My trip to Germany and U.K.

[westfalen]

This is my itinerary so far for my upcoming trip to Germany and the U.K.

 

Wednesday 28th April

Depart Brisbane 0735 BA743

Arrive Sydney 0910

Depart Sydney 1550 BA 7305

Overnight on plane

Thursday 29th April

Arrive Frankfurt 0600

Day in Frankfurt

Join Railtrail Bebra Steam Tour on train enroute from London in evening.

http://www.railtrail.co.uk/tour.php?id=337

Overnight Karlsruhe

Friday 30th April

Steam train Karlsruhe to Eisenach

Overnight Eisenach

Saturday 1st May

Bebra steam festival

Overnight Eisenach

Sunday 2nd May

Steam train Eisenach to Karlsruhe

Overnight Karlsruhe

Monday 3rd May

Day in Karlsruhe

Overnight Karlsruhe

Tuesday 4th May

Travel Karlsruhe to London St Pancras via Cologne/Brussels, arrive 1903

Leave Railtrail Tour

Overnight London

Mabledon Court Hotel

Wednesday 5th May

Travel to Birmingham in morning.

Leave bag at hotel.

Railfanning around Birmingham rest of day, Lickey incline, WCML.

Overnight Birmingham

Brittania Hotel

Thursday 6th May

Travel to Kidderminster

Day riding and filming on Severn Valley Railway

Ride Stourbridge Town shuttle on return to Birmingham.

Overnight Birmingham

Brittania Hotel

Friday 7th May

Travel to Middlesbrough in morning

Afternoon in Middlesbrough

Transporter bridge, railfanning freight traffic on Saltburn branch?

Overnight Middlesbrough

Thistle Middlesbrough

Saturday 8th May

Travel to Grosmont in morning

Day riding and filming North Yorkshire Moors Railway (Spring Steam Gala)

Overnight Middlesbrough

Thistle Middlesbrough

Sunday 9th May

York Museum outstation at Shildon

York Museum

Overnight Middlesbrough

Thistle Middlesbrough

Monday 10th May

Travel Middlesbrough to Inverness via Dundee and Aberdeen

Overnight Inverness

Ramada Encore Inverness

Tuesday 11th May

Thurso/Wick

Overnight Inverness

Ramada Encore Inverness

Wednesday 12th May

Kyle of Lochalsh

Overnight Inverness

Ramada Encore Inverness

Thursday 13th May

Travel Inverness to Edinburgh via Perth and Stirling

Afternoon in Edinburgh

Forth Bridge?

Overnight Edinburgh

Waterloo Place Hotel

Friday 14th May

Travel to Exeter via ECML to Kings Cross, Waterloo to Exeter

Overnight Exeter

Cedar Lodge Hotel

Saturday 15th May

Day trip to Penzance

St Erth and Looe branches enroute?

Overnight Exeter

Cedar Lodge Hotel

Sunday 16th May

Morning railfanning in Dawlish area

In afternoon travel to London Paddington

Overnight London

Quality Crown Hotel Hyde Park

Monday 17th May

Railfanning around Ipswich?

Overnight London

Quality Crown Hotel Hyde Park

Tuesday 18th May

Isle of Wight

Island Line

Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Overnight London

Quality Crown Hotel Hyde Park

Wednesday 19th May

Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch

Overnight London

Quality Crown Hotel Hyde Park

BRITRAILPASS EXPIRES

Thursday 20th May

Day in London

Overnight London

Quality Crown Hotel Hyde Park

Friday 21st May

Day in London

Depart London Heathrow 2200 BA9

Overnight on plane

Saturday 22nd May

Arrive Sydney 0605

Depart Sydney 0805 BA7458

Arrive Brisbane 0935

[SONIC883_de]

You are a lucky man! I wish I have the time to visit some festival events (175 years of german railroading).

The most of them are to far away for a short trip and on the days I have other dates :-/

 

Have fun and enjoy your rides!

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Wow, you certainly have a busy trip planned. Certianly the UK leg will really keep you busy.

 

In terms of your locations, Dawlish is good to watch trains go by from the sea wall, although nowadays you are very limited in terms of variety. You will always get interesting things around the Birmingham area and Ipswich is one of the top three or four locations in the country for loco-hauled (or rather loco push-pull) and freight; mainly container traffic.

 

The Kyle and Highland lines are very beautiful and well worth doing...

 

Below are a couple of websites that may be of use/interest for the UK railways. The first is 'Trainspots', which is basically a list of good photographic locations from around the country. These list the sorts of trains you can expect, as well as local amenities, restrictions and other things you should know.

 

http://www.trainspots.co.uk/

 

The second is a site that provides the UK freight timetables. Although, as with most countries, timings can be variable, I have found these in the past to be pretty reliable.

http://www.freightmaster.net/

 

Don't forget to post lots of pictures when you are done!  

[to2leo]

You will love Germany's S-bahn and U-bahn system or maybe take a short ride on the ICE in Frankfurt.

 

All in all this is an amazing tour with steams, high speed trains and many things in between.

