u/ACE_Wrap

Weil eigentlich wollte ich nach Frankfurt und bin stattdessen in Arnhem rausgekommen. Kann ja mal passieren wenn sich die Verpätungen und verpassten Anschlüsse halt so legen...

Die ersten zwei Bilder haben VIRM-IV (IV weil vierteilig) 9558 zum Motiv, noch in der Ursprungslackierung des Typs. Das dritte zeigt VIRM-VI 8733 nach erfolgter Modernisierung.

With the delivery of the new CAF trains imminent, the end of Essen's heritage fleet can't be too far away anymore. That also includes the units originally built for the Docklands Light Railway in London, that had to be withdrawn from service there almost brand new still, due to ever changing requirements as the new network took shape. Being made in Germany to local standard LRV dimensions meant they could be re-imported and put into service here after a number of adjustments were made. Like adding driver's cabs, switching from 3rd rail to overhead wires, and several more small things.

1. The Docklands run on all Stadtbahn lines of Ruhrbahn (formerly EVAG), but most often on line U11. On the day I visited, this was in fact the only line where I saw them. The first photo was taken at its Southern terminus at the trade fair. P89 No. 5238 just departed for its next run to Buer, in Essen's neighbouring city Gelsenkirchen.
2. The first stop north of the main station is Hirschlandplatz. Frankly, one of the nicer subway stations I know. In the early 2000s it was refurbished to double as a bit of a transport museum, showing various objects linked to history of Essen's trams. P89 No. 5231 just completed its stop on yet another northbound service.
3. Further north still, and still fairly close to downtown Essen, lies the university. It too has a stop along the U11 (and U17). Performing its stop here on the journey to the trade fair, is P89 No. 5233, which has been upgraded with LED displays.
4. Leaving downtown behind, in the Altenessen district lies Bäuminghausstraße station, where No. 5225 just performs its stop on a northbound run.
5. Karlsplatz is the last underground stop for line U11, and the terminus for line U17, which shares line 11's tracks from the city center up to here. It's also one of only a few stops where the trains don't stop with the front ends right against the end of the platform, so you can get a decent picture of the front. It all looks a bit more dynamic with bright headlights on!
6. Before we take a look at some Docklands in the open air, let's also have a look at the interior.

7/8. Leaving the tunnel at "II. Schichtstraße", the tracks continue mostly street-running. A stop further yet, the Emscher River and the Rhein-Herne Canal need to be crossed, which line 11 achieves via the Zweigertbrücke.

9. After crossing the city boundary, at Schloss Horst, line 11 meets the tram tracks of Gelsenkirchen, which has its own network. It runs on meter gauge tracks though, requiring this section to utilize triple rail tracks to accommodate both types of trains. The platforms for the two lines are also separated and incompatible with the Docklands fleet. No. 5225 passes the tram platforms, with the LRV station visible in the background.

10. Schloss Horst station is the first stop after U11's terminus at Buerer Straße, which is just around the corner. No. 5224 just departed for another run southbound. The slogan means to advertise taking public transit rather than using polluting cars. Except the way it reads, it seems more like a recommendation to buy an electric car if you take it literally. Riding the train and driving it aren't the same of course. German uses the same word for that, English doesn't.

Viel ging nicht im Tal der Wupper im Februar 2026. Die Generalsanierung war gerade erst angelaufen, und wenn überhaupt standen nur die Gleise der S-Bahn zur Verkehrsabwicklung zur Verfügung. Tz 3429 010 tat am 28.02. unbeirrt seinen Dienst auf der S9, hier in Unterbarmen.

Die Haupstrecke über Bochum und Essen ist baustellenbedingt gesperrt (was auch sonst?), und so musste sich Tz 1111 nebst etlicher anderer Züge letzten Samstag einen anderen Weg durch den Pott suchen. Wo die Fernzüge ihre Ersatzhalte für Bochum und Essen hatten schien auch ein wenig variabel. Ein ICE2-Doppel fuhr kurz zuvor ohne Halt durch. 1111, als ICE229 unterwegs wenn ich mich recht erinnere, führte hingegen einen kurzen Fahrgastwechsel durch.

Sowas habe ich bisher an keiner anderen Stelle im Kölner Stadtbahnnetz bemerkt. An sich dachte ich dass es irgendwas seit Ewigkeiten nicht mehr verwendetes ist, nur wurde es jetzt bei der Modernisierung der Haltestelle wieder neu eingebaut. Gibt es auch nur in einem der drei Gleise insofern ich richtig hingeschaut habe.

