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Last update: 2004-04-30
Germany - East-West-Mainline
The East-West main line of Northern Germnay is running from
Berlin via Hannover to the Ruhrgebiet and further to Koeln, with
extension in the East to Poland, in the West to Belgie and
France. The landscape of this part of Northern Germany, the
former Prussia, is almost flat. Only on the middle branch line
between Magdeburg and Braunschweig some hills are remaining
formed by the glacies in ice age. A third, parallel route from
Berlin to the Ruhrgebiet runs more in the South, via Halle,
Nordhausen and Paderborn. This line has to cross some hilly areas
with the famous slope near Sangerhausen in former East Germany
and near Altenbeken in West Germany. From 1989 to 1993 also
express trains were running on this line, but now freight trains
and regional trains.
Between Dortmund and Koeln are also three different main routes:
The oldest via Recklinghausen was built as Koeln-Maerkische Bahn.
It is mainly for freight trains and some regional trains. The
main line is the one via Bochum - Essen - Duesseldorf, and
finally the hilly line via Wuppertal.
Ring-Line around Berlin
B03910512i25W824Hennings.jpg (105kb)
Former Eats German class 109 has almost disappeared now. Here in
1991-05-12 in Henningsdorf Nord with a regional passenger train.
Photo Rail-Fan World
B04910512i28W824Falkenhagen.jpg (148kb)
This is the old type of East German Double decker commuter
trains, running in usually inseparable five-car-units. Near
Falkenhagen in 1991-05-12.
Photo Rail-Fan World
B08890506i21W000Schoenwalde.jpg (140kb)
Class 211 running towards Stendal near Schoenwalde, which means
translated nice forest and it is really true. Date: 1989-05-06
Photo Rail-Fan World
B09890502i29W000WusterRbf.jpg (94kb)
Express train bound for Stendal changes from electric locomotive
class 143 to diesel class 219 in Wustermark. The passengers take
the change to leave their seats for a small cigarette break at
the platform. After opening the high-speed line between Stendal
and Berlin this became historical.
Photo Rail-Fan World
B10890502i30W000Bredow.jpg (85kb)
This former East German railcar had the nickname
"Ferkel-taxe" (the translation would mean taxi for
pigs), but has now almost disappeared. In 1989-05-02 this train
runs in the outskirts of Berlin, on the branch line to North-West
near Wustermark trough the typical flat landscape of the federal
state Brandenburg.
Photo Rail-Fan World
B11890506i32W000Bredow.jpg (85059 bytes)
At the same place as the picture before runs the 132 with an
Express train Hamburg-Berlin. Date: 1989-05
Photo Rail-Fan World
B12900715i31W741PotsGolm.jpg (85kb)
The nickname of these East German newly delivered trains were
"Sputnik" in accordance to the Russian spacecraft.
The double-deck cars became popular and are still running, but
the painting has changed. Date: 1990-07-15 in Potsdam-Golm
Photo Rail-Fan World
B13900715i16W741PotsGolm.jpg (106kb)
Crossing between the Berliner Outer Ring and the line
Berlin-Hannover. On both lines, by chance, trains are passing by,
a class 155 with an oil train towards Wustermark and a class 232
with an express train from Hannover. Date: 1990-07-15
Photo Rail-Fan World
B15870722i13W000PotsdamHbf.jpg
(127kb)
The Havel river in Potsdam is so wide, that it looks almost like
a lake, and people enjoy cruising with boats.
Date: 1987-07-22
Photo Rail-Fan World
Line Berlin-Hannover
Nighttrain Berlin -Hannover hauled by class 232 and 219
locomotives and with the Talgo sleeper- coaches and car
transporters at the end.
Date: ca. 1999
Photo author unknown, copied from advertisement for Eurail-Pass
K72850927Helmstedt.jpg (102kb)
Near Helmstedt is some coal mining using these nostalgic looking
electric locomotives.
Date: 1985-09-27
Photo Dietmar Falk, published in Eisenbahn-Kurier, EK-Verlag,
Freiburg Freiburg
020726BrgStr.jpg (56kb)
In front of Braunschweig railway-station the tramcar built in
2000 under the roof of the tramcar-station. Date: 2002-07. This
tramcar company is preparing to change the gauge from the rare
1100mm gauge to the standard gauge 1435mm and the third rail is
gradually built in.
Photo Rail-Fan World
K920000Harz.jpg (53kb)
Steam train to the 1142m high Brocken mountain near Drei Annen
Hohne. This nostalgic steam line is becoming more and more
popular for tourists in all seasons, for hiking and skiing, and
of course for railway fans. Germany is now the country with the
highest number of regular, daily running steam trains in the
world.
Date 1995-05
Photo Keisuke Miyakji published in "Far Whistles - Rail
Graphic Gallery" by Kobayashi, Miyaji, Wada published by http://www.hikaris.com Tokyo 1998 ISBN 4-938951-62-2
D01040206Han423.jpg (155kb)
The World exposition 2000 took place in Hannover, since then the
suburban traffic has been modernized. The suburban train class
423 is waiting for the next tour at track 1, next to station
building, which is more than 100 years old. Date: 2000-08.
Photo Rail-Fan World
Line Hannover - Dortmund
(no pictures yet in this webside)
Line Halle - Nordhausen - Paderborn
The small village of Ottbergen was famous among railway fans,
because it was the home base for about 30 engine of class 044,
whch were running until 1976-05. This picture shows two freight
trains leaving Ottbergen for direction of paderborn in
1976-04-20, one month later this was all history - replaced by
diesel engines class 216.
Photo by: Eduard Erdmann
downloaded from
http://www.eisenbahnbildarchiv.de/main.html?E7=./pages/jipe.html in 2003-01
db155.jpg (71kb)
Former DR loco 155 187 with a mixed freight train is crossing the
famous bridge of
Altenbeken. Before this line was electrified in 1976-05,
oil-fired steam engines class 043 was operating on this line.
Date: 2000-04-30
Photo by: Dierck Luijt
downloaded from http://www.eurorailpics.com/ in 2003-01
Line Dortmund - Aachen
A12940123i27X009DuiScEH531.jpg(89kb)
The area near Duisburg is the last remaining dirty spot of the
Ruhrgebiet, which had a long time the bad image of coal mining
and steel producing, but in our days the green recultivation
areas are dominating.
On 1994-01-23 an EH Loco with an ore train in Duiburg-Schwelgern.
Photo Rail-Fan World
A13940125i27X008DusFlughf.jpg (156kb)
The airport in Duesseldorf is so close to the railway line, that
a new station for express- trains has been recently opened. This
is the situation on 1994-01-25 before the large change. An suburb
train with clas 111 enters the tunnel and after turning left it
soon will arrive at the airport building.
Photo Rail-Fan World
Line Aachen - Brussels
A11920926i24W931leChR282.jpg (138kb)
On 1992-09-26 this Express train R282 still had in between the
orange SNCB coaches one of the blue CIWL dining cars, which were
running in former times in the Orient express and other famous
blue trains. The picture is taken in le Chauteau Cambresis in
Belgie. The man on the bicycle is perhaps training for the
Tour-de France.
Photo Rail-Fan World
