I decided to do it again this year, as did several more of last year's attendees. Again it was just me, not Chris, and the fun started on 1st September.
We started our narrow gauge extravaganza in Saxony, moved north to the Baltic coast, then across to the Harz Mountain system, followed by a Rhine cruise from Koblenz.
All pictures are my copyright. Please click on any picture for a larger image.
An advanced first class ticked Wilmslow to London Euston got me a relatively cheap seat on the 09:11 Pendolino, including breakfast, starting with tea and tomato juice
The 'full English', as the world whizzed by at 125mph
Later that afternoon I headed for the Betjeman Arms at London St Pancras International station. Here's one of the new Eurostar units on which we'd be hurtling to Brussels next morning. They can cruise at over 200mph with not a ripple in your wine glass, and none of that airport jobsworthyness either. However, though faster, we found them less comfortable than the original 186mph Eurostar sets which are now being scrapped.
A pint of Youngs bitter as I watched the trains come and go passed the time while I waited for Hamish to arrive from Fife
In short order, most of last year's 'Beer O'clock Club' joined me: Tony, Dave, Mike, Hazel, Carol, and Hamish.
From Brussels we caught a Thalys high speed train to Aachen where we stayed the night, and next morning this Regional Express to Cologne
Our loco bears the 'all ones' number
Tony at Cologne HBF (Hauptbahnhof, or 'main station')
From Cologne an ICE high speed train took us on to Dresden with a change at Frankfurt. We stayed four nights at the Dresden Inter City Hotel. Here's an internal view of the pointy end of the ICE train (rear cab).
Dresden station next morning, waiting for our train to Radebeul for the Lobnitzgrundbahn Railway to Radeburg. Hamish, Dave, Carol Hazel, Mike.
Some of the locomotives working in Eastern Germany are getting on a bit, but they still do the job
Two Tonys, Mike and Carol heading for our first narrow gauge railway of the holiday in the upper deck of a regional train.
Climbing up through the woods to Radeburg
Our first narrow gauge locomotive of the holiday
Returning to Dresden HBF we pass our hotel
After lunch, Hamish and Tony and our train to the Weisseritztalbahn
The weather was superb, so once again we made use of the open carriage. The low September sun highlighted the tendrils of loco smoke in the pine branches.
Tony 2 takes a picture of our labouring locomotive...
...And my view of the loco
The loco takes water
The newly-restored section above Dippoldiswalde is not as scenic as the lower part of the railway and mostly follows the road up the valley
Last year this line terminated at Dippoldiswalde as it had since floods carried away much of the section beyond there in 2002, but the full length of the line to Kurort Kipsdorf (above) has now been restored
The following day (Tuesday 5th September) found us at Zittau for the Y-shaped railway to Jonsdorf (one branch) and Oybin (the other).
Tank loco footplate
Our loco at Bertsdorf station, where the two branches divide
Loco builder's plate
The Oybin train comes up from Zittau, viwed from the back of the Jonsdorf train at Bertsdorf
Here's a video of the climb, looking back CLICK HERE
Our height above the surrounding countryside can be seen in this picture as we emerge from the woods onto the more level section to the top of branch
We head back to Dresden, crossing the Elbe as we approach the HBF with a Canaletto-like view of the city skyline
Our loco runs around at Kurort Oberwiesenthal
A passing loop on the way down
On Thursday 7th we travelled from Dresden to our second 'base' of the holiday, Stralsund and Rugen Island on the Baltic coast. A EuroCity service took us to Berlin HBF, from where an Inter City train took us on to Stralsund passing close to the Polish border. Our hotel in Stralsund, as last year, was the Inter City with its lovely restaurant view over the Kleiner Frankenteich lake.
Lunch taken on the way up to Stralsund; good German beer and a bread roll!
...As I followed our progress northwards on a German railways map
First outing from Stratsund was to Bad Doberan for the 'Mollie' railway. We took a main line train to Rostock, where we changed trains for Bad Doberan. Last year we sat out at a street cafe with beers watching the big tank engines thundering past just inches away in Bad Doberan main street, but not this year! Since we left Saxony the weather had taken a turn for the worst; it was wet and bit too cold for sitting out.