 

Do share your photo with us! 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Also, on your Isle of Wight day there is an interesting little branch line linking Lymington and Brockenhurst. Until the end of May it is the final outpost for the remaining Southern Region 'Slam Door' stock. That would be well worth catching if you can...

[westfalen]

Wow, you certainly have a busy trip planned. Certianly the UK leg will really keep you busy.

 

In terms of your locations, Dawlish is good to watch trains go by from the sea wall, although nowadays you are very limited in terms of variety. You will always get interesting things around the Birmingham area and Ipswich is one of the top three or four locations in the country for loco-hauled (or rather loco push-pull) and freight; mainly container traffic.

 

The Kyle and Highland lines are very beautiful and well worth doing...

 

Below are a couple of websites that may be of use/interest for the UK railways. The first is 'Trainspots', which is basically a list of good photographic locations from around the country. These list the sorts of trains you can expect, as well as local amenities, restrictions and other things you should know.

 

http://www.trainspots.co.uk/

 

The second is a site that provides the UK freight timetables. Although, as with most countries, timings can be variable, I have found these in the past to be pretty reliable.

http://www.freightmaster.net/

 

Don't forget to post lots of pictures when you are done!  

I had originally planned four weeks in the UK this year but abandoned the plan to go to Japan instead, but when a railfan friend at work asked me what I thought of the German tour that he was thinking of doing on the way home from a transatlantic cruise I decided to do it as well and finish up with a couple of weeks in the UK. I've tried to squeeze in a bit of everything that I had planned for the four weeks but I've left out a lot of things like Wales and the west of Scotland that I didn't think I could do justice to in the shorter time. It will give me an excuse to go back again.

 

I had already found the trainspots site and I've picked a few places I might try out. Rugeley on the Trent Valley line is another spot I am looking at in the Birmingham area. A visit to Ipswich is a must in any case, if you check me out on the 'Location, location, location' thread you'll see why. Dawlish will be a pleasant day at the seaside even if no interesting trains come along and weather permitting, there are a couple of railtours that weekend but I'm not sure how my timing will be to see them, if I get bored or it rains I will have my railpass and can head off somewhere else.

 

Another railfan friend at work who subscribes to Freightmaster has printed out the pages for most of the areas I'll be in, trainspotting is always a bit like fishing in that you never know what you'll catch but it gives me an idea of what might come along.

[westfalen]

You will love Germany's S-bahn and U-bahn system or maybe take a short ride on the ICE in Frankfurt.

 

All in all this is an amazing tour with steams, high speed trains and many things in between.

 

Do share your photo with us! 

I already do. I spent a few weeks travelling around Germany (and the rest of Europe) in 2008 so I've already put in a few miles on their amazing rail system.

 

I'll try and find the time to take a photo.

[westfalen]

Also, on your Isle of Wight day there is an interesting little branch line linking Lymington and Brockenhurst. Until the end of May it is the final outpost for the remaining Southern Region 'Slam Door' stock. That would be well worth catching if you can...

Thanks, I'll look into that. Things like that, that might not be around much longer, are always worth a visit.

[westfalen]

It's all systems go. As I type this I'm sitting at Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney watching an A380 taxi in beside the 747 I am to take to Singapore and Frankfurt, they are a big plane. I had a few hours between flights so I went train riding and 'did' the new Chatswood to Epping line and got a bit of video.

 

On to Germany.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Now you are on your travels you may not get to see this, but if you do attached is a picture of one of the units used on the Lymington - Brockenhurst shuttles. Lymington Pier is where one of the Isle of Wight ferries leave from.

 

As mentioned, these units only have another month or so before they are withdrawn, four years short of the classes 50th anniversary. They may have been old, and roundly mocked by the media for still being slam door stock in the 21st century, but their passing was mourned by the commuters...no faffing around waiting for the doors to open, no being at the mercy of fierce air conditioning (you want to cool down? Open a window for heaven's sake!) and probably the most comfortable seats on any British train.

 

They were stock-in-trade on my local line for 40 years and I have always enjoyed travelling on them...

 

If you wanted to take this route in, then once you have done the Isle of Wight steam railway, travel on to Yarmouth and take the ferry to Lymington Pier; the station is right beside the ferry terminal. Trains run every half and hour, and the journey to Brockenhurst lasts about 15 minutes. Brockenhurst has direct trains to London Waterloo via Southampton, Winchester and Basingstoke. If frieght interests you, then just south of Southampton is one of the UK busiest container ports, with plenty of freightliner trains, with their distinctive green and yellow liveried locomotives. Eastleigh, just north of Southampton, also has a lot of freight activity...

[westfalen]

Now you are on your travels you may not get to see this, but if you do attached is a picture of one of the units used on the Lymington - Brockenhurst shuttles. Lymington Pier is where one of the Isle of Wight ferries leave from.

 

As mentioned, these units only have another month or so before they are withdrawn, four years short of the classes 50th anniversary. They may have been old, and roundly mocked by the media for still being slam door stock in the 21st century, but their passing was mourned by the commuters...no faffing around waiting for the doors to open, no being at the mercy of fierce air conditioning (you want to cool down? Open a window for heaven's sake!) and probably the most comfortable seats on any British train.

