European Railroad Discussion > From the Before Time: Germany 1998 Hamburg Extravaganza Part I

I had a free afternoon in Hamburg on a reasonably nice day which I spent on the platforms at the main train station. I was approached by security one time and evidently a tourist taking train pictures was okay. I basically photographed everything that rolled by.

The German railway system is known as ‘DB,’ which stands for Deutsche Bahn, which means German Railway. The suburban trains are known as S-Bahn. All images are from September 1998.

1. There is nothing quite like the look of a European train station. The main Hamburg station is absolutely bustling on a Monday afternoon at 1:19 PM. In the foreground is a Class 216 diesel-hydraulic in the red DB scheme.

2. Another view from under the Hamburg train shed this time with a train powered by a Class 101 electric.

3. Still under the shed we have a Class 110 electric in the older tan and blue scheme.

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4. Venturing outside we see a kleinlokomotive (small locomotive) switching passenger cars.

5. A Class 218 diesel-hydraulic leads a passenger train.

6. An S-Bahn suburban train rolls past.

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7. Looking very new and clean is a Class 112 electric.

8. I am guessing this was a former passenger railbus repurposed for maintenance.

9. A Class 103 electric arrives with a passenger train. Was there really that much graffiti in Germany in 1998?

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10. I believe I had to be excited to see my one and only freight train of the afternoon led by a Class 140 electric in what I imagine is a freight scheme. Those are coal wagons with what I believe is the ability to side dump.

11. A particularly nice coal wagon. Does anyone know what the ‘solid circle-H’ and ‘O-circle-H’ designate?

12. A view looking back at the epic Hamburg train station. A Class 111 electric departs with its train.
 The clocks disagree by five minutes, but these twelve images were taken in one hour.

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Photo 10:  Not just any 140, but the last of 879 E40/140's built, and looking pretty much as built in August 1973 -- except for the faded paint, the rectangular buffers, and the disfiguring DBAG logo;  the last of a great series, and in its ultimate do- everything [ except dynamic braking ] form with MU and pushpull control.  Green was the standard scheme for all DB electric road locomotives other than express passenger from the late 40's through 1975, when it and others were replaced by the blue/beige combination.

Photo 11:   O = 22.5 T axle load         Solid circle:  Draft gear, etc for 4000 T trains         H:  Hydraulic door operation      [  There is / was also an M, for door open signal by wayside magnets for slow speed unloