European Railroad Discussion > Mishap in Frankfurt, Germany I

Hello All,

reading the posts about other mishaps, which 2020 at best was, I thought I might as well upload a few pictures of a very recent mishap in Frankfurt, Germany.
On December 30, 2020 I had set the alarm earlier than usual to catch a train going to work a little earlier on the second but last day of the year, or so I thought. Checking the online timetable when finishing the morning coffee I found out no trains at the usual stop Frankfurt-Eschersheim, train on the ground. (This is along the line from Frankfurt to Kassel.) Well, the last thing one would expect on the last working day of the year anyway. No injuries were reported. Only a local newspaper could not refrain from stating that passengers had to be rescued. Well, they had to be evacuated. There was no imidiate danger at all. But this is what we know newspapers for.
After work I went to have a look. Clean up was still in its early stages with the catenary on the northward, offending track in the process of being removed. Also, one pole was not really in an upright position anymore. The subsoil of the embankment had given in. A little background may be in order. After around 50 years of talking, yes you read that right 50 years, two additional tracks are being built from Frankfurt to Bad Vilbel which is a distance of around 20 km/14 miles. The embankment on which the tracks run was covered with trees and undergrowth for a number of years, which has been removed to make way for related earthwork. I reckon the earthworks themselves, rotting roots and a good amount of rain had destabilized the embankment.
Having a look, the track has dropped for a about one foot just when a commuter train was passing. The train was "sitting" with one truck not quite in the air. Apparently there were speed restrictions in effect already. So the train only lost its track. A big hook was called in to lift the train. In turn the offending track could be lifted up as well. Lifting the track was done by the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, not the railroad. This took all night. Around late noon of New Years Eve the train was eventually moved out.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year

kbs651

Picture 1, the bottomed out track
Picture 2, the bottomed out track, the pole still standing
Picture 3, the second morning the track has been lifted up a little, the big hook had lifted the train as well

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Picture 4, the big hook from a different angle
Picture 5, the train eventually taken to the shops in Frankfurt, locos 218 833, 218 824, MUs 423 955, 423. The diesels are designated helpers. They generally do not run in revenue service. There are exceptions though. All pictures close to the stop in Frankfurt-Eschersheim.
 

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Good post, Happy New Year !

Thanks for  this post.
Interesting operations that we seldom see, with photos only of locomotives and EMU's.

Ed

Hello Ed,

the EMUs shown do not really go down very well with me. Same is true for most of the current DMUs. I do take pictures of those when trackside. But I do not get overly excited. These days most of the time you have to travel a couple of hundred miles or even a little more if you want to see something interesting. Anyway, I have attached a few photos of these DMUs or EMUs. The places where the pictures were taken are easily accessible from Frankfurt/Main within a day, even only after breakfast, if you wish to do so.
The first two pictures were taken in the Rhine River Valley along the line from Mainz to Koblenz; the third along the river Lahn, a tributary of the Rhine river to the east.

Pisture 1, a new class 463 EMU for the state of Baden-Württemberg on its delivery run. The EMU is seem passing underneath the old tower in Bingerbrück(Bingen), which is currently being refurbished.
Picture 2, a vlexx class 622 passing through Oberwesel. The watch towers along the former citywall have been made accessible affording this view.
Picture 3, a class 640 near Runkel, a line from Limburg to Gießen. There are freight trains to be seen on this line, too. But you have to be very patient.

Cheers

kbs651

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Get all the bad stuff out of the way in 2020 to have a better year in 2021. Viel Gluck fur 2021!


Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/21 07:36 by wabash2800.