A few days in Germany

I've just got back from spending 12 days in Germany. 3 days at a Plandampf at Zeitz, 5 days in the Harz, a couple of days spent chasing 41 1144 in the Werratal, and the last day photting a fireless loco. A few photos below, others to follow at some point.

 

Is the second photo taken on the Brocken line? I'd like to see more.

 

It's taken on the path down the north side of the mountain. From where I was standing, up to the right was the summit. It was about 5 minutes walk from the station. Normally you can expect several feet of snow in February, but as you can see there was very little around. The weather was remarkably clear at the summit for about 3 days in a row. Considering it averages about 300 days a year of cloud up there, chances of sun are minimal!

On Thursday evening 99 6001 got swapped for 99 7238 at Eisfelder to allow it to work a charter from Wernigerode the following day to Quedlinburg. 99 5901 was also on a charter, Qued - Stiege - Qued, hence the very rare use of a 2-10-2T on the Selketalbahn. Shame the weather wasn't up to much, but it's not often you get 3 steam locos on that line at once.

 

Some nice pics there! One minor comment although a handy bit of advice. I wouldn't say the 2-10-2Ts are 'very rare' working out of Gernrode, especially on the summer two engine service. They only have two 'small' engines for two intensive duties, so a 2-10-2T can appear annoyingly often. When in the Harz I try to allocate time at the start of the bash to Gernrode, then again at the end, so if a 2-10-2T appears on the first visit, you may do better a few days later. The summer TT is on the HSB website by the way - the Selketalbahn service has many changes to 2010, with not all the changes positive.

 

Some nice pics there mate. Was Pitt the Elder with you? Interesting comment regarding the cloud on the Brocken. I've been to the top three times and although it's not been clear blue skies, I have managed shots in sun on each visit so I can count myself really lucky.

 

Great pictures Nigel, make up for the disaster that was Zeitz perhaps? You hid that advertising stock well!

In about a dozen visits to the Harz in recent years I have never seen a big un out of Gernrode. It is usually the rather dull 99 6001 or if you are lucky 99 5906. Perhaps I should go in the Summer TT when they need two engines on a number of days a week but in the Winter, when I normally go, it is unusual and only occurs due to a failure or charters. Out of interest has the bike wagon been parked for the winter? 99 6001 + bike wagon means a fast exit to DAH!

My hit rate on the Brocken looks like about average...five trips to the top, one in sun! I would have gone alot more if there was any chance of seeing anything.

Cheers,

 

Cheers for the comments everyone.

I went up the Brocken twice last year and couldn't see more than a few yards! This year there were at least 3 clear days, but I could only make it up there once. Worth it though!

Cabrio wagon was parked up at Gernrode luckily. Having only been there a few years I was going by what I'd picked up or been told about the big tank, my apologies.

Ian, nope, I was on my own for the last few days. The first five days were spent with Warwick and a couple of former Steam Railway editors, which made for some fun car journeys, with those two bickering in the back!

I'll probably upload a few more tonight. Sadly I didn't bother taking my camera with me when bunked Zeitz shed. There was a couple of cranes outside and they'd already made a start on taking up track and cutting down trees around the turntable. Amazingly there was still a tank wagon inside the half roundhouse, presumably it would have been used for fire fighting duties if anything happened in the old wooden shed.

 

A few more....

 

Nice German Photos. Love the sunset shots of the 2-10-2t climbing up to the summit station.

Aahh Brocken weather! Took ages to film, "Storming the Brocken" back, in, strewth, the early 1990s. Just trying to get half decent weather.

I've also walked up to the summit a few times as part of my hill walking. Came up the long way, (North side), one day in horrendous weather. Horizontal rain and had to virtually crawl across the summit to the summit stone. Later found from the weather web site it was gusting to 75 mph, (I've actually "walked" in winds gusting to 94 mph, (82 knots from the weather web site I found), on the cliffs at Dover, although I got blown to the ground a few times). But that day on the Brocken, was so "normal" they hadn't even turned the storm warning lights on. Just a breezy day with light rain, I guess. LOL!