A few meters of overhead lines and battery-powered trains, and regular service is already running on the non-electrified routes in northern Germany. And then there are the noisy diesel locomotives. A snapshot in Schleswig-Holstein.

Quelques mètres de caténaires et de trains alimentés par batterie, et le service régulier fonctionne déjà sur les lignes non électrifiées du nord de l'Allemagne. Et puis il y a les locomotives diesel bruyantes. Un aperçu dans le Schleswig-Holstein.

With slightly less snow and no snow drifts, rail services in Hanover ran smoothly on Monday. The photo yield in 65 minutes: more than 50 motifs.

Avec un peu moins de neige et aucune congère, les services ferroviaires à Hanovre ont fonctionné sans encombre lundi. Le résultat photographique en 65 minutes : plus de 50 motifs.

Last Thursday, a snow front swept across Hanover. Deutsche Bahn suspended train services and was in no hurry to resume operations on Saturday when the weather was at its best. Images of the “snow disaster” that would have been laughed off by Deutsche Bundesbahn.

Jeudi dernier, un front neigeux a balayé Hanovre. La Deutsche Bahn a suspendu ses services ferroviaires et n'était pas pressée de reprendre ses activités samedi, alors que les conditions météorologiques étaient optimales. Des images de la « catastrophe neigeuse » qui auraient fait sourire la Deutsche Bundesbahn.

The freight bypass line near Hannover-Misburg is undoubtedly a neglected section of DB network operator InfraGO and has been slowly overgrowing between the two tracks for years. The huge bushes will touch the overhead line in 2026 if nothing else is done.

In this jungle-like section, you can capture the colors of autumn and encounter a wide variety of train series and trains. Some run regularly, others are a surprise.

47 color photos and one black-and-white photo.

The freight bypass line east of Hanover resembles a jungle in places because DB's infrastructure subsidiary InfraGO has clearly neglected maintenance of the line. The bushes between the two tracks are almost four meters high, and the line is used not only by freight trains but also occasionally by ICE trains. The branches almost brush against the trains.

One bright spot for photographers is that interesting vehicles occasionally appear among the overgrown vegetation.

Stadler's KISS multiple units are changing hands for the second time. 20 pictures and some more recent history.

In the second part of the stay at the freight bypass near Hanover with 59 photos, there are unusual vehicles, very long container cars, double traction, privatized 145s and a colorful DB Vectron. There are upcoming gauge 1 models – but also some that would be long overdue in 1:32, such as the classes 145, 152, 185 and 189.

After cold, foggy days, the sun was shining. A good reason to spend some time at the freight railroad line again to watch the passing trains with the camera. For the first time, I encountered a Siemens Velaro D of the class 407 on its way to Paris, in addition to old and new locomotives, during an unusual track swap.

Which locomotives bring the prestressed concrete sleepers to the track construction site? Variety is guaranteed.

After the concrete has hardened in the mold, the prestressed concrete sleeper is not yet finished. Part 2 of an exploration.

Without concrete ties, not much can be done on the railroad. But how are they made and what do they really look like? Part 1 of an exploration.

Im Teil 2 des Reiseberichts treffen wir Altes und Neues. An einem Haltepunkt sind die Epochen I und VI vereint.

Visiting old photo locations makes you creative.

Modern freight cars are colorful. The gray service tank cars of the DB have become yellow and red water cars. A few yellow examples for gauge 1 are still available at Kiss.

In Wieren, the lines from Uelzen to Stendal and Braunschweig divide. Diversion traffic flows and sometimes comes to a standstill here because Berlin - Hamburg is partially closed.

Due to a closure of the (Berlin -) Wittenberge - Hamburg line for essential construction work, ICE and EC trains will take a detour via Stendal, Salzwedel, Uelzen and Lüneburg until December 14, 2024. A visit to Uelzen and along the America line. 48 photos.

Construction work on the DB network used to be short and almost painless.

The DB Museum is venturing into one of the last hardly explored topics in railroad history. Next Friday, April 26, 2024, the Nuremberg museum will launch the special exhibition “Under Pressure. The history of the train toilet”. In eight themed areas with around 150 exhibits, documents and photos, the development of the train toilet from its beginnings in the 19th century to the present day is recounted. Exhibits include the chamber pot from Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's drawing room carriage, a model of a faeces transport carriage, toilets in original and miniature size, a pioneering bioreactor and many stories to make you smile.

The international online magazine spur1info is turning twelve years old these days. Now it's time for the first gauge 1 model to be announced under the new spur1infoMAX brand. The ICE 2 is being developed in close cooperation with the market leader and is naturally setting new standards in every respect.

Chance brought an old manuscript to light that contained a proposal for an H0 diorama. However, with a little more space you could also develop a varied diorama for gauge 1 that is suitable for all eras. Klusenstein is ideally suited as a layout area for short trains from 1912 to the present day.

Our country station offers plenty of inspiration for all Gauge 1 enthusiasts who want to build their tracks as close to the prototype as possible. 71 photos with incredible details.

Sometimes it's the small stations that have a lot to offer, especially for freight traffic, and that don't require complicated track plans. If they can be used for several epochs, they are perfect for gauge 1. I found such a station in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

In the popular epoch IV, short express trains were observed as well, for example between Zurich and Stuttgart. Pictures from my archive with interesting train consists from 1970 to today.

There is an interesting film about the DB class 181² in H0 at Märklin-TV.

Diverse traction current systems in Europe were an obstacle to cross-border trains in the 1960s. A publication just released by EK-Verlag memorializes DB's multi-system locomotives, some of which are still in service.

The Müngsten Bridge, opened in 1897, is 107 meters high and crosses the Wupper near Solingen with two tracks in a spectacular way. A remarkably good film about Germany's highest railroad bridge is available at public service TV WDR.

Stuttgart's main station was a well-functioning terminus with interesting rolling stock in the 1970s. A look back to epoch IV. Later, Märklin also advertised model trains here.

Dingler's side unloading cars (hoppers) for gauge 1 are now available. First photos of the production models.

A look at the law makes it easier to find the law, was a standard saying of professors in law seminars. Three hours on the railroad line make it easier to get an overview of the ever-changing locomotives, railroad companies and freight cars. The current railroad is more colorful and diverse than ever before. A nice contrast to the brown and gray freight trains of yesteryear.

Announced in 2021 by Studio Chilap, the DR battery-powered towing vehicle is now ready for production. The handmade model for gauge 1 has special features.

50 photos and a review of Wunder's distinctive Bundesbahn KKks and Tae(m)s 890 swing roof cars for Gauge 1.

The outdoor grounds of the DB Museum in Nuremberg are home to some rarities. But the mechanical signal boxes are not to be sneezed at either.

A visit to Nuremberg is worthwhile, because the city has a lot to offer. The main attraction for railroad fans should be the DB Museum, for which you should take plenty of time.

Brick and half-timbering, a small footprint and a touch of romance: Horst Göhr builds a small train station in the Altmark region of northern Saxony-Anhalt that unfortunately lost its function 21 years ago.

Angular modern locomotives have their own appeal. The hand sample of the Gravita 10 BB from Spur 1 Austria could reinforce the trend towards 1/32 scale models of currently operating locomotives. 50 photos showing all the details.

Märklin's fall novelties for Gauge 1 are big and heavy. In addition to the green Köfferli, there is also a German electric locomotive that is still in use today.

There is no shortage of interesting trains in the east of Hanover even on Sundays, where the freight bypass and the main lines to the east and north meet. The most interesting train from RailAdventure came after sunset. 36 photos, some of them spectacular, with trains and traction units of all kinds.

