Deutsches Dampflok Museum at Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg last month.

Hello All,

As some of you might be aware, there was a steam festival at the Deutsches Dampflok Museum at Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg in northern Bavaria last month. It was run over the Whitsun weekend as part of the celebrations to commemorate 175 years of German railways and included a regular series of steam hauled trains up the 'Schiefe Ebene' which translates as 'steep incline'.

And steep it is, with 5 miles of 1 in 40! Most of the trains were double headed, and all had banking assistance at the rear. I was there on the Saturday and, needless to say, I took loads of pictures. A selection of these is now on my Fotopic site and this is the first of them :



Clicking on the picture will enlarge it and take you to the others. Alternatively, click on this link :

http://ronfisher.fotopic.net/c1099919.html

As usual, this is the 'stop Press!' collection for new pictures. In due course, I shall transfer them to a new collection in the 2nd Gallery and they will then be here :

http://ronfisher2.fotopic.net/c1856554.html

Hope that they are of interest.

 

Those are great - I was there on the Sunday and have been meaning to try and up load some pictures for a while - I suspect my imagines will be too big to up load!

Looks as if you were on Brussells Midi about the same time on the Tursday as the party I was with - a mob of about 35 British enthusiasts, mainly at the Brussells Central end of the platforms enjoying being able to take pictures and video without the risk of having our collars felt!

Steven

 

Hello Steven,

Indeed I was Brussels at the same time as you. We travelled out on the same Eurostar as you and I was sitting across the aisle from your (English) tour leader. We should only have had 25 minutes at Brussels, but as the Thalys was late I got in a bit of unexpected gricing time.

When you were at Neuenmarkt on Sunday, we were at Nürnberg and passed your special train going the other way on the way back. Then our paths crossed again at Nördlingen on the Monday. We were in the second coach on the train, unlike the elite in the first class coach at the front!

More pictures from Neuenmarkt still to come, plus the Nürnberg and Nördlingen ones, so watch this space!

Ron.

 

You must have been just about opposite me on the Eurostar out, as I was in the seat behind the tour manager!

We were pretty lucky at Nördlingen with that front coach! I am not sure that is the original interior, especially with it being 2 + 2 seating but aren't really an expert - in fact, a good book in English on German Carriages is something I have been rather looking for for a while, but without success! Seeing 3673 in steam for the first time in 6 years at Nördlingen was rather a bonus for me.

Were you on a tour or travelling independantly?

Steven

 

Hello Ron , very much enjoyed your photos . You have whetted my appetite so I think I will book on the trip to Meinengen for the Open Day in September .

Think I met you at Offord once when Tornado was passing . Hope are paths will cross again .

James

 

Hello Steven,

If you were in the seat behind the tour leader, then we did have a brief chat. We discussed the complications (and stupidity!) of british rail fares!

We were travelling independently, but, being lazy, and as we were travelling at short notice, I got Ffestiniog Travel to arrange it all for me.

Ron.

 

Hello James,

I'm often at Offord when Tornado (or Bittern or Duchess of Sutherland or...or...) are passing. If you see me again, introduce yourself. I've got a Pentax, which might help to identify me. We are hoping to move later this year though, so my days at Offord may be numbered.

I booked a family holiday on the Isle of Wight for the beginning of September thinking that it would not clash with anything. Then, two days later, I read about the Meiningen do! Grrrr!! Oh well; I expect that there will be further Plandampfs next year.

I got hooked on continental steam in 1964, and German steam in 1965, so I don't need any convincing!

Ron.

 

first of all : thanks for going there and making photos for all which could not go themselves. I want to visit the >schiefe Ebene< since... I do not konw anny more...

just one word to >Schiefe Ebene< : this does not mean >steep incline<, it means >inclined plane<. At the other side it is classified as >steilrampe<, means steep ramp (everything more than 10%o)

the name is part of the project's history.

when the bavarians started to construct the line from Lake Constance to the Saxonian Border there was NO experence concerning railways running up steep ramps or passing strong bended lines.

You know it better than me : at the beginning of the railway age in britain different levels were connected with some kind of cablecars, in german called >Schiefe Ebene<(following the name of the physical principle) inclined planes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclined_plane

such an inclined plane was projected in Neuenmarkt as well, but when the Bavarian engineers got message from an US-loco being able to pass bendings with 400m-radients they decided to change the project and they constructed the first steep railwayramp of the world. the >Schiefe Ebene< at Neuenberg.

it is remarquable that the >Schiefe Ebene< still is abele to take the modern traffic without anny adaptions, even modern tilting trains (ICE) could go it up with about 140km/h (if they wuld work)

for all speakers of French i can propose to read my thread at Forum-train.fr concerning the first mountain railwaylines of the world. you will find the chapter about the >Schiefe Ebene< easily.

http://www.forum-train.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=3938

one more word to the standing of the ramp : deutsche Bahn did a great anti-weed-campaign to tidy up the stone-works and make them visible again, it is seen very well on your photos ron, thank you!

 

That's right - another outing for my "Northallerton to York by Grand Central or TPE" comparison, if I remember rightly!

I think I'll have to get a "National Preservation Member" badge so I other members know when we are chatting that I am "one too"!!

Steven