.REPORT FROM N.W. EUROPE Easter 1997 Introduction This report covers a two-week period either side of Easter 1997, in which I travelled - mostly by road - from home in Neu-Isenburg in two circuits, first north to the Ruhr and Holland, then south to southern Germany and France. The towns visited are listed in alphabetical order for ease of reference. Arnhem (arr. 25.03.97, dep. 26.03.97) The main reason to visit Arnhem was, of course, the trolleybus system. I had only paid a fleeting visit here once before, in 1990. We stayed overnight in a small hotel off Jans Buitensingel (NLG 80.00 for a double room inc. breakfast) which I booked at the VVV on the border crossing from Germany. I had intended to buy a day or 24-hour ticket and do the network by trolleybus, but I could find no information on the fare system either at bus stops or at the NS station, so I didn't bother All vehicles in service were the two-axle Den Oudsten B79T (131-179 series) and the newer Volvo/Den Oudsten variety. In addition, articulated Van Hool 201 and hired De Lijn (Gent) Van Hool 225/226/228 were in service. I visited each trolleybus terminus on the morning of 26.03. and noted the following: Station NS terminating route 5; Hoogkamp no service (bus route 2 on 30-min interval continues beyond t/b terminus); Burgers' Zoo (3); Alteveer (3); Geitenkamp (9); Velp Noord (1); Elsweide no service (bus route); Presikhaaf (5) operated by artics; Het Duifje (3); Immerloo (3); Holthuizen no service (bus route 2, half hourly); Vredenburg (bus route 2, ditto); De Laar West (9); Oosterbeek (1).. On the bus front, I am now totally confused by who runs which services. Local services in Arnhem were operated by blue buses with Oostnet fleetnames (as with the trolleys); there were also yellow and blue buses with Oostnet/GVM names; some older Den Oudstens were in yellow and blue with Hermes as fleetname; new Den Oudstens were in yellow and two blues with Midnet names (some with grass green skirts); long-distance, up-market interurban buses were operated by VSN with 'interliner' fleetnames (some of these were 3-axle). Basel (by rail, briefly, from Freiburg, 31.03.97) I took the 1621 RegionalBahn from Freiburg (day return, DM 30.80), which took nearly an hour to reach the Badischer Bahnhof in Basel. In Basel I bought a day ticket (DM 9.20) from the automat at the tram stop opposite the station. Obviously, I wasn't going to get in a great deal of gricing in the dying hours of daylight, so I concentrated on the area around Schifflände, SBB Bahnhof and Aescherplatz. I photographed each of the tram types in service, plus the new Neoplan trolleybuses, which look very odd with their full-width cabs and double centre entrances. The area around the SBB Bahnhof was chaotic, partly because of the holiday, but mainly because of the massive building works going on. What are they doing? Is it an underground car park, or are they burying the trams? I managed, by the skin of my teeth, to catch the 1921 ICE from Badischer back to Freiburg (not bad, the tram was supposed to leave Claraplatz at 1915 and was one minute late, then I had to get through passports and customs at Badischer!). I paid DM 6.00 for an IC Zuschlag which seemed to be accepted without problem by the Schaffnerin on the train. The journey took only 32 minutes, which gave me a reasonable arrival back in Freiburg. Bielefeld (by road from Dortmund, 24.03.97) This was my first visit to Bielefeld, and I was impressed by the efficient metre-gauge tram/Stadtbahn network. This consists of three basic lines which converge under ground in the city centre and then emerging at various points. Rolling stock is boring, entirely Duewag M8C (basic livery dark orange and white, some advertising schemes) plus a recent delivery of Duewag/ABB M8D (livery white with blue skirts and orange doors). All routes are operated with two vehicles, in the case of the M8D these being single ended cars coupled back-to-back. The two different types are not coupled together in service. I found the seating layout of the M8D to be uncomfortable, with many inward-facing seats. Because some of the lines involve long stretches of street running (particularly the three routes on the south side of the city), and others are Stadtbahn with high platforms, the trams cannot be low-floor types and therefore there is no alternative on the street sections to a steep climb into the tram using the folding steps. There are some photogenic spots, particularly on route 3 (north) at Babenhausen Süd, where the track is single through the village (though currently in the process of doubling), and on the same route immediately south of Rathaus station, where there is street running past the old Dürkopp factory, the tram passing beneath a restored red-brick archway over the road. This