Pacifics im Rheintal

Love it, boxes on the rear. So much for those who bang on about the Germans doing things better than us on the main line.

 

And another box on the back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npD4VSGJYKc&feature=related

 

Not sure when that was filmed. But there was a time when certain tour promoter ran very heavy trains, (up to 16 heavy cars), with a box helping push the whole lot around at 50 mph. That tour operator went out of business.

My own experience of 21st century steam in Germany was of pure steam virtually all the time. One or two exceptions when a box was needed to haul the train over a section where steam was overweight on a bridge or something like that, (steam loco came on after the bridge). When the damn box had to sit on the back of the train for the rest of the day. That was not a problem as all of our drivers were also members of the club who promoted the train. So we knew the box would never push! The problem on that route, (Hamburg-Altona to Westerland), was eventually sorted by re-arranging water and fuel stops so the steam loco got below the weight needed to go over the bridge. So we ditched the box.

The other time was during a period of severe fire risk.

Seeing the 01 on 13 cars I hope that is not a recent video and that another operator has decided to start up with packing heavy trains full of people happy to just see a steam loco on the front, whilst being pushed along by a box. If that has happened the real German steam enthusiasts will most likely give such trains a very wide berth indeed.

 

I see. So it's OK if the German's do it for understandable operational reasons but if it happens in the UK for equally understandable operational reasons, the TOC et al are lambasted for doing so.