Trip to Germany - April 2003

briefly including France

The main purpose of this trip was to travel over the normally-freight-only Germany - France border crossing from Dillingen to Bouzonville, which sees special trains on Good Friday each year. The remainder of the trip fitted in other lines in south-west Germany, including that to Eiswoog which is Sundays-only and threatened with closure.

Operating Company Abbreviations:

 

Place Arrive Depart Train Traction details & notes

Thursday 17th April 2003

Timperley   16:37 - SM tram 10??
Altrincham 16:45 16:47 - taxi
Manchester Airport (MAN) 17:00 18:00 LH4607 Lufthansa Airbus A320-200 D-AIQM dep 22 late
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) 21:07     then bus to terminal
Frankfurt am Main Flughafen Regiobahnhof   21:29 'S8' DB EMU 420 346 + 225 sets
Mainz Süd 21:52      
New passenger track today: none.
Overnight at Hotel Ibis, Mainz Süd  (3 minutes walk from station)

Friday 18th April 2003

Mainz Süd   08:04 RB29614 DB EL 146 004-7P
Mainz Hbf 08:07 08:24 RB23306 DB DL 218 261-4P
Bad Kreuznach 09:01 09:16 RB23812 DB DMU 643 008 set via Hochspeyer
Pirmasens Hbf 11:18 11:32 RB23366 DB DMU 643 008
Saarbrücken Hbf 12:51 13:03 RE22013 DB EL 143 025-5 ran 8 late
Dillingen (Saar) 13:22 14:06 special DB DMU 628 468 + 479 + 901 sets photo
Bouzonville [France] 14:36 15:06 special DB DMU 628 901 + 479 + 468 sets
Dillingen (Saar) 15:36 16:01 RB23641 DB EMU 425 140 set
Homburg (Saar) Hbf 17:00 17:03 RB23780 DB EMU 426 006 set
Wemmetsweiler 17:30 17:37 RB23182 DB DMU 628 482 set
NB Wemmetsweiler to Lebach-Jabach closed for construction of west-to-south curve at Wemmetsweiler
Saarbrücken Hbf 17:57 19:42 RB23345 DB DMU 612 022 set from Gleis 1, via southern diveunder
Sulzbach 19:53 20:11 RB23256 DB EMU 425 133 set into Gleis 16, via northern diveunder
Saarbrücken Hbf 20:22      
New passenger track today: [Enkenbach] - Hochspeyer - Kaiserslautern Hbf, Kaiserslautern Hbf - Pirmasens Nord, Niedaltdorf - Bouzonville, Homburg (Saar) Hbf - Neunkirchen (Saar) Hbf - Wemmetsweiler - Saarbrücken Hbf, Saarbrücken Hbf - Sulzbach
Overnight at Mercure Hotel Kongress, Saarbrücken (5 minutes walk from station)

Saturday 19th April 2003

Hauptbahnhof   08:00 '1' Saarbahn tram 1010
Riegelsburg Süd 08:15 08:23 '1' Saarbahn tram 1010 photo
Hauptbahnhof 08:40      
Saarbrücken Hbf   09:02 RE23029 DB EL 110 320-9
Neustadt (Weinstr) Hbf 10:29 11:10 RE3913 DB DMU 612 142 + 125 sets
Karlsruhe Hbf 11:53 12:09 RE18011 DB EL 110 448-8 via Ettlingen
Offenburg 12:57 13:12 OSB82267 OSB DR 524
Biberach 13:26 13:36 SWE72218 OSB DR 512
Oberharmersdorf-Riersbach 13:54 15:00 SWE72223 OSB DR 512
Biberach 15:18 15:32 OSB82266 OSB DR 525
Offenburg 15:47 16:00 IRE18018 DB EL 110 506-3
Achern 16:14 16:18 SWE71720 OSB DR 513
Ottenhöfen 16:36 17:20 SWE71727 OSB DR 513
Achern 17:38 18:15 RE18022 DB EL 110 450-4 via Durmersheim
Karlsruhe Hbf 18:47 19:23 TB28672 DB EL 143 347-3
Karlsruhe-Durlach 19:27 19:32 'S5' AVG tram 870
Söllingen Bf (through line platforms) 19:47      
Söllingen Bf (terminal platforms)   19:56 'S5' AVG tram 841
Marktplatz 20:22      
Europaplatz   21:50 'S1' AVG tram 568
Albtalbahnhof 22:02      
New passenger track today: Landstuhl - Kaiserslautern Hbf, Hochspeyer - [Frankenstein (Pfalz)], Biberach - Oberharmersdorf-Riersbach, Achern - Ottenhöfen, Grötzingen - Söllingen Bf via S5 route
Overnight at Residenz Hotel, Karlsruhe (outside station) (2 nights)

