Frankfurt

Believe it or not, the old DB Class 111 electrics from the 1970's, immortalized in Railroad Tycoon 2 and many other things, are still in service. This one was at Nurnberg (Nuremberg) Hauptbahnhof.

Also called the ICT for its tilting mechanism, this class of ICE can be spotted by its stubbier nose than the similar (and contemporary) Class 403.

Although DB are famous for their ICE high-speed trains and respectable Intercities and Eurocities, local services worked by EMU's are still more in abundance. Here a Class 440 EMU, #440812-6, arrives in Nurnberg Hbf. In recent years, local-specific paint schemes have been given up in favor of all-red schemes not dissimilar to those used on Intercities (although the coaching stock on elite locomotive hauled trains and ICE's remains white with a red stripe).

This was the tram in the background in Picture 1. This appears to be a TUI advertising livery, as most of the trams I saw had one advertising livery or another.

Changing transport modes for one shot, I spotted this A380 (or what looks like one) from my train into Frankfurt. If my spotting is right (please correct me if I'm wrong) this marked only the second time that I managed to get a photo of an A380, after I photographed the very first one built in Paris Charles De Gaulle some years ago. Although I can't prove it, I'm assuming this one is operated by Lufthansa, as they are the primary operator of the A380 at Frankfurt am Main airport.

I first got to see Frankfurt's impressive Hauptbahnhof in 1998, and it still looks more or less the same. It naturally hosts a lot of ICE's and other express trains, so it's fun to watch trains here. The trainshed is also spectacular.

Incredible as it may seem now, the original Class 401 are already over 20 years old and counting, and showing little of their age. I got to meet up with some old American friends on this trip, including one old hot rodder who was suitably impressed, not to mention surprised at our train's age. "It works," he said.

Here's one of the newer Classes of ICE introduced around the time of my first visit to Germany in 1998. At the time, the Class were still in testing, but now they have been in service for many years. Although there isn't a high-speed line in Germany yet that can accommodate their full 330Km/h (205 m.p.h.) cruising speed, they still get to run quite fast, up to at least 250Km/h on most high-speed lines.

Introduced in 1952, and originally designated the E10 Class, these electrics represent one of the oldest surviving locomotive classes in Germany, and for that matter the world. Equally impressive is that these units have managed to stay in passenger service in the country of the ICE. Power output is 3,700Kw, or 5,000 horsepower, which is also impressive for its era, tractive effort is 62,000 lbs., which is also good, and this is distributed through a Bo-Bo (or B-B) wheel configuration, with 85 metric tonnes overall weight (so figure 21.25 tonnes per axle, a heavy axle loading for Europe). The cruising speed for the best-maintained units is 140Km/h, although the maximum design speed is 150Km/h.