Germany

           

I've visited Germany several times. My wife and I bought a VW camper in Hamburg and saw much of West Germany (and some live steam) in 1963. I returned on a Eurail Pass in 1983 and then again, with Carol, in 2003.

Like many countries, Germany is struggling with what to do about a very, very expensive and complex rail system, complicated by the integration into the system of the one from East Germany after reuinification. Take the train from Rostock to Berlin, as we did in 2003, and one sees signs of long-standing neglect -- and efforts to upgrade infrastructure and stations. And, of course, before reuinification there were relatively few rail links between the two parts of Germany, with much modernization in West Germany taking place on north-south routes. Today's national system, of which 'Die Bahn' is the government owned piece, is a complex one of many different services, all of which are expected to be profitable. Germany has also opened up its tracks to private services, with Connex now providing inter-regional services (as we noticed in Sweden).

There are three sets of photos here. Two steam photos from 1967, a handful from my trip in 1983, and several from 2003. As noted above the 2003 visit featured a ride (with late arrival) from the former East German Hanseatic port city of Rostock to  Berlin. We only spent a couple of days in Berlin and so rail photography had to be sandwiched between a lot of other sightseeing in this magnificent city. I was able to spend a couple of hours at the Ost Bahnhof (the East Station in the former East Berlin), with a side trip to the Warschauer Street Station, not too far from the Ost Bahnhof.

To some extent Berlin is a perfect rail fan site. Station personnel are friendly, as are rail fans from around the world who gather to photograph a vast variety of rolling stock from all over Europe. Trains are colorful -- the red ones in these photos are regional or local trains -- and frequent. Main InterCity Express (ICE) trains are beautifuly sleek, and articulated NachtZug overnight trains alluring. They are complemented by UBahn and SBahn subway trains. Ost Bahnhoff, like the West Berlin Zoo station, are vast cities, with innumerable services.

One is always thinking of lessons to be learned in light of the struggles we face in the USA to have a decent intercity rail system. Germany is not the US. It is a relatively compact country with a long history of nationalized rail services, and high gasoline prices -- and many people do not own cars. But more than that there are vast investments in simply making it more cost- and time-effective for business people to travel by rail, and making trains that provide amenities to add to speed. Being in the center of Europe Germany is a transportation axis (and Berlin is building an immense new station for international rail). Of course, Germany is light years ahead of the auto-addicted US. I can't wait to return.

                                                           Click on each image to enlarge