Sunday 20th April 2003

Karlsruhe Hbf   08:22 RB28714 DB EL 143 195-6P via Graben-Neudorf
Mannheim Hbf 09:20 09:30 RE23590 DB DMU 628 469 set
via Worms Hbf (rev) - Alzey (rev)
Kirchheimbolanden 10:59 12:07 ERB10114 Eurobahn DR VT1.01
Alzey 12:24 12:39 RB23525 DB DMU 628 486 set
Monsheim 12:58 13:05 RB29425 DB DMU 628 275 set
Grünstadt 13:18 13:30 RB29360 DB DMU 628 316 set
Eiswoog 13:57 14:01 RB29363 DB DMU 628 316 set photo
Frankenthal 14:56 14:59 RB29651 DB EL 146 001-3
Mannheim Hbf 15:14 15:36 RB28721 DB EL 143 294-7 via Graben-Neudorf
Karlsruhe-Hagsfeld 16:27      
Hagsfeld Bf   16:46 'S2' AVG tram 574
Blankenloch Nord 16:58 17:02 'S2' AVG tram 574
Marktplatz 17:24 17:32 'S11' AVG tram 563 ran late due to points problems
Ittersbach Rathaus 18:22 18:23 'S11' AVG tram 563
Ettlingen Stadt 18:47 19:02 'S1' Eilzug AVG tram 587 advertised only to Marktplatz
via normal route to Albtalbahnhof - Hbf - Marktplatz then advertised as "Albtalbahnhof" via Europaplatz and rare curve to Albtalbahnhof
Albtalbahnhof 19:31     then out of service
Ebertstraße   19:46 '6' KVV tram 240
Mühlberger Tor 19:58 20:02 '6' KVV tram 240 via loop
Europaplatz (south side) 20:04      
Herrenstraße   21:54 '4' KVV tram 315
Hauptbahnhof 22:02      
New passenger track today: Alzey - Kirchheimbolanden, Ramsen - Eiswoog, Blankenloch Nord - Dagsfeld - Durlacher Tor, Busenbach - Ittersbach Rathaus
Overnight at Residenz Hotel, Karlsruhe

Monday 21st April 2003

Neustadt (Weinstr) Hbf 09:07 09:32 RE23030 DB EL 110 200-3
Saarbrücken Hbf 10:58 11:04 RE3311 DB DMU 612 146 + 138 + 139 sets
Bad Kreuznach 12:32 12:44 RB23825 DB DMU 628 494 set
Bingen (Rhein) Hbf 13:03 13:08 RB22786 DB EL 110 326-6
Bacharach 13:20 13:36 RB22787 DB EL 110 225-0 via Bingen (Rhein) Hbf Gleis 201
Mainz Hbf 14:27 14:59 RE3313 DB DMU 612 147 + 051 + 136 sets via S-Bahn route
Frankfurt Hbf (Gleis 16) 15:36      
Frankfurt Hbf   15:54 'S5' DB EMU 420 215 set
Bad Homburg 16:15 16:49 FKE81370 TSB DMU VS2E.20 set
Brandoberndorf 17:44 18:10 FKE81375 TSB DMU VS2E.20 set
Bad Homburg 19:10 19:15 'S5' DB EMU 420 241 set
Frankfurt Hbf 19:36 19:47 'S9' DB EMU 420 264 + 290 sets
Frankfurt am Main Flughafen Regiobahnhof 19:57      
Frankfurt Airport (FRA)   22:00 LH4544 Lufthansa Airbus A320-200 D-AIQM
Manchester Airport (MAN) 22:40 22:55 - taxi
Timperley 23:05      
New passenger track today: Sulzbach - Bad Munster am Stein, Bingen (Rhein) Hbf Gleis 201 connection, Friedrichsdorf (Taunus) - Brandoberndorf

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Tickets used: Rheinland-Pfalz Ticket (Friday & Monday), Schönes Wochenende Ticket (Saturday & Sunday), plus other tickets as required.

Copyright © 2003, 2007, 2018 Paul Steane.

This page last updated on 02 September 2019 at 15:22.