Like the DB class 111, the class 181² is a timelessly beautiful locomotive. MBW has now announced that it will deliver the multi-system locomotive for the 50th anniversary in 2024. It will be able to handle international trains.

Now the price for the new Dingler hopper has been set.

You don't have to own the most modern locomotive to form an era-appropriate freight train with Dingler's new cars. First information and photos of the two hand samples for subscribers.

The E 03 001 with a TEE train was announced. But it was also worthwhile to be on the road with the camera. A picture sheet with 34 current photos.

Where I took pictures 55 years ago, I still make photos today. Photos from there and on the road.

We have the Vectron as a model for gauge 1, and the Traxx 2 as well. But today's rail traffic has even more to offer. A picture gallery with 48 current photos.

Finally there is a new product announcement again. MBW intends to deliver models of the DB class V 60 and its following versions of the classes 260 ff. in 2023.

Part 2 of the review of Wunder's class 111 gauge 1 models with 31 crisp large format photos.

Three gauge 1 models of the DB class 111 from Wunder are shown and reviewed. Part 1 of the review contains 58 photos in large format for connoisseurs and the undecided.

Modern and old electric locomotives bear weathering and operating traces of varying intensity. But some traces they have in common. 45 photos with which you can judge the quality of patination on gauge 1 models.

Modellbau Marcus Jaegers has two new flat cars based on German and French prototypes in its program.

And once again there is a novelty for the gauge 1 to announce!

After numerous heavyweights, there is finally a compact vehicle on the market for Gauge 1 that is suitable for shunting in tight spaces.

Railroad cranes may be among the least known rail vehicles. This subject, reserved for specialists, has rarely been covered in magazines and books. Udo Kandler has rolled up the history of German rail cranes in his book published by EK-Verlag and compiled spectacular pictures.

Besides the class 182 of Deutsche Bahn, there are other electric locomotives that resemble the Austrian Taurus. An addition.

News agencies, TV stations and newspapers are reporting today what Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Bahn have published as a press release: "By 2026 at the latest, there should no longer be any gaps in coverage along rail lines in long-distance and regional transport." This refers to mobile communications coverage on trains, which network operators and Deutsche Bahn have been working on since 2008 with little success. 16 years of moderated (not only transport policy) standstill in Germany thanks to the Merkel governments have turned one of the most important industrialized countries into a snail-like dawdler that foreign countries can only laugh at.

Thirty years ago, on June 2, 1991, the ICE train service of the Deutsche Bundesbahn or Deutsche Bahn AG started with high-speed trains of class 401. Information and a large picture gallery with views from outside and inside.

The freight line near Hanover always offers surprises. A picture gallery with 45 photos taken in storm, rain and sunshine.

There is news for subscribers.

Yesterday, Deutsche Bahn announced an ICE order with Siemens. Because the press material said so, the journalists rushed at the radio-permeable windows and the bicycle compartments. But because an ICE 3 is not an ICE 3, hardly any media report was correct or was decorated with false pictures.

Unusual, weird designs of locomotives, cars and multiple units are popular with model railroaders. Soon there will be a new darling of the public.

Gauge 1 usually suffers from too long vehicles and too short tracks. But you can, strictly following the example of the DB Regio, extend the journey time with a trick. German TV satirical program Extra3 showed the method again yesterday.

Catenaries are very complicated to model. However, you should pay attention to details in a gauge 1 layout with overhead contact line that only become apparent at second glance.

On the way to Mulhouse in Alsace I tried to photograph some vehicles of the Dreiseebahn in Seebrugg. The collection is interesting.

At the station you will also find relics of past times.

45 photos.

The new Sommerfeldt overhead contact line for gauge 1 should be somewhat simplified and inexpensive. How good are the components and how do you differ from the Wunder product range?

Modern locomotives need modern freight cars. MBJ Modellbau Jaegers has new colorful models under construction. Especially impressive is the detailed, 810 mm long carrier for 80 ft containers.