I’m not sure how correct the displays on the buses are. The line 33 doesn’t run here normally, but some lines were redirected that day due to snow. If that was the case here, then this can well be considered a failure. Neither it nor the (not that well visible) 3B were able to get going on the incline. An interesting feature of pusher-style articulated buses is that they will fold in a way that makes them take up the most space possible in such a situation. From the looks of it 3A to the right apparently tried to pass them by going via the grass strip, which turned out to not work that well.

Cars still managed to get through, but buses had no chance, something that at least two of them did not realize in time, so they had to park and wait for it all to go away. Turning around is not really an option for these machines here.

ASEAG, Aachen’s bus operator, has its own tow truck, presumably for stuff that like this. However, according to reports from other parts of the city, it had quite a lot of work that day, and took about two hours to arrive at the scene. Here, it has just freed the first bus (the 33) and is now ready to pull the second one up, for which they are currently putting the drawbar in place.

Although a sanding truck was there and spraying salt on the area in front of the bus, the tow truck had enough problems with grip itself and had some serious wheel slip as it was starting. Nevertheless, it got the bus up to where it could drive on its own again.

So only the bus in the grass remained, and it could be pulled out without too much trouble. Meanwhile, the parked busses could already depart.

According to some rumors, ASEAG busses never use snow tires. I have no idea how much of a difference that actually makes with heavy city buses, but looking at this, they should probably think about investigating means of increasing grip.

It’s not very beautiful, but it was done extremely quickly (about ten minutes) and works as good as the normal iPhone version. So far, I haven’t played much with the iPad SDK (and even if I had, I’m not allowed to tell you anything of substance), but it does look interesting.

Of course, I will adapt the user interface to make it look less ridiculous. I guess this means entirely new controls for the iPad, as the screen is a great deal larger than what I had in mind when I designed this scheme. And since absolutely nobody ever got this system when looking at it to begin with, maybe I’ll think of something else for the iPhone version as well.

Ah, what the hell: You can find an in-progress version of the new homepage at http://ferroequinologist.de/newIndex.php/en/. It’s not done yet and will fail in various was, but if you’re interested… The links all lead back to the normal version, by the way.

At some point during the day, the temperature dropped significantly below my personal comfort zone, to the point that my fingers were so numb from the cold that I had trouble folding my tripod back together. Hence, I did not stay as long at the lignite-fired power station Neurath as I had planned. In the short (but subjectively long) time, I did manage to take a picture I personally like, though.

The clouds are all just vapor from the cooling towers, but when comparing the most polluting powerplants (measured in tons of CO₂ per kWh), Neurath ranked at place seven in the 2007 list for Europe, giving it place five for all of Germany. To be more precise, it’s CO₂ output per energy is higher than twice the amount for the german total electricity mix. It should be no surprise that just like for the other power plants in the area (all near or at the top of the lists as well), there are people who don’t like it. Currently, two new power generating blocks are built, in addition to the five already existing (combined power output 2200 MW). The new ones will have optimized technology for higher efficiency and a power output of 1100 MW each. However, there were already three deadly accidents on the construction site, and people are questioning whether it is useful to still invest in lignite. Personally, I like cheap electricity as much as anybody, and lignite is the only local fuel source that does not need government subsidies to be mined, but still, I think the impact on nature is too large for the benefit.

The area between Aachen, Cologne and Düsseldorf contains the largest deposits of lignite or brown coal in all of Europe. It is heavily mined in huge, moon-like surface mines. However, almost none o the lignite ever leaves the area. Instead, it is directly burned in a number of power-plants in the area. To get it from the mines to the powerplants, RWE Power (the company in charge of it all) operates one of the weirdest railroads in the country.

The system, which lacks a catchy name, consists of two lines, both double-tracked, with a total length of 52 km (32 miles) and connects a number of mines and power-plants together. Here, a northbound train headed by EL1 locomotive 563 is passing the one in Frimmersdorf. Fun fact: In terms of CO₂ produced per unit of energy, Frimmersdorf is the most pollutant power-plant in Germany, second-most pollutant in Europe and third-most pollutant in the world, according to a 2005 WWF study.