Here is a video of our passage along the main street CLICK HERE
Here is a video of our passage along the main street CLICK HERE
These 2-8-2 locos have bigger wheels than those in Saxony as the gradients are far less severe. They have a lovely bark as they accelerate out of station stops!
We returned from the Mollie's Kuhlungsborn terminus back to Bad Doberhan in the buffet car - very cosy. Hamish and Tony enjoy a beer (mine's on the near table), Beryl and Mike R behind.
That evening we took a bus to Stralsund harbour and found a superb goulash in a quayside cafe for our evening meal. This is Gorch Fock, a three-masted barque and former sail training ship now permanently moored in the harbour.
Saturday 9th, and the Isle of Rugen calls. We leave Stalsund station for Bergen, then the single-car railbus to Putbus to ride the Rugensche Baderbahn, known as 'Racing Roland'.
Tour leader Richard with his red crutch, and Hamish, on the way to Putbus
At Putbus our narrow gauge loco runs onto its train
Again we had a reserved coach, and most stayed inside as the weather, though dryer than yesterday, was still a tad inclement
The narrow gauge line terminates at Gohren, on the coast. Despite the weather the trains were full, and Rugen was busy with walkers and cyclists. It's a popular leisure destination for many in this part of Germany. Our driver takes the opportunity to feel for hot bearings or excessive play in the rods, above.
This being a Saturday, a wedding party joined the train with their own wedding coach, being fetched by our loco, above
The wedding coach is backed onto our train for the return journey to Putbus
On Sunday 10th September it was time to move on to our third base of the holiday, that narrow gauge rail enthusiast's mecca, the Harz Mountain System. Back to Berlin on an Inter City service, then an ICE train to Frankfurt as far as Halle, then a HEX (Harz Elbe Express) regional service to Wernigerode in the Harz, where we stayed in the superb Hotel Weisser Hirsch, as we did last year.
Hamish in a favorite Beer O'clock Club venue, the bar at Halle station where we waited between trains
As last year, our first Harz trip was from Wernegirode up the highest mountain in the Harz, the Brocken, on Monday 11th September
Last year we enjoyed fabulous views from the Brocken, but not this year. Low cloud saw to that! This is on the upper section of the line between Schierke and the summit.
Summit view
On the descent we entered the passing siding to allow the 'up' train an uninterrupted climb to the summit. I videoed the train with its hard-working loco as it as it passed, HERE
Pat admires a 2-10-2 metre-gauge tank loco on the Harz. Trofimoff valves (so a nice 'clunk' before the loco starts), steam driven air pump, steam driven feed water pump that feeds the pre-heater (the big box atop the smokebox here) then pumps the hot water into the boiler, all add to the external 'gubbins'.
That afternoon we had a conducted tour of the Harz Railway workshops at Wernigerode Westentor. Our German speaking (but very helpful and enthusiastic) guide is on the right.
Locomotive connecting rods
A wheel lathe for re-profiling worn tyres on locomotives and rolling stock
A 2-10-2 tank loco lifted off its wheels. Note the oblong cut-out atop the smoke box; this is to accommodate the feed water pre-heater tank.
A replacement feed water pre-heater tank ready to be fitted to the above locomotive
Our guide explains Trofimoff valves; the valve pistons are free to slide towards each other on the valve piston shaft, and are restrained at the out ends by valve stops. Under normal operation steam pressure keeps the valve pistons against their stops (as in the left hand pair above) and they behave as do conventional fixed piston valves, but when the regulator is closed (for instance, going down hill) that removes the steam pressure allowing the valve pistons to remain in the central position (as per the right hand pair above) as the valve shaft continues to move back and forth.
When the regulator is re-opened the steam pressure forces the valve pistons to their stops, which can be heard as a loud 'clonk'.
