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Bahnland Bayern - a day exploring Bavaria

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CC 72100

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My German travels brought me this time to Munich. This is a trip report (mainly) of the Lander ticket that I did on Saturday 18/03, but also of a couple of other trips.

Friday 17/03

Today wasn’t planned for train trips. However, when getting in Dachau following my visit to the Concentration Camp there, I gave the S-Bahn a miss and opted for a loco on a RE service instead – 111186, pushing RB59153 13:36 Treuchtlingen – Munich back to the city. Interestingly enough, while the set was made up of double deck stock, the front coach, with a driving cab, was single-deck, which looked a little odd.

I then made the long walk (think platform 1 to 13/14 at Manchester Piccadilly and then some) to from platform 25 to platform 8 for the 16:09 to Kufstein. I’d got the gen from forum members that due to Meridian having a train shortage following the Bad Aißling accident, this peak time extra was booked for loco+stock. Today I was treated to 185662, on hire from freight firm Lokomotion, on this train for the trip round the town to Munich Ostbahnhof. Retro stock + rare loco – winner!


Saturday 17/03 – Bayern Lander ticket

I got to Munich Hbf for 09:30, with the 09:50 RE service to Fussen in mind (booked for a class 245 + 4/5x Doppelstockwagens). However, I was swayed by a) the heavy loadings on the 09:50 Fussen of tourists going to Neuschwanstein Castle, and b) the fact that the 10:20 Memmingen service had dropped a class 218 vice class 245. Ok, so mainly b. On the platform I got into conversation – in English once my lack of German became evident – with a German enthusiast who also advised me to go for the 218, given their increasing rarity. He also had ‘der gen’ and informed me that the 10:17 arrival from Fussen should also be a 218 according to the diagrams he was in possession of. It wasn’t.

10:20 came and 218420 duly performed the honours on RE57408, 10:20 Munich – Memmingen. A fast run through the suburbs and past my S-Bahn stop (Hirschgarten) and we were quickly at Munich-Pasing. Stops then followed at Geltendorf (limit of Munich day ticket), Kaufering (where we crossed a service back from Memmingen, pushed by a 245) and arrival into Buchloe on-time at 11:05.

A +10 connection at Buchloe saw RE57507, the 10:06 from Fussen arrive, pushed by 245004. Far quieter and less interesting than the 218, it was an enjoyable run none the less back towards Munich. Having decided that getting a 218 in the book was rather a treat, I worked a move to get 218420 back in again on it’s journey back from Memmingen, and so I alighted at Munich-Pasing for a quick connection to the 12:11 Munich-Hbf – Memmingen, RE57410, hauled by 245005 which I did as far as Kaufering this time.

It was technically a dead connection at Kaufering, but a late running EC service (double-headed with 218s!) meant that RE57409, the 12:05 Memmingen – Munich Hbf was a little late. 218420 produced around 10 late at 13:10, and once again I joined the coach closest to the loco as we were pushed back to Munich. Thankfully it was a different guard on this return trip, as I can imagine that the various stamps I had accumulated on my Lander ticket by now could have got some confused looks!

Arrival was bang on time, thanks to some generous performance allowances, into Munich Hbf at 13:57. It was a quick walk to the main hall to swap diesel for electric on RE4026, the 14:02 Munich Hbf – Nuremburg Hbf via the high-speed line. The locomotive, 101053, was on the Munich end, and so I sat away from the loco in the 2nd coach of 6 where I secured a table to myself as the 101 pushed us at up to 200 km/h in places northwards. The coaches on the Munich-Nuremburg RE expresses are former IC coaches (single-deck) – they rode well and the interior was fairly decent although they felt a little worn and tired in places… like a mark 3 when approaching refurbishment!

The high-speed line really gets interesting after Ingolstadt, as this section is the brand new line. The tunnels after Ingolstadt are really impressive, one of which is over 7km (4.5 miles) long! We were looped at one of the stops just outside Nuremburg, and arrived on time at 16:50.

I enjoyed a good hour and a half in Nuremburg, which despite the worsening weather, is a very pretty city. I returned to the station just before 18:00, for my train back to Munich at 18:12.

A class 101 came in on the Nuremburg end, but was rapidly ripped off and another 101 added to the Munich end of the set. Turns out that the set was running 5 coaches vice 6, missing a driving car. At 18:12, RE 4037 from Nuremburg Hbf – Munich Hbf left bang on time, with me in the first coach behind 101117 which was charged with the trip back to Munich. At both of the first two stops we were looped by ICEs, leading to us arriving into Ingolstadt a couple of minutes late. Any lateness was made up by the time we arrived back into Munich Hbf, on time at 19:49. 1 hour 35 with 7 intermediate stops for a 106-mile journey seemed pretty good value considering what I’d paid for the Lander ticket for all of my journeys that day.

At this point I was going to go back to the hotel, but thought I’d just check the 20:20 Memmingen (RE57420) to see if a quick 245 spin to Munich-Pasing was on the cards. I’d worked out (or so I thought) that this set was the one I passed at Kaufering earlier this morning.

