansive platforms designed to cater for huge communist groups are great for watching trains. At the very least you can start there before going to other parts of the Berlin area. Hard core enthusissts head for Saarmund, but that is a unstaffed halt with no facilities - nevertheless here are my phots: http://gwizz.piwigo....rlin_aussenring many of the same freights pass through Schonefeld: It is worth going to Berlin simply to see the new multilevel Berlin Hauptbahhof - which is simply unbelievable. Impossible to convey in photos, but here are some attempts: http://gwizz.piwigo.com/index?/category/91-april_13_potsdam_and_berlin_hbf The Rhine is the other obvious alternative. It is a unique multi mode transport corridor with trans, road vehicles, cycles, freight barges and tourist boats all moving through the same corridor. Taken in cross-section it goes railway - road - cycle track - footpath - river - footpath - cycle track - road - railway! I have been enjoying the railways of the Rhine since I was a toddler. AS children my brother and I loved camping at the Loreley rock and watching the river traffic lights that control barges - they are still there! ( http://www.tradboat2.co.uk/sourcepages/rhineships/rhinephotos/bankside/signalststion.jpg I went down the right bank on a single day in October 2011 on the way to a steam event in Thuringia and so loads of freight, including old DB locos and Swiss electrics. Photos 13 to 61 in the following album are taken at various wayside stations down the line between http://gwizz.zenfoli...ermany_oct_2011 Disadvantage is that Easyjet only fly to Koln from Gatwick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForestPines Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Rüdesheim isn't what it used to be 20 years ago, when there were frequent long-distance express passenger trains through the station. Nowadays they all go via Bingen or down the high-speed line from Köln to Frankfurt (Main); the right bank line has a relatively poor local-only passenger service with through passengers usually having to change trains at the state border. Still plenty of freight to see though! I'd recommend trying some of the left bank towns such as Bacharach or Boppard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S; Widnes Road Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 From recent experience Berlin is not a great destination if you want to see freight, Far better to try Cologne (Cologne West is a few minutes from Hbf) and generally busy with good variety, if you are more adventurous a Tram out to Cologne Gremberg will reward with fantastic variety. If you don't want to stray from a well appointed station, Fiy from Stansted to Bremen, and the Hbf has a very significant through flow of freights as well as a great variety of passenger trains. Other options are Nuremburg for the DB Museum then pop on a local train to Furth, which is another freight hotspot, or even Munich Ostbahnhof. Some recent visits to all of these locations are on the link below: https://www.flickr.com/photos/widnes_road/sets/72157627200728714/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ColinK Posted April 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hi, I've been to Germany many times and agree with all the suggestions. Plus, not far from Koln is Wuppertal with its Schwebebahn (hope I've spelt that right) which is a monorail suspended over the river and streets - well worth seeing. Plus at Hamburg you have Miniature World which is a huge model railway (I've not seen it yet). Personally I much prefer to go Eurostar than as I find the train much easier than flying, has a better view than the plane, and it is a train! Rather than struggle to book tickets myself, I use Rail Canterbury who usually manage to find me a good deal. For example, for our next trip we have Eurostar tickets to 'any station in Belgium' which for us is the station before the German border, a ticket accross the border, and a Schones Wochende ticket (fixed price for up to 5 people) to our destination. I've no connection with Rail Canterbury, just a happy customer. Whatever you do, enjoy and let us know how you got on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Hi Neal, I can highly recommend Köln as a destination or base! From here you can quickly reach Linz (am Rhine) or Bonn hbf and both these are pretty good for freight. I did a little photo essay largely about Linz here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/68077-why-i-love-german-railways/?p=943162 as you'll see it has attractions other than the main line! However I cannot recommend Hamburg as a base highly enough although two days would not be enough. I spent a week based here last year, freight highlights being any time at Hamburg Harburg (There was major engineering work on a Sunday, yet it was still busier than a busy WCML!) and also a little trip 20 or so miles south from Harburg to Maschen. Exit the little station and turn right along the road. Follow along around a r/h bend and up a bit of an incline and you'll find yourselves on a public road, crossing the largest marshalling yard in Europe, second only behind Bailey yard in the USA! You'd need warm clothing in case it's windy as it's very exposed there, binoculars, decent telephoto lens & tripod. I went to Barnetby and Toton in the eighties and I'd say that both these locations beat them, certainly for freight quantity anyway and most likely for variety too. Hope you have a great trip! John E. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neal cooper Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has taken time out to comment and help us. It really is very much appreciated! I'm looking for a relatively simple first trip, although some of your suggestions may entice us back for a more complex itinerary in future! Will let you know what we do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittannia Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Koln is excellent for photos and viewing trains on the station, plus go out of the station towards the Cathedral {cannot miss it!], follow the River Rhine and about half a mile there is a great viewing area of a procession of freight trains [single and doubled headed] running over one of the girder bridges spanning the Rhine. You can get up close to the action as there is a walk way on the Girder bridge . Plus an added bonus are various river traffic. I went to Cologne via Brussels {another hotspot for Trains} by the ICE train, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
