Greblord's Big Trains: 2014

As part of my non-rail activities, I visit Germany in October for Spiel - a large games convention. I can't stop photographing their efficient and brightly coloured trains though.

In this post, I have material from a visit to Düsseldorf in 2000, then some from more recent years from my visits to Essen. There are also some of Cross-border services in the Netherlands. Enjoy.

DB

Everywhere, you'll see the DB logo. It stands for Deutsche Bundesbahn - or shortened these days to Deutsche Bahn

Numbering

One of the first things you notice when looking at trains in Germany, is that their numbers are very precise.Two blocks of three numbers - the first is the class number, the second the number of the unit in that class. Following these is a check digit.

ICE

The Inter City Express is a regular sight across the DB network and into Europe.

Düsseldorf 2000

111-148-3. More about these locos

Class V60 number 360 804-9 and an unidentified

Köf III

103 121-0. Many people have fond memories of Class 103, as they were withdrawn in 2003.

143 592-4. These locomotives were originally from the Deutsche Reichsbahn, and are among the most ubiquitous of Germany's locomotive classes.

112 173-0. The Class 112 locomotives became an unexpected symbol of German reunification because they were the first locomotive class to be used by both the Deutsche Reichsbahn and the Deutsche Bundesbahn.

143 614-6

Lines out of Düsseldorf

ICE pulls in

140 534-8. More on this class

One of the newer DB Regio Class 644 Bombadier talent DMUs

One of the older DB Regio Class 614 DMUs

S-bahn

It's a sign!

Köln/Essen 2006

Köln Flughafen platform indicator

Class 425 EMU

145 022-9. More on class 145.

ICE unit 'Essen' in Essen

Inside the ICE

Essen 2010

ICE in Köln airport station, ready to take me to Essen

Essen U-bahn station Karlsplatz

The Essen u-bahn's colours are yellow and blue

Eindhoven 2013

German locos pass through regularly.

Freight uses an outside line at Eindhoven Station

Venlo 2013

6507 - Dutch numbering, DB logo.

A Stadler FLIRT in Eurobahn colours works the line between Venlo and Hamm

The old 'Western' diesel Hydraulics were always my favourite loco. That sweet design and their relative unavailability to a young boy based in the North of England in the '70s just made every time I caught sight of one even more sweet.
The westerns ran almost exclusively on the great western routes to the south west and wales, mostly from London paddington, but also from Birmingham, which is where I would go to catch sight of them. I recall a school trip to Bath, where I had one of my first chances to see them close up - I still have the photos somewhere.

These shots are from more recent times - A diesel day on the West Somerset Railway on 29th April 2000, and from the Old Oak Common open day on 6th August of the same year. Finally a couple of shots from Barrow Hill open day on 8th October 2000.