Jon Searles' photos with the keyword: Hauptbahnhof

Koln Hbf sees a lot of ICE traffic. This appears to have been a Class 403 ICE, also called a Velaro. Built by Seimens from 1999 to (officially, at least) 2010, when it was superseded by the Class 407. In the interim, a multi-current version, the Class 406, was also produced. All of these trainsets have been very fast. They were perhaps the first ever trains designed to cruise at 330Km/h, or 205 m.p.h. On speed tests in 2006, a Class 406 achieved a top speed of 407.6 Km/h, or 250.8 m.p.h., which wasn't a world speed record for a train, but a world record for an unmodified production train. The original Class 403 set a speed record for the class of 368 Km/h, or 228.66 m.p.h., in 1999 (to the best of my knowledge, as it was on the original tests).

This was early in the morning in Koln Hbf, where we arrived. As far as I know, this wasn't our train, as this PKP sleeper is on it, and the train didn't go through Poland. I really don't remember. I took this photo just because I don't have too many photos of PKP sleepers, or for that matter Polish equipment generally.

This shot came out better than I was expecting. I bumped the contrast up by 10% in Gimp, and removed some dust, but ultimately that's all I had to do to it. The thumbnail actually made it look worse. This might be my best photo of Koln Hbf, at least at night.

This photo, taken with my cameraphone, was largely a matter of waking up at the right time and place. We took the CityNightLine service to Prague overnight, and I woke up when the train stopped in Freiburg. I took this photo mainly because I was interested in how people had no problem with leaving their bikes chained up overnight. The station management don't seem to have a problem with it either, but most of all it seems like an illogical place to keep your bike. Wouldn't you want it to go to the station? I eventually concluded that these bikes must be owned by people from out of town who commute to Freiburg by train and then take their bike to work.

DB's Class 115 electric locomotives, of which 115154-7 on the left is one, are actually Class 110 and 113 units which have been redesignated for local and autotrain services. Classes 110 and 113 are in turn variants of the original DB E10 Class electrics introduced in 1956, being produced until 1969, with all units being redesignated Classes 110 and 112 in 1968, with an additional Class 114 being created through reclassification of the last 112 Class units in 1988. In addition, in 1991 the older Class 112's were reclassified 113, eliminating Class 112 as a Class designation. These locomotives, while they obviously vary in specifications, hence the different classifications, put out 5,000 horsepower (impressive for 1956), and can run between 120 and 160 Km/h, depending on how they're equipped. Originally, they were only rated for 130 Km/h, but the higher-speed variants were introduced both from new production and requalification of older units. The prototypes had only been rated for 125, but this was raised so that they could be reclassified as express locomotives. The Class 440 EMU on the right is of an entirely different era, however. Marketed by Alstom as the Coradia Continental, and DB have operated these since 2008. However, they have a longer history in Britain, where they were used on First Great Western starting in the early 2000's, with later production units being classified as Class 180 Adelantes (The earlier Class 175 Units were just called Coradias or Coradia 1000's.). These are actually very fast trains by diesel standards, being capable of operating at 125 m.p.h. The 440's are EMU's, however, as Alsthom market the same carbody series as either. The diesel version is classified as Class 640 or 648 on DB.

Well...here it is....my first public video on iPernity. Had Flickr's policies not driven me over here with so many other people, this would also go on Flickr, but instead this is an iPernity exclusive for now. I shot this video seconds before the photo I uploaded right before this.

I have a few ICE photos scattered throughout my photo collection, but only a few on Flickr. I took this one in Munchen Hbf as I was about to get on my train (which wasn't an ICE). #401509-5 is one of the original 401 Class ICE sets from the early 1990's, meaning it can cruise as fast as 280 Km/h (173 m.p.h.) given a dedicated high-speed line rated for 280. That's impressive enough to American ears, but the newer 403 Class can reach 330 Km/h (205 m.p.h.), so it isn't like progress stopped with the first sets, either.

Strangely, I've had trouble getting information on these. I've seen them before, but I can't find information on them on the internet.