The rail system is electrified with 6 kV at 50 Hz AC, a system that is to the best of my knowledge not used anywhere else. But that is not the only reason such weird-looking machines were chosen. The wide bays of the cab are used not only to allow checking on the train, but also for push-pull operations, which probably sets a world record for worst view of the track. Of course, the system also allows higher axle loads than normally used in Germany, up to 30 metric tons. Nevertheless, it is possible for normal trains to use the lines as well, and every now and then there are even special excursion trains (although as there are no platforms on the system, passengers have to get in and out elsewhere).

By the way, the type EL 1, built from 1954 to 1965 (older than the 110), was the first locomotive ever with thyristor (or chopper) control.

Because I was so happy that I got the Prima II prototype, here another shot of it passing by.

The Siemens test center Wegberg-Wildenrath was built on the grounds of an abandoned airfield of the british Royal Airforce, and a lot of structures from that are still visible. I guess an urban explorer with far less respect than me for “do not enter” signs could find a lot of cool things to shoot here. Me, I’m happy to shoot trains.

The main feature of the center is the outer test ring, an oval that allows top speeds of 160 kph, and which the Prima II is currently using here, together with a few french freight cars to apparently simulate freight running. There is never more than one train on the outer ring. In extreme cases, you can see the same train passing by you in five-minute intervals, but as part of the testing they also start, stop, slow down and accelerate a lot, meaning you can also easily wait for an hour with nothing to see at all. It’s tricky.

Additionally, the center has a second test ring with top speeds of 100 kph, which is three-rail track to be able to test meter gauge trams as well, and a number of special details like a ramp track, lots of static and dynamic test benches, and a large workshop that is often used by leasing company MRCE to change the country configurations of their locomotives. I’m afraid I’ve not yet found a spot where I can take good pictures of any of that, though.

The railroad test center in Wildenrath-Wegberg belongs to Siemens, but as it is the only one of it’s kind in europe (the one in Velim, Czech Republic, allows higher top speeds but is otherwise not as technologically advanced), all manufacturers test their products here. The current star is this: The Alstom Prima II prototype.

The Prima platform is Alstom’s default platform for electric locomotives, based on a platform originally used for diesel locomotives in cooperation with EMD (examples for that are the british class 67 and, after the spanish plant and that diesel line were sold to Vossloh, the Vossloh Euro4000 (picture by :devnettwerk:)). Unlike to the Siemens Eurosprinter or Bombardier TRAXX platforms, it hasn’t sold much outside France or to private operators. The Prima II is a new version meant to change all that with a new modular design, strict integration of ERTMS, higher power output and higher top speed.

The prototype No. 1 in particular is configured as a freight locomotive for all four major european systems (25 kV 50 Hz, 15 kV 16.7 Hz, 3 kV DC and 1.5 kV DC) with 6.4 MWs power (6.0 MW under 3 kV, 5.6 under 1.5 kV), but a top speed of only 140 kph. It is also used for evaluating the new European Driver’s Desk Plus (EUDD), a prototype of which is installed in one of the two cabs. For Alstom, the Prima II is the main project they are focused on right now. I wish them the best of luck, because no matter whether you like this design or not, it’s an interesting change from all the other standard things on european railroads.

This particular combination (old locomotive vs. new locomotive) in Aachen West looks not too interesting, but what we actually have here are examples of the oldest and the newest class of freight road locomotives in use by DB today.

The class 140, pre-1968 class E 40 was built from 1957 all the way to 1973. 140 768-1 here is one the latter models and was probably delivered as 140 already, but nevertheless, it’s quite an old machine. 185 257-3, on the other hand, was delivered to DB on May 30th, 2006. The Bombardier TRAXX 2 F140 AC2, german class 185.2, is among the most modern machines in DB service, and in fact second only to the 186 (which, despite clear plans in that area, is not yet directly used by the freight division of DB, so I think I can get away with calling the 185.2 the most modern machine). In fact, the 185.2 series is not even fully delivered.