station cat Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Not Germany but... Fly to Vienna and take the S-bahn into the city - there's a massive chemical works type thing en-route with loads of rail traffic. Vienna in general seems to be surprisingly good for freight. You could go from there to Nuremberg and the D-Bahn Museum and maybe take the train home via Frankfurt, lots of freight around there too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhall Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 These were all snapped in about 20 minutes at Hamberg Harberg the other week, and they ignore all the ICE/IC's and the Metronom push pull sets AND all the freights on the Eastern half of the station. I suspect the best viewing point is the southern end of the western island platform (where the Metronom trains to Cuxhaven reverse) is the best place to catch all the action. Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neal cooper Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Ok, so the tickets are all booked. We're off to Boppard via Eurostar, (the journey being half the fun this first time). Will post any good pictures we get later on this thread. Thanks once again for all the suggestions and ideas! Cheers, Neal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neal cooper Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 As promised, here are some highlights from our short stay in Boppard: http://youtu.be/08AZp4Q2l48 http://youtu.be/UvwjnAVpDA4 http://youtu.be/fSTzHwndPQ4 http://youtu.be/TRfQnTjklKU http://youtu.be/GjEbm5xZ4fc There are plenty of more run of the mill but still interesting sights to share if you want them. I just haven't uploaded them yet! Perhaps you could let me know whether they should go here or in another thread? We had a great time, and my son would like to return sometime soon. He does like Diesels rather a lot though, so can anyone recommend a German rail centre for Diesel spotting for our next trip? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
burgundy Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Dresden (Saxony, former GDR) is worth a visit on its own. If only for the way the city was rebuild after the obliteration of 1944/45 in a major fire storm. Much of the old city has been restored to its former glory, a lot of that happened after German Unification (1991). I'm aware there's an NG railway S/W of Dresden, but can't tell you anything else. Perhaps one of our German members has more info on that? Do note that Dresden is a major population centre and as such, the main line(s) has/have been electrified. Still has a fair few diesel lines to serve For Dresden and the surrounding area, see this thread. There is also a website to promote Steam in Saxony. Hope this helps Best wishes Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
admiles Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 As promised, here are some highlights from our short stay in Boppard: http://youtu.be/08AZp4Q2l48 http://youtu.be/UvwjnAVpDA4 http://youtu.be/fSTzHwndPQ4 http://youtu.be/TRfQnTjklKU http://youtu.be/GjEbm5xZ4fc There are plenty of more run of the mill but still interesting sights to share if you want them. I just haven't uploaded them yet! Perhaps you could let me know whether they should go here or in another thread? We had a great time, and my son would like to return sometime soon. He does like Diesels rather a lot though, so can anyone recommend a German rail centre for Diesel spotting for our next trip? Muhldorf in Bavaria is the home of DBAG Sudostbayernbahn. It has a decent sized depot dealing with several diesel classes used in Bavaria. It's easily viewable from the station and there's a long glass footbridge over part of the depot area. It's currently home to classes 218, 225, 232, 294, 363, etc and the new multi engine 245s. It's a nice train ride (just over an hour away) from Munich. Trips to Passau, Plattling, Landshut and even Salzburg (for a taste of the OBB!) are all easily do-able too. Easyjet have a Stanstead - Munich service thats pretty good. Frankly even if your lad is diesel oriented plonk him on Munich Hbf for a few hours and his head will spin! As well as DB services some Arriva ALEX are also diesel hauled. There are also many electric loco hauled trains and a fair few international trains. Well worth a trip - I love the place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
40F Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Regensberg is mainly electrified and the only diesel workings are the Munich - Hof trains I think they from Regensberg to Hof. Both the diesel and electric depots I believe are closed but there was a rumour of a private company reopening the old electric depot. on a good day a huge amount of freight rolls through here. The main yard is to the south on the main Nurnberg - Passau line on the left as you go south. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Boyd Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Hello Neal & Callum, love the videos, much better than mine! Hopefully by the next trip I'll have a better understanding of my camera and be able to match your results. Mick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neal cooper Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 We also spotted this one whilst waiting to go home! http://youtu.be/_KZjudQ7mXc We think it's a loco and brake force wagons that deliver news stock from the Siemens test centre at Wegburg-Wildenrath. Is this correct? Here are a few more slightly more run of the mill sights to be had there. http://youtu.be/7hQ9Z-iFLxQ http://youtu.be/xFKOSC_SsV8 http://youtu.be/Q5KMYbMPz0k http://youtu.be/nI4n_PVbxTI http://youtu.be/vw_LUPuh5cI http://youtu.be/V0BvZ9wDjVA Hope you like them. Cheers, Neal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishmail Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Neal, Looks like you and Callum had a great time in Germany. So will we get to see a German layout in N gauge now . Regards John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neal cooper Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 John, No! I have too many projects already. Although them German freight trains have such variety....... Neal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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