route has apparently been extended to Stieghorst, though time did not allow a visit to the terminus. The buses of the Stadwerke were generally of German standard types (mostly Neoplan and MAN, with a few older Mercedes), including articulated and low-floor types. Regional buses were operated by DB subsidiary BVO (Busverkehr Ostwestfalen); their latest livery is white with thin darkish red bands, which is rather anaemic. Some vehicles remain in DB strawberry, some with white bands. The fleet is characterised by MAN artics and some new Setra S315NF low-floor, which looked impressive with deep windows. A day 'family' ticket was available for DM 10.00. Rail services noted were the usual VT628 dmu series, plus quasi-S-Bahn trains of double-deck coaches (turquoise livery) hauled/pushed by class 111 electrics. Breda (overnight 26.03.97/27.03.97) Apart from a couple of reasonable pubs and very expensive hotels (we paid NLG 135.00 for a double), the only thing noted here were the town buses in a disgusting white and lilac livery. Dortmund (arr. 23.03.97, dep. 25.03.97) Dismal weather. Stayed at the Hotel Lindenhof, immediately adjacent to the Messe and Polizeipräsidium Stadtbahn station. Trams: on Sunday (23.03.) all services seen were in the hands of Duewag N8C, some in advertising liveries, most others in the white and red scheme. One vehicle only seen in the old brown and cream livery. Travelled routes 408 (Centre-Hornbruch), 404 (Centre-Marten, pleasant outer terminus on single-track), 404 (Centre-Westfalenhütte, next to steelworks with IG Metall pickets). Progress on route 408 at Möllerbrücke S-Bahn with underground station for conversion of route to Stadtbahn underground. Former route 406 to Polizeipräsidium no longer in operation, tracks but no overhead in street; now replaced by Stadtbahn U46 under ground (operated by B80C units). Extension to Westfalenhalle (Messe) making good progress. On Monday (24.03.) drove along route 408 between Centre and Wickede (en route Bielefeld, q.v.). Some GT8 in service on 'E' routes, one in brown/cream, one in red/white turning at Wambel. Short working of route 408 now between Brackel and Nickolaikirche (not operating Sunday). Outer reaches of 408 in Wickede very pleasant, single track in gutter, two stub termini (Wickede Post and Wickede Bahnhof). Bus operations were very few and far between - these would appear to be suburban services feeding into tramways, and only two buses in total were seen, at Marten. None of the Van Hool vehicles were seen. A day ticket was available for DM 10.00 (for two people). Freiburg-im-Breisgau (arr. 31.03.97, dep 01.04.97) This was my first visit to Freiburg and was the last tram system in Germany that had evaded my camera. A 'Regio24' ticket cost me DM 6.00 from the tram driver; I left the car at Paduallee Park + Ride overnight. I found a hotel near the station (no info: 'closed because it's Easter Monday' [therefore no tourists?], therefore pot luck) for DM 100.00 for a single (inc. breakfast) which was expensive but I didn't have time to do a massive search. I spent the morning of 1st April exploring the metre-gauge system and covered all routes and termini except the southern portion of route 4, which was operated by replacement buses beyond Lorretostrasse. The system was competently operated, though some of the trackwork was rough in places. There are some attractive spots, particularly in the city centre around Bertholdsbrunnen, and of course the famous Schwabentor, through which trams on route 1 penetrate. There is a basic three-route network (routes 1, 4 and 5), of which only route 1 has a turning circle at each end and hence uses the single-ended Duewag GT8 and GT8N (with the low-floor entrance in the middle section - a singularly useless piece of kit, in my opinion). The other two routes are operated with the newer Duewag/ABB GT8D-MN-Z, which have a much larger low-floor area and are much better suited to this kind of operation. Fleet livery is generally white with maroon roof and skirt, though there are many advertising liveries. Freiburg is also a good spot to photograph DB trains since there is a large tram-only bridge over the station area, and the platforms are relatively open. Indeed, platform 2 actually has cross-platform interchange between arriving IC/ICE trains and regional buses - surely unique! Local trains were in the hands of ex-DR class 143, with SWEG railcars also in evidence. Gross Gerau (short visit 29.03.97) The main point of the visit was to photograph the bus fleet of Riedwerke, which has recently placed two new Van Hools in service (8, GG-RW256 and 31, GG-RW317). Both of these very obligingly appeared and were duly photographed, along with representatives of the remainder of the fleet, which seemed to be entirely Setra (S215HL and