Which is why it can be considered surprising that the number of active 140s is actually increasing, while that of active 185.2s is shrinking. The reasoning is pretty easy, though: Thanks to the world crisis, DB stopped taking delivery of new 185.2s and also declared that all electrics in need of larger maintenance should be put in storage for the time being. Many 140s were already in storage, not because they needed maintenance but rather because they weren’t needed. Now freight traffic is increasing again, and the 140s are the cheapest machines to get running again, so the amount of operative machines has doubled from 40 to 80 in a surprisingly short span. I’m fairly sure the 140 won’t outlast the 185.2, but you never know…

If my super-secret information is correct, then today is the birthday of Matt Durkan, so I thought I’d post something for him.

Was my Scotland vacation really only in 2007? Feels like longer ago. Anyway, as part of that we also took a ride on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway. LNER 246, one of their preserved steam locomotives, is standing here waiting to leave soon with a train. I thought it would fit to go with a historic sepia tone here for no reason in particular.

Well, there is a particular reason, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to tell you how almost all of my pictures from that railway came out grainy beyond salvation so that I decided to just go with it. Anyway, Happy Birthday Matt!

Here something for the combined railroad fans and typography/signage nerds of DA, a group that on a good day includes… me. Hey, there’s a reason I’m not posting it over at The Railfan Nation. Aside: If you are a railroad fan, please do take a look, it’s a group for all of us on deviantART and we can use every person who wants in.

Now, back to the issue at hand. Before the white-on-blue signs that are common today, there were two previous generations of signs used on western german railroad stations that you can still find. The newer one was using Helvetica on a white background with a blue border with rounded edges. The “Gleis 2” (Track 2) sign is a typical example of that. Earlier, though, a font resembling Futura was used on a plain white background. The “Nothberg” sign (yes, this is in Nothberg again, the station that was closed this saturday) is an example of that, but someone added the newer blue border by hand. This means that already in the 1980s, I guess, Nothberg station was no longer deemed important enough for even something as simple as new, modern station name signs. As such, it was the final station between Aachen and Cologne to still use these signs. There are some incredibly huge letters in this style in Cologne, but no normal signs anymore (not counting signs only for rail personnel, the fonts for those are all over the place).

If you look at the font, you’ll quickly realize two things: First, that it looks like Futura, and second, that it isn’t Futura, even if german Wikipedia claims it is. Take a close look at the H, B, E which are symmetrical here, while the R is somewhat longer than standard Futura. There are other detail issues as well if you look long enough. I sure would like to know the story behind this font. According to some sources, a “pointy” and in my opinion somewhat Futura-y font was used for locomotive signs since 1938, but that’s as far as I got.

The Bombardier TRAXX platform is, in terms of numbers, among the most successful and numerous platform for road locomotives built in Germany since the second world war. Since 1997 it has become the de-facto standard for a number of national railroads, as well as all almost all leasing companies and an ever-increasing number of private railroad companies. If you ask german rail fans about this immense success, they all will reply the same thing: “Boring”.

The TRAXXes have replaced a large number of older, beloved classes, and they have come in huge numbers. It is not rare that you look into a railroad yard today and only see various versions of the TRAXX — in different colors, but still, essentially the same version of locomotive. One particular color you often see between Aachen and Cologne is the one of Crossrail, as seen here on the TRAXX 2 F140 AC2 with number 185 596-4.

Crossrail is originally a swiss private railroad, but then merged with belgian private railroad Dillon & Le Jeune Cargo (DLC). Still, both brands are used. Both use a wide variety of locomotives from a wide variety of leasing companies. This one is leased from Beacon Rail, who have leased all their locomotives to Crossrail so far. It’s capable of operations under 15 kV 16.7 Hz and 25 kV 50 Hz, but being homologated only for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, it only uses the 15 kV part. The somewhat not-that-great paint scheme of Beacon Rail shows off the typical eurofront with a huge white legally required in the Netherlands and a red bar for Italy, despite the locomotive being physically incapable of operating in either country. Here, it is passing through Langerwehe station.

Nothberg may be closed, but that does not mean that it’s useless to go there. It still gives you a nice look on the mainline Aachen-Cologne, and this can be extremely busy, such as yesterday. Here, 2841 of belgian national railroad company SNCB/NMBS is passing through with a mixed freight train.