 

They were stock-in-trade on my local line for 40 years and I have always enjoyed travelling on them...

 

If you wanted to take this route in, then once you have done the Isle of Wight steam railway, travel on to Yarmouth and take the ferry to Lymington Pier; the station is right beside the ferry terminal. Trains run every half and hour, and the journey to Brockenhurst lasts about 15 minutes. Brockenhurst has direct trains to London Waterloo via Southampton, Winchester and Basingstoke. If frieght interests you, then just south of Southampton is one of the UK busiest container ports, with plenty of freightliner trains, with their distinctive green and yellow liveried locomotives. Eastleigh, just north of Southampton, also has a lot of freight activity...

I am planning a detour to Lymington Pier on the way home from the Isle of Wight, if all goes to plan.

 

I am in Karlsruhe, Germany tonight, spent today riding Frankfurt's trams, I'll post some photos when I get a bit of spare time. We go to Eisenach tomorrow behind steam.

[westfalen]

Here are some photos from Frankfurt. Some taken with my new video camera that can take 12MP stills while videoing.

[stevenh]

Here are some photos from Frankfurt. Some taken with my new video camera that can take 12MP stills while videoing.

 

What? It can take shots 'whilst' videoing? That has to be the coolest idea ever.

[Bernard]

Alvin - Great camera you bought! I hope you're having a wonderful time on your trip.

[westfalen]

Here are some photos from Frankfurt. Some taken with my new video camera that can take 12MP stills while videoing.

 

What? It can take shots 'whilst' videoing? That has to be the coolest idea ever.

The ones with the filename starting with 'DSC' were taken with the video camera while I was shooting video.

 

Might not be able to post more photos tonight, the hotel's internet computer doesn't have a USB or card slot.

 

Finished today's trip with an 01 class pacific from Bebra to Eisenach, batteries in GPS died but I timed the train over a kilometer the old fashioned way with a stopwatch at 144kmh.

[westfalen]

Here are some photos from the last couple of days, of the trip from Karlsruhe to Eisenach and the Bebra Steam Festival. We were meant to have steam all the way but because of mechanical problems we had a diesel as far as Darmstadt Kranichstien where 58 311 took over and the diesel was put on the rear of the train as a backup. At Bebra there was steam everywhere with several trips consisting of two trains running side by side to Sontra.

 

Tomorrow we head back to Karlsruhe, hopefully with 58 311 leading from Bebra.

[westfalen]

More.

[westfalen]

More.

[scott]

Nice pictures!

 

That reminds me--I need a red BR 110. :-)

 

Was the blue E18 pulling another of the excursion trains?

[westfalen]

 

Nice pictures!

 

That reminds me--I need a red BR 110. :-)

 

Was the blue E18 pulling another of the excursion trains?

The E18 arrived at Bebra in the morning from it's home base and pulled several excursions around Bebra during the day.

 

We returned to Karlsruhe today but the steamer came off at Darmstadt Kranichstien. We were then diverted from our sceduled route down the mainline between Darmstadt and Mannhiem onto a cross country branchline with semaphore signals to Worms and then to Mannhiem via Ludwigshaffen.  Tomorrow touring Karlsruhe in a vintage tram then a few of us are going up to Mannhiem and Heidelberg to see the trams there.

 

May not be any photos till I get home as my laptop has died.

[Martijn Meerts]

Heidelberg has an amazing old city and great, well preserved castle. 1 of the towers is still in shambles after it got attacked many hundreds of years ago. The cellar of the tower was the powder room, and someone managed to set fire to it ;)

[westfalen]

I'm in sunny Edinburgh tonight, went out to see the Forth Bridge this afternoon. Since the last post I've been around a bit. I spent my first  night in the UK sharing a field beside the Lickey Bank with some sheep (managed to get a freight going up the hill), got some good video on the West Coast Mainline at Rugely Trent Valley, spent a day on the Severn Valley Railway, rode the Stourbridge Town Shuttle (has to be seen to be believed, even if you have been to Japan and thought you had seen everything), spent another day on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, visited the National Railway Museum at York and their Locomotion outstation at Shildon, been to Thurso, Wick and Kyle of Lochalsh. Tomorrow I'm heading south to Exeter.

[quinntopia]

What a fantastic trip!  While all those photos had me thinking you had a tour of a recent Fleischmann catalog(!),  those Frankfurt trams are awesome and really stood out!  Let's hope the Kato/Lemke/Hobbytrain cartel is thinking about those as it reaps its success from the Portram!

[westfalen]

I dodged the British Airways strikes and arrived back home yesterday after about twenty hours in the air plus four or five hanging around airports at Heathrow, Bangkok and Sydney. The trip was great, I got to everywhere I had planned plus a few I hadn't. The British rail network is very interesting and the Britrail Pass made it as easy to get around as the Japan Railpass does in Japan. I'll gradually go through my 3000 or so photos and about 20 hours of video and post up some more of the interesting bits.

[cteno4]

great picts and looks like a really fun trip.

 

what was the video camera you ended up with again? took very nice stills while videoing!

 

cheers

 

jeff