Trofimoff clonk CLICK HERE
Trofimoff clonk CLICK HERE
One of the railway's Mallet articulated locomotives
Modern plastic bearing materials being used on these old locomotives, visible as the white insert in the bottom bearing of the expansion link, shown here
Out in the yard, a diesel shunter for moving stock around
A standard gauge water tank waggon on a narrow gauge transporter, used to take water up to the Brocken summit
Spark arrester in the loco's smoke box
Our group leaves the workshops
Tuesday's excursion began with a main line HEX service to Halberstadt, then another HEX to Quedlinburg (above) for the narrow gauge steam service to Alexisbad
Our loco at Quedlinburg
Magdesprung station
At Alexisbad the steam train terminated and we transferred to the diesel railcar which took us up the short Harzegerode branch (above), before returning to Alexisbad and then on to Eisfelder Talmuhle
At Stiege
View from the railcar's rear cab
At Eisfelder Talmuhle we experienced a parallel arrival with the steam train from Drie Annen Hohne which I videoed from the railcar window. See it by clicking HERE
At Eisfelder Talmuhle we changed to the steam train recently arrived from Drie Annen Hohne
These locos don't hang around when running round - you have to just not be in the way! Here's a video CLICK HERE
These locos don't hang around when running round - you have to just not be in the way! Here's a video CLICK HERE
Waiting to leave Eisfelder Talmuhle. We had a parallel departure from here, then a dramatic climb out of the valley by our steam train. I captured this on video; see it HERE
Returning to Drei Anna Hohne through sunlit woods CLICK HERE
Returning to Drei Anna Hohne through sunlit woods CLICK HERE
Back at Westentor we watch the departure of the next Brocken train
On our final day on the Harz, Wednesday 13th, we attempted another Brocken trip. However, strong winds at the summit meant all trains were terminated at Schierke. We returned to Drie Annen Hohne (thankfully it was 'wet' Annen Hohne that day, with the bar open!) for a beer and Bratwurst. Tony and Hamish in the Drie Annen Hohne station cafe.
We took the next train to Eisfelder Talmuhle as an alternative to the closed Brocken
Harz loco 'with the bag in' at Drie Annen Hohne
Thursday 14th saw us move on to our final hotel of the holiday, at Koblenz on the Rhine. A HEX train took us to Goslar then on to Hannover. From there we took an ICE train to Dortmund, then an Inter City train to Koblenz.
A coach took us from Koblenz HBF almost to our hotel; the driver did not know the way to get right to the hotel and dropped us in a Lidl car park! From there we found our way through an underground car park to the hotel basement. The upside was that the Diehl's Hotel was very good indeed, with lovely views of the river.
The Rhine, from my bedroom balcony
Our last day of holiday was spent on board the 'Goethe', a former paddle steamer now diesel powered, for a gentle cruise up the Rhine to Rudesheim.
Our hotel seen from the 'Goethe'
Both banks of the river are decorated by many castles
...And there is much commercial traffic on this busy waterway
More 'castles on the Rhine'
Many of the commercial vessels carried their crew's cars on the cabin roof
...And some are very low in the water
Beer O'clock on the Goethe. Hamish and Pat.
Loerlei rock on the Rhine
Old custom house and vinyard terracing
Busy railways run along both banks of the river. An awful lot of freight moves up and down this valley.
The Goethe at Rudeshein
The picturesque riverside village of Rudesheim. We returned to our Koblenz hotel by train for a group meal on the final evening of the holiday.
Next morning, Saturday 16th, an Inter City service took us up the Rhine valley to Cologne, from where an ICE high speed train whizzed us to Brussels. A final meeting of the Beer O'clock Club in the Brussels Eurostar lounge preceded a high speed dash on a new Eurostar train to London St Pancras.
The Eurostar rolled to a stand at 16:05, and I did a runner to Euston to catch the 16:40 Pendolino to Wilmslow.
I was at home by 18:30 with many happy memories of an interesting re-discovery of the narrow gauge railways of eastern Germany, and new territory for me - the Rhine. Being later in the year the weather was not as good as last time, but then, the Harz trains in particular were not overcrowded as last year, which made the journeys far more pleasant.
And of course, the company was excellent!
Where will the Beer O'clock Club next meet?
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