For those of you who just joined, this locomotive is a Bombardier TRAXX 2E F140 MS, an electric freight locomotive capable of running with four different voltages (15 kV 16.7 Hz AC, 25 kV 50 Hz AC, 3 kV DC and 1.5 kV DC), with a continuous power output of 4.2 MW and a top speed of 140 kph (87 mph), which can be used almost all over Europe, depending on the configuration. The ones that form the belgian class 28 are homologated for Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and, for good measure, Austria. 2841 here was delivered in June 2009, making it one of the youngest machines you can find on the rails in the region.

As you can see, it has a second number, E 186 233. This is based on german principles, where this type is known as class 186, and is the number used by leasing company Angel Trains Cargo, who owns the belgian 28s. The locomotive also has an eleven-digit NVR number, uniquely identifying the locomotive within Europe and some parts outside, which is based on the german number, not the belgian one, although it does identify it as a belgian locomotive. I guess that made sense to someone. The E, as well as the red bar, are required for service in Italy. This locomotive is not approved for this at the time, but leasing companies like to operate on the “you never know…” principle when it comes to locomotive painting and lettering. The white area in front is legally required for the Netherlands, and the combination of white area and red bar has become somewhat of a standard for leasing companies.

This is not the last train leaving the stop Nothberg (a part of Eschweiler) by any means, but it is leaving on the last day that trains still stop here (namely yesterday’s 12 december 2009). Of course, “Random train on the last day that trains stop there Leaving Town” would have been a silly title.

The stop for Nothberg on the Aachen-Cologne main line was opened either on 15 March 1909 or 1897 (Wikipedia isn’t sure), so it has more than a hundred years of history. As of 13 december 2009, though, the RE9 Aachen-Siegen has ceased stopping here. As neither the RE1 (Aachen-Hamm) nor the ICE and Thalys stop there, that means that all trains will then pass through at track speed, and the stop will cease operating.

Which makes me happy. Together with skipping through Eilendorf (which is still served by the Euregiobahn, though), the RE9 gets about five minutes faster and the ride much smoother. Yes, it’s bad for those who used this stop, but the distinct stop Eschweiler-Nothberg on a branch line offers more frequent service, lies better in Nothberg, is significantly prettier and has better bus connections. Starting december 13 as well, you can get all the way to Düren (which has connections to the Rurtalbahn and the Cologne S-Bahn) from there (though not directly to Cologne anymore). As official counts put the number of daily users of this stop at a total of only 60, I think that abandoning it is really the best choice.

While DMUs are still very frequent in Cologne, there is only train left that goes through Cologne central and is hauled by a diesel locomotive: The twice-hourly Regionalexpress 12 from/to Trier, which consists of Type n carriages (known as Silberlinge) and a class 218 locomotive.

Well, used to, anyway. Starting tomorrow, service will instead be provided by class 628 DMUs. Lots of them, actually (three sets, with the cab car replaced with another power car in each set, for a total of six engines), but it still seems ridiculous. This was the final train, leaving in it’s starting point, Cologne Trade Fair/Deutz, towards Trier.

The commemorative banner it had was removed, because already on entering here it had been blown apart by the wind. As you can see, it’s cab was more than just a little full, and it was greeted by a lot of railfans, including :iconshenanigan87: taking pictures from a different platform — but of course we did not meet because he didn’t know I was there while I forgot to give him a call. Such is life.

The funny thing is that I only got to shot this picture because my train home to Aachen was late by 15 minutes (expanding to 21 over the further course of the journey). Any DB employees reading this: This does not excuse the horrible delays on the RE1, though. Fix it, damn it!

I’ve heard the new station Liège-Guillemins, actually open since 2007, officially open since October 2009, described as a photographer’s playground. They were not wrong. The sweeping steel and concrete lines, the carefully placed lighting, the wide open spaces… it’s just awesome. There are trains there as well, but this is one of the rare cases (maybe the only one) where I think the architecture is more interesting.

Still, if you’re that kind of person… An SNCB/NMBS AM/MS 62-79 right in the center. To the left, two locomotive-drawn ICs with HLE 13s. Further on the right, an AM/MS 08. Yeah.