This is another classic that I spotted, a Class 218 diesel. Although it resembles the old (and even more classic) V200 diesel of the late 1950's, the Class 218 was introduced in 1966, and was initially classified as the V164 before DB changed their numbering and classification system in 1968. It was part of the V160 series of diesel classes intended to replace the V200, which was the first mainline express passenger diesel used extensively by DB. Today, very few diesel locomotives are used in express service in Germany due to extensive electrification, so most work locals on branchlines. We had actually spent much of our trip behind diesels because of diversions and construction work, but this wasn't the usual situation for our train. Getting back to the Class 218, the Class 2,467 horsepower in prototype form (the first 12 in service 1966-1968), but this was upgraded to 2,763 from 1968 onwards, putting it close to American diesels, which at the time were some of the more powerful diesels in the world. Maximum operating speed was and still is 140Km/h, just as fast as all of the electrics of the day except for the 103 (which was allowed a maximum of either 160 or 200 depending on the service, making it the fastest in the world at the time). The 218 was more interesting than is obvious, though. Firstly, it isn't a diesel-electric but a diesel-hydraulic, and in spite of the terrible reputation of this technology, the 218 has been in continuous service for 44 years. In addition, because it's a mixed traffic locomotive, it has both a high and a low gear, the low one limiting the top speed to 100Km/h, doubling the tractive effort. Some locomotives originally had a third gear that tripled the tractive effort, although I don't know how many still do. At least one source cites the low-gear top speed as 90Km/h, so this may refer to these units. In 1996-1998, 10 units were re-geared in the opposite way for 160Km/h express services, interestingly out of Munich, being classified during that time as Class 210. Finally, while modern diesel-electric locomotives have dynamic brakes, using the traction motors for braking, the 218 has hydraulic braking that accomplishes the same goal.

I was very happy when we arrived in Munchen Hbf to see several classic German locomotives, in addition to some original Class 401 ICE sets. This is a Class 111, introduced in 1974, and so well-known that it made it into the strategy computer game "Railroad Tycoon II," one of my all-time favorite games. In real life, these locomotives were so successful that 227 were built by various contractors until 1984, and the only ones scrapped to date (two of them) were totalled in accidents. These locomotives have 4990 horsepower, and can reach a maximum operating speed of 160Km/h (99 m.p.h.), although they don't generally work too many express trains anymore. Originally, they weren't used in express service, and weren't even rated for 160, but from 1980 onwards they were upgraded to support the even-faster (and older) Class 103 express locomotives, although both the 111 and the 103 have now been mostly replaced in this role by the 101 and similar newer classes.

Here are some DB EMU's outside of Munchen Hbf as we approached the station (I was shooting back). I don't know the classes since I can't read the numbers (they're blurred), but they would be either Class 422, 423, 424, 425, or 426, as they have very similar carbodies to each other.

This Class 183 is the standard electric locomotive used by ALEX, as well as the Vogtlandbahn before they switched over to EMU's (This is from WIkipedia, I don't know if it's accurate since in 2005 I noticed they were already all-EMU). This is #183001, although I don't know if it's genuinely the first of the class. The Class 183 is a variant of the ES 64 U "Eurosprinter" electric used by the OBB and DB, designated internally in Seimens as the ES 64 U4. On the OBB, the ES 64 U is classified as Rh 1016, and on the DB as Class 182. SZ, the Slovenian railway, although has a few, classifying them as Class 541. In spite of looking quite brutal and heavy, these locomotives, while indeed powerful with 8,600 horsepower, can operate at 230Km/h (143 m.p.h.), and reach a top speed of 357Km/h (222 m.p.h.), making them one of the fastest electric locomotive classes in history. Actually, given that most German and Austrian coaching stock is only rated for 200Km/h (124 m.p.h.) this is overengineering in the extreme.

This looks, at a glance, like a Class 440 EMU, although from this angle I can't read the number.

Here's a better view of Regensburg Hauptbahnhof. Again note the bikes.

Regensburg is an old Romanl city dating to about 90 A.D. Most of what's left is medieval in nature, although not so much in the vicinity of the station (that building behind the station on the right looks Baroque). These historic buildings were better preserved than most German buildings in World War II partly because Allied commanders spared it on purpose for its historic value. To me as a modern American living in Europe, though, I was impressed by the extensive use of bicycles in Regensburg, as you can see in the racks on the platform.

I don't know if this interlocking (or possibly more modern) signal box is still used for its original purpose, but it's still standing and manned.

The first stop in Germany on the route is at Landshut, which is a combination passenger and freight station.

The freight handled at Landshut was mixed, but I spotted a number of interesting things, like these hopper cars from Poland.