It's cold and ugly and repulsive and unfriendly, but on the plus side, it fits the city just fine!

DE 501 und DH715 der RheinCargo passierten am 20.08.26 Düsseldorf-Wehrhahn auf der Fahrt nach Neuss.

Ich selbst war derweil auf dem S-Bahnsteig im Plausch mit der DB Security, die mich angesprochen hat warum ich hier Fotos mache, weil das darf man nicht. Antwort: Ja doch, laut Hausordnung schon. Solange es nicht für kommerzielle Zwecke ist und man sich an ein paar Regeln hält ist es erlaubt. Haben sie dann auch nachgeschlagen, und siehe da, es stimmt tatsächlich.

Bielefeld doesn't exist as is widely known, yet I always see it on the map in the Regio trains. So I figured there probably is at least *something* there; some other city cosplaying as Bielefeld, so they can point at it and say, there it is. It's real after all, and now shut up. Only one way to find out, and that is going there. And truth be told, I'd almost have fallen for it, they went to really great lengths. Too great lengths in fact when it comes to the transit system, which ends up revealing the whole trickery. A small city somewhere out in the wilderness of East Westphalia, and then it has a subway? A two-story subway even, as if this was Düsseldorf or Duisburg or something. Yeah, nice try. As if.

But that of course raises the question, which city was this originally? All things considered, probably a Swiss one that they've imported and plopped down here. What makes me think that: On the first tram which I got onto after arrived at the central station, the driver made an announcement apologizing. For being delayed about 7 minutes due to an accident that happened earlier somewhere on line 2. Let me say that again. By 7 minutes. Back home when a tram is 7 minutes late it's going to run almost empty because everybody expected at least 10 and wasn't even at the station yet. Such perfectionism on rail can only be Swiss or Japanese, and let's be honest, it doesn't look very Japanese here.

1: Vamos #5011 at Schüco, serving line 2 toward Altenhagen. Line 2 seems to be the only line so far where the newer generation "Vamos" can run. They are wider than the older LRV generations, which means they need more distance between the tracks, and each branch of the network needs to be adjusted for them first.

2: Another Vamos, #5020 specifically, at Buschbachtal. This is one of two stations added to line 2 recently past its previous terminus at Milse.

3: The other is the new terminus in Altenhagen, where Vamos #5009 just arrived and got on the way back into the city ASAP. Interesting about the Vamos: Some of them have been given names, and some placards inside with some background about who or what they were named after. Usually districts and towns in and around Bielefeld, or personalities with a connection to the city.

4: The older generation, called the M8D. Let's just say the design of the Vamos is real leap forward from those. If you ask me, they're a strong contender for Germany's ugliest tram - at least as long as Würzburg is banned from competing. Bielefeld's Stadtbahn system was modeled after that Cologne, and in the mid-90's they got themselves a fleet of vehicles that look like a K4000 and a 2200 made a baby. But well, they get the job done, so I shouldn't complain too much. #583 at Deciusstraße, on line 1.

5: M8D #585 at Sudbrackstraße, where the northern branch of line 1 leaves the downtown tunnel. Back to the M8D's design, it also looks a little bit like it could be made by Stadler. Which only makes sense of course, and maybe they really are. It's a Swiss city after all, right?

6: Also at Sudbrackstraße, line 1 passes under this footbridge linking two buildings of the Miele plant - Miele being a well known manufacturer of household appliances, from way back when "Made in Germany" became the quality label it's known as. At least nowadays it is a Miele plant. Who knows, maybe it was a V-ZUG plant before they moved it here, which they then changed so it looked more German. M8D #577 just passes it on an inbound train.

7: Change of location to the other end of the city and line 1, to Normannenstraße in the cozy town center of Brackwede. #583 has a handful of stops to go still to the terminus at Senne.

8: Again #577, again in Brackwede, at Gaswerkstraße. Generally, Bielefeld's network features rather long distances between stops. Gaswerk and Normannenstraße stops however are just some 300 meters apart - not sure what that's really about.

9: #590 at Gaswerkstraße, travelling back toward downtown Bielefeld.

10: Lastly, M8D #593 at Brackwede train station. Or rather, climbing the incline from the train station up to the town center.

Thalys PBKA #4307 bei der Durchfahrt in Sindorf am 01.03.2026