S215UL). Karlsruhe (short visit 31.03.97) The main claim to fame in Karsruhe is of course the Statdbahn rail system, where there is interoperation of trams from the city centre, on normal tram track, onto DB main lines in a pseudo-S-Bahn network, plus the traditional interurban network of the Albtalbahn. I spent half an hour or so at the Albtalbahnhof, which is the main interchange point between city and regional networks, and where the main connection links into the DB main line just outside the Haptbahnhof. It was quite amazing just watching the trams run in off the street, then continue onto the connection to DB and shoot off along the main line. Several different types of vehicle were seen, some with panoramic windows in the centre section and many with high-back seats for the longer journeys. On the city system, a new fleet of low-floor trams is in service (221-240, Duewag GT6). Mainz (visit 03.04.97) Mainz has a basic two route metre gauge tram system, with the main trunk route (10/11) bifurcating at each end. There are some serious gradients on this route. The other route, 8, runs north-south an is single track at each end, the Bretzenheim terminus in the south being a stub, and Ingelheimer Aue alonside the Rhein in the north being a loop at the end of a single track section. This dictates double-ended trams, indeed the whole service on this route was being operated by three M8 trams on my visit (20 minute frequency). Route 10/11 is much longer, and was being operated by both M8 and the new ADtranz GT6M-ZR trams which have recently been delivered. These latter are in three distinct liveries: either white with strong yellow roof and bumper bars (201, 204, 205, 208), red with white roof and bumper bars (214-6), or blue with white roof and bumper bars (209, 219). Many of the red and blue ones are lettered as advertising trams, but it is noteworthy that the colour layouts are the same in all cases. There has also been a delivery of new buses (667-681 noted) in similar colours: these are MAN NG272 low-floor artics, and look particularly smart in the yellow scheme. Nancy (visit 02.04.97) I drove to Nancy from Saverne, and 'did' the trolleybus system by car, which was perhaps a mistake given typical French traffic conditions and long stretches of 'trolleybus only' road, but again it was the lack of any ticket info that floored me. The whole fleet at Nancy consists of Renault PER180H articulated duobuses dating from 1982/3, which can run in either electric or diesel mode. Changeover between modes seems to be frequent, indeed it seemed to me that it is a matter of driver preference whether electricity or diesel is selected, as I saw much poles-down diesel running 'under the wires'. Nancy is a very hilly city, with the centre in a valley and the suburbs to north and south on the surrounding hills. I visited each of the trolleybus termini with the following results: C H U Brabois: routes 4 and 19 (destination blind: Ht. de Lievre/Champ de Boef); three-road bus station with only the centre road wired, therefore two out of three trolleys arrive and depart poles-down; Essey Pt. Central: transfer point from trolley to diesel (layout different from France by Trolleybus); routes 3, 33, 43, nothing terminates on the Av. Gen. LeClerc turning circle; all duobuses seen here used wires to and from the centre; Ile de Corse: no trolleys seen; Champ le Boef: route 4(!), all vehicles poles-down; Beauregard: route 4, superb turning circle; Laxou Provinces: routes 3/33/43, occasional trolleys arrived and departed poles-down. I spent half an hour at the SNCF Gare and saw several freight trains, headed either by Cybic class 26000 or the venerable BB13000. Passenger trains - with the exception of 15024 on a Metz-Nice working - were all push-pull locals. Oberhausen (short visit 25.03.97) My first visit to the new metre-gauge tramway in Oberhausen. The overall impression was good, with frequent services on both routes (112 Sterkrade-Mülheim, 116 Sterkrade-Oberhausen Hbf shorts). It was surprising to find Mülheim trams operating on 116, however. Much of the route is on reserved track, only the southern portion towards the Mülheim boundary being on street. The green and yellow livery also makes a pleasant change from the German preponderance of red/white or orange schemes. Buses in Oberhausen (city buses green/yellow, CityExpress pale grey/red/orange) were: MAN (NL202), D-B O405GN (including 901 in white red registered HH-TW549), D-B O305; trains were VT628 plus S-Bahn operated by push-pull ex-DR 143 in white/orange/yellow; terrible graffiti problem. A fascinating half hour was spent at Sterkrade bus/tram/rail station watching the steady stream of vehicles coming and going. Apart from DB trains, Oberhausen and Mülheim trams, there was an amazing display of buses: Oberhausen (of course) in green/yellow and white/red, Duisburg in white/dark red, Vestische (Neoplans) in red and cream, Mülheim in yellow/black/white and then various independents in a variety of liveries. Saarbrücken (short visit 02.04.97) I wanted to see the progress on the new tramway (total chaos in the centre as the tracks are being laid) and to photograph the Renault PR180 city buses, practically unique for a city in Germany. Solingen (short visit 25.03.97) I particularly wanted to photograph a trolleybus on route 683 under the Schwebebahn at Wuppertal-Vohwinkel, as this is the most threatened of the routes. This was done without problem, despite the rain. Also visited the depot at Weidenstrasse; very helpful staff, willing to show me around. The trolleys are parked up, when not in use, in two herringbone rows facing each other, in numerical order! Although the depot is wired, movements within the area use auxiliary diesel motors. All trolleybuses now have new 'Euro' registration plates and are numbered 1-21 (SG-SW201-221), MAN SG200 articulated, 22-67 (SG-SW222-267), MAN SL172 3-axle rigid. The artics are to be found only on 681 and 682; on Sundays all routes are operated by the SL172. Only one trolleybus has been repainted into the new white/yellow/blue livery (52): general repainting is not anticipated - only when advertising contracts end, for example. According to my depot guide, a decision on the future of the system has been deferred to 1999, and it is now less likely that route 683 will be abandoned, as has been proposed. Strasbourg (afternoon of 01.04.97) The main objective of visiting Strasbourg was, of course, the new tram system (is one route a system?). I drove to Etoile station and parked (free) on the massive car park adjacent, but in fact there are many parking possibilities at the extremities of the route. I bought a 24-hour ticket (FRF 19.00 from the automat on the platform, if you can get enough shade to read the instructions on the television screen); if your French is as rusty as mine it might not be immediately obvious that a 'carte 1 journée' is a one-day ticket and not a single journey ticket! The trams themselves are very strange; apart from having been built in Britain, they look like giant slugs, with a single bogie under the extreme ends and the centre articulated sections. Internally, they have a rather dated colour scheme of two shades of orange and pale turquoise, seats that are uncomfortable for less-upholstered rears like mine after about two stops, fierce air conditioning and a totally antiquated sliding door system that reminds me of the chain-driven things on Russian KTM5s. Indeed, the doors really let down the whole thing, they are single piece sliders that seem to take an age to crawl open and finally to clunk shut. The announcements: next station by a female voice, 'mind the doors' by a male voice; approaching the terminus, the female announces the name, and the male tells us that it is the terminus.[d1]Page: 8 [0]Page order for printing 8, 1, 2, 7, 6, 3, 4, 5 (8 pages) 12, 1, 2, 11, 10, 3, 4, 9, 8, 5, 6, 7 (12 pages) The route, known as A, fits into the city centre-scape very well, through mainly pedestrianised streets. Further out, a few more grassed sections would improve the appearance enormously; the southern terminus at Baggersee in particular is very stark. I was surprised at how deep the subway under the Gare is. Clearly, the bus network has been reorganised to coordinate with the trams. More recent CTS bus deliveries are in the same metallic green and silver-bronze livery as the trams, but there are still many Heuliez artics and SC10s in the old white and orange scheme. Some older Renaults are also in white and blue. Vehicles seen in service were mainly SC10, Heuliez GX317, Van Hool artic and of course Renault R312. I spent the night in the Hotel National in Saverne, about 40 km north west of Strasbourg along the N4. FRF 200.00 for a single plus breakfast. No problem at all finding accommodation. [0]Page order for printing 8, 1, 2, 7, 6, 3, 4, 5 (8 pages) 12, 1, 2, 11, 10, 3, 4, 9, 8, 5, 6, 7 (12 pages) with HP DJ printer: 4,2 then lay in 8,6 then 5,7 then 1,3 Bus Report N W Europe 1997 Copies of photographs of most of the subjects mentioned can be obtained from the author. Full photograph lists are available on request Distribution: Buses WorldWide (G. Morant, Esq.) M. Chase, Esq. Modern Tramway (M. Taplin, Esq.) D. Suffolk, Esq. Blickpunkt Straßenbahn M. J. Russell, Esq. IK Nahverkehr W. Pflug, Esq. Omnibus Spiegel A. G. Murray, Esq. C. Bushell, Esq. A. Olander, Esq. M. Tranter, Esq. R Phillips, Esq. M. Power, Esq. P. Blears, Esq. Please note new fax number: +49 6102 723 517 and e-Mail: oubeck@compuserve.com by Norman Griffiths Dreieichstraße 12 D-63263 Neu-Isenburg Germany