I was rewarded in fact with 218425, which was very much unexpected! Absolutely delighted with how I’d managed to fall into another 218, I enjoyed a 35-minute and 26-mile trip to Geltendorf (complete, as with all trains, a ticket check) sat behind the loco right at the leading end of the doppelstockwagen. On this pretty empty train, it was a good chance to enjoy a final run behind a 218.

10 minutes later at Geltendorf and 245005 showed up again, pushing RE57419 20:08 Memmingen – Munich Hbf back towards Munich. Once again I got a seat in the coach next to the loco, although 245s do not compare on the noise scale. They’re not the most interesting to travel on, but I can appreciate Doppelsotckwagens for their comfort. Also given the builders plates on most of the vehicles of 99/00/01, for 15-20 years old (presumably having been refurbished since), they’re all spotless. We arrived back into Munich at 21:40 as timetabled, and it was a short hop on the S-Bahn back to Hirschgarten, where I was in the hotel bar enjoying a Bavarian wheat beer by 22:00.

410 miles, 6 new locos, 2 class 218s, 25 euros – a good day out indeed.


Sunday 19/03

Sunday was also never meant to involve any bashing, but plans change. Either way, I found myself passing through Munich Hbf at around 13:30 having spent the morning in the Olympic park, and thought I’d check on the 13:50 Fussen & 14:20 to Memmingen.

Against all expectations, RE57502 13:50 Munich Hbf – Fussen was sat there with class 218424 (required) at the end. This time it really was only a short trip to Munich-Pasing, to enjoy 7 minutes of thrash and this time a farewell for good to the class 218s during this visit to Munich. At Pasing, I rejected the S-Bahn, waiting 15 minutes for RE57519, 12:06 Fussen – Munich Hbf which was propelled by 245002 (required). A very successful 45 minutes or so!

I've attached a few pictures to give a flavour of what Bavarian loco-hauled is like, and thank everyone who contributed in this thread for their advice: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=140356
 

Attachments

  • retro stock, rare loco - 185662 at Munich Ostbahnhof.jpg
    retro stock, rare loco - 185662 at Munich Ostbahnhof.jpg
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  • 245 or 218... only one winner.jpg
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  • 218420 at Buchloe.jpg
    218420 at Buchloe.jpg
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  • 245005 at Kaufering on RE57410 Munich - Memmingen.jpg
    245005 at Kaufering on RE57410 Munich - Memmingen.jpg
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  • Munich-Nuremburg RE express stock interior.jpg
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  • 101053 on arrival at Nuremburg having worked RE4026 from Munich.jpg
    101053 on arrival at Nuremburg having worked RE4026 from Munich.jpg
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  • Differing heights - single deck control cars on double deck sets.jpg
    Differing heights - single deck control cars on double deck sets.jpg
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  • Bonus 218 no. 2 - 218424 at Munich-Pasing.jpg
    Bonus 218 no. 2 - 218424 at Munich-Pasing.jpg
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Jamesrob637

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Wow. Definitely some good memories of my times over there including the 200kph MUC-NUE regional express.
 

CC 72100

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including the 200kph MUC-NUE regional express.

It's an enjoyable run, and even without the superb value Lander ticket, is 20 euros with the Regio-Ticket München-Nürnberg which is effectively an off-peak return.
 

Cowley

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Very interesting. I was sent a text and picture by stepbrother today while he was waiting at Düsseldorf for a train to Munich.
I've not travelled on DB but it looks like a very impressive system.
We were in Bavaria a few years ago and I noticed that a lot of the small stations still had yards with the odd wagon in them, something long gone from over here.
 

Bletchleyite

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It's always struck me that DB was about 10-15 years behind the UK in a great many aspects - still, for example, using a lot of LHCS on local trains and just toying with new generation DMUs and EMUs, and operating generally on quite low frequencies (though near enough always clockface with planned connections). Does have a bit of a punctuality problem at times - but equally connections get held and things seem well managed.
 

CC 72100

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We were in Bavaria a few years ago and I noticed that a lot of the small stations still had yards with the odd wagon in them, something long gone from over here.

There's plenty of yards/sidings etc. still about - Buchloe had some for example.
 

CC 72100

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23 Jan 2012
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3,777
It's always struck me that DB was about 10-15 years behind the UK in a great many aspects - still, for example, using a lot of LHCS on local trains and just toying with new generation DMUs and EMUs, and operating generally on quite low frequencies (though near enough always clockface with planned connections). Does have a bit of a punctuality problem at times - but equally connections get held and things seem well managed.

To a certain extent yes, but also its worth bearing in mind that the LHCS is normally 'modern standard'. It's not like it's 30 year old stock - the average Doppelstockwagen feels like any other post-2000 train inside - unit or coach.

There's also a growing amount of units on rural lines, and the tide seems to be changing. I'm just annoyed that I've been a little late to the game re. German railways!

Planned multi-modal connections. Take Dachau - 3 S-bahn an hour, but then most of the buses in the town are timetabled to depart 10 minutes after the S-Bahn from Munich arrives. Bus station is next to the railway station. It's just how it should be.
 
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