Trip to Germany - December 2002
The main purpose of this trip was to travel over the WEG line between Vaihingen (Enz) and Enzweihingen, which was reported as closing on 13 December 2002. The opportunity was taken to visit two other nearby lines with restricted services, Korntal to Weissach and Kornwestheim Pbf to Untertürkheim. The remainder of the time was spent filling in other gaps, and further sections of the Stuttgart tram system - including the last section of metre gauge to Stammheim.
Operating Company Abbreviations:
- AVG - Albtal Verkehrs Gesellschaft mbH (operators of the long-distance sections of the Karlsruhe light rail system)
- DB - Deutsche Bahn AG (German Railways)
- SM - Serco Metrolink (operator of Greater Manchester Metrolink)
- SSB - Stuttgarter Straßenbahn AG (public transport operator in Stuttgart)
- SVE - Städtischer Verkehrsbetrieb Esslingen am Neckar (public transport operator in Esslingen)
- WEG - Württemburgische Eisenbahn GmbH (now part of Connex Gruppe)
| Place | Arrive | Depart | Train | Traction details & notes |
Thursday 5th December 2002
| Timperley | 16:56 | - | SM tram 1003 | |
| Altrincham | 17:02 | 17:04 | - | taxi |
| Manchester Airport (MAN) | 17:16 | 18:10 | LH4607 | Lufthansa Airbus A321-200 D-AIRK dep 45 late due to baggage removal for missing passenger |
| Frankfurt Airport (FRA) | 21:38 | then bus to terminal | ||
| I was booked on the 21:30 flight to Stuttgart but due to the late arrival this connection was not held. Lufthansa advice: get the train! The 21:57 departure would have gone by now - next should have been 00:25. However the 21:22 departure was one hour late - no time to arrange a proper ticket through Lufthansa, but my plane ticket was accepted on the train, which happened to be a Lufthansa "codeshare". | ||||
| Frankfurt am Main Flughafen Fernbahnhof | 21:22 | ICE673/ LH6800 | DB EMU 401 001 set dep 61 late | |
| Stuttgart Hbf | 22:33 | arr 68 late | ||
| Hauptbahnhof | 23:48 | 'U14' | SSB tram 3092/1 | |
| Marienplatz | 23:57 | |||
| New passenger track today: none. | ||||
| Overnight at Hotel Ibis, Marienplatz (2 nights) | ||||
Friday 6th December 2002
| Marienplatz | 07:24 | 'U14' | SSB tram 3081/2 | |
| Stadtmitte | 07:29 | 07:46 | 'S6' | DB EMU 420 435+422+??? sets |
| Korntal | 08:00 | 08:05 | WEG28 | WEG DR VT410+VS220+VS471 |
| Weissach | 08:46 | |||
| Wöhr-Tours-Depot, Weissach | 09:16 | '634' | Wöhr-Tours bus BB-WT-568 | |
| Leonberg Bf | 09:37 | |||
| Leonberg | 09:48 | 'S6' | DB EMU 420 432+351 sets | |
| Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen | 10:03 | |||
| Ohmstraße (Zuffenhausen Bf) | 10:35 | '503' | bus LB-SZ-474 | |
| Enzweihingen B10 | 11:00 | |||
| Enzweihingen | 11:55 | WEG13 | WEG DR VT04 photo | |
| Vaihingen (Enz) Nord | 12:12 | 12:26 | WEG14 | WEG DR VT04 |
| Vaihingen (Enz) WEG | 12:30 | |||
| Vaihingen (Enz) | 12:35 | 'S5' | AVG tram 824+864 | |
| Bietigheim-Bissingen | 12:51 | 12:56 | RB28189 | DB EL 143 352-3 |
| Ludwigsburg | 13:03 | 13:06 | 'S4' | DB EMU 420 363+353 sets |
| Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen | 13:13 | |||
| Hohensteinstraße | 13:27 | '15' | SSB tram 418+459 [metre gauge] | |
| Stammheim | 13:43 | 13:52 | '15' | SSB tram 418+459 [metre gauge] |
| Charlottenplatz | 14:32 | 14:44 | 'U4' | SSB tram 3066/5 |
| Untertürkheim Bf | 15:03 | |||
| Stuttgart-Untertürkheim | 15:45 | RB19396 | DB EMU 426 011 set | |
| Kornwestheim Pbf | 15:59 | 16:10 | 'S4' | DB EMU 420 448+404 sets |
| Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen | 16:13 | 16:25 | WEG82513 | WEG DR VT413 |
| Feuerbach (bay platform 1a) | 16:28 | 16:41 | WEG82512 | WEG DR VT413 |
| Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen | 16:44 | 16:44 | 'S4' | DB EMU 420 435+442+401 sets |
| Kornwestheim Pbf | 16:50 | 17:15 | RB19399 | DB EMU 426 011 set |
| This repeat move was to see if it arrived at a different platform at Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, being the last working of the day. It didn't! | ||||
| Stuttgart-Untertürkheim | 17:29 | 17:32 | 'S1' | DB EMU 423 017+019 sets |
| Stuttgart Hbf | 17:41 | |||
| Hotel Ibis booking was only for two nights as the Saturday night was full. We went to the tourist information office outside the Hbf to book rooms for Saturday night. Got two singles near Weinsteige U-Bahn stop. Most Stuttgart hotels were full - due to the Christmas markets? | ||||
| Stuttgart Hbf | 18:31 | 'S?' | DB EMU 420 491+389 sets | |
| Stuttgart Stadtmitte | 18:33 | |||
| Schloßplatz | 20:24 | 'U6' | SSB tram 3337/8+3334/3 | |
| Weinsteige | 20:31 | 20:39 | '78' | [taxi] S-AU-453 to view hotel |
| Bopser | 20:42 | 20:49 | 'U5' | SSB tram 3118/7 |
| Degerloch | 20:53 | 20:55 | '10' | SSB rack tram 1001 |
| Liststraße | 21:00 | Last working of the night, direct into depot. | ||
| New passenger track today: Korntal - Weissach, Enzweihingen - Vaihingen (Enz) Nord, Stuttgart-Untertürkheim - Kornwestheim Pbf (extreme ends only); trams: Pragsattel - Stammheim, Charlottenplatz - Untertürkheim Bf. | ||||
| Overnight at Hotel Ibis, Marienplatz | ||||
Saturday 7th December 2002
| Marienplatz | 08:01 | 'U14' | SSB tram 3228/7 | |
| Hauptbahnhof | 08:10 | |||
| Stuttgart Hbf | 08:22 | RE32007 | DB EL 143 315-0P | |
| Nürtingen | 08:55 | 08:59 | WEG22 | WEG DR VT447 |
| Neuffen | 09:11 | 09:44 | WEG25 | WEG DR VT447 |
| Nürtingen | 09:56 | 10:04 | RE32014 | DB EL 143 315-0 |
| Stuttgart-Bad Cannstadt | 10:33 | 10:39 | 'S2' | DB EMU 420 402+456 sets |
| Schorndorf | 11:10 | 11:20 | WEG50 | WEG DR VT440 |
| Rudersberg Nord | 11:38 | 11:52 | WEG53 | WEG DR VT440 |
| Schorndorf | 12:10 | 12:15 | RE19424 | DB EL 143 057-8 |
| Waiblingen | 12:25 | 12:30 | 'S3' | DB EMU 420 412+414 sets |
| Backnang | 12:47 | 12:52 | RE19914 | DB EL 110 478-5 |
| Stuttgart Hbf | 13:18 | 13:45 | RB28196 | DB EL 143 340-8P |
| Heilbronn Hbf | 14:33 | 14:59 | 'S4' | AVG tram 860+879 |
| Heilbronn Harmonie | 15:04 | 15:21 | 'S4' | AVG tram 879+860 |
| Leingarten Mitte | 15:34 | 15:47 | 'S41' | AVG tram 894+868 |
| Heilbronn Bahnhofsvorplatz | 16:00 | 16:12 | RE19163 | DB EL 110 282-1 |
| Stuttgart Hbf | 16:53 | |||
| Hauptbahnhof | 17:05 | 'U5' | SSB tram 3321/2 | |
| Weinsteige | 17:16 | check into hotel | ||
| Haigst | 18:17 | '10' | SSB rack tram 1001 | |
| Marienplatz | 18:24 | 20:15 | '10' | SSB rack tram 1003 |
| Degerloch | 20:24 | 20:34 | 'U6' | SSB tram 3185/6+3131/2 |
| Olgaeck | 20:40 | 20:50 | 'U7' | SSB tram 3112/1 |
| Ruhbank | 20:56 | 21:02 | '15' | SSB tram 401+415 |
| Charlottenplatz | 21:16 | 21:27 | 'U4' | SSB tram 3009/10 |
| Schloß/Johannestraße | 21:33 | 21:35 | 'U4' | SSB tram 3065/6 |
| Charlottenplatz | 21:41 | 21:46 | 'U5' | SSB tram 3340/39 |
| Weinsteige | 21:52 | |||
| New passenger track today: Nürtingen - Neuffen, Schorndorf - Rudersberg Nord; trams: Heilbronn Hbf south junction - Heilbronn Harmonie, Olgaeck - Ruhbank southbound, Rathaus U4 curves, Berliner Platz U4 curve. | ||||
| Overnight at Hotel Seybold, Neue Weinsteige 114 (10 minutes walk downhill from Weinsteige) | ||||
Sunday 8th December 2002
| Weinsteige | 08:13 | 'U5' | SSB tram 3323/4 | |
| Freiberg | 08:41 | 08:51 | '54' | SSB bus S-SB-7022 |
| Mühlhausen | 08:56 | 08:59 | 'U14' | SSB tram 3044/3 |
| Remseck Neckargröningen | 09:06 | 09:11 | 'U14' | SSB tram 3043/4 |
| Stockach | 09:37 | 09:45 | 'U1' | SSB tram 3170/69 |
| Fellbach | 10:02 | 10:15 | 'U1' | SSB tram 3169/70 |
| Neckartor | 10:33 | 10:38 | 'U14' | SSB tram 3104/3 |
| Hauptbahnhof | 10:40 | 11:00 | 'U9' | SSB tram 3025/6 |
| Neckartor | 11:02 | 11:04 | 'U1' | SSB tram 3076/5 |
| Marienplatz | 11:09 | 11:15 | '10' | SSB tram 1001 |
| Haigst photo | 11:20 | |||
| Weinsteige | 11:46 | 'U8' | SSB tram 3161/2 | |
| Ostfilden Nellingen | 12:05 | 12:22 | '119' | SVE bus ES-263 |
| Esslingen Bf | 12:35 | 12:46 | '101' | SVE trolleybus ES-2181 |
| Oberesslingen Lerchenäcker Endstation | 12:59 | 13:01 | '101' | SVE trolleybus ES-2181 |
| Esslingen Bf | 13:14 | 13:34 | '101' | SVE trolleybus ES-2060 |
| Obertürkheim Bf | 13:49 | 13:53 | '101' | SVE trolleybus ES-2060 |
| Burgunderstraße | 14:01 | |||
| Mettingen Bf (arrival stop) | 14:15 | '101' | SVE trolleybus ES-2197 via departure stop | |
| Esslingen Bf | 14:24 | 14:34 | '101' | SVE trolleybus ES-2060 via Cannstadter Straße loop |
| Mettingen Bf (arrival stop) | 14:42 | |||
| Esslingen-Mettingen | 14:51 | 'S1' | DB EMU 423 020+017 sets | |
| Stuttgart Hbf | 15:05 | |||
| Hauptbahnhof | 15:17 | 'U9' | SSB tram 3072/1 | |
| Vogelsang | 15:25 | 15:30 | 'U4' | SSB tram 3064/3 |
| Botnang | 15:36 | 15:47 | 'U4' | SSB tram 3063/4 |
| Charlottenplatz | 16:02 | 16:04 | 'U7' | SSB tram 3209/10 |
| Killesberg Messe | 16:11 | 16:20 | 'U7' | SSB tram 3210/09 |
| Hauptbahnhof | 16:25 | 16:41 | 'U5' | SSB tram 3322/1 |
| Leinfelden Bf | 17:05 | 17:16 | 'S2' | DB EMU 420 390+453 sets |
| Filderstadt | 17:26 | 17:34 | 'S2' | DB EMU 420 453+390 sets |
| Stuttgart Flughafen | 17:38 | |||
| Stuttgart Airport (STR) | 19:05 | LH023 | Lufthansa Airbus A320-200 D-AIPR | |
| Frankfurt Airport (FRA) | 20:09 | 22:10 | LH4544 | Lufthansa Airbus A320-200 D-AIPP dep 60 late |
| Manchester Airport (MAN) | 23:27 | 22:43 | - | taxi |
| Timperley | 23:55 | |||
| New passenger track today: trams: Pragsattel - Freiburg, Remseck - Hauptbahnhof (including curves at Staatsgalerie), Stockach - Fellbach, one U8 curve at Weinsteige, Ruhbank - Ostfilden Nellingen, Hauptbahnhof - Vogelsang - Botnang, Killesberg Messe branch | ||||
Tickets used: VVS Day tickets (Friday and Sunday), Schönes Wochenende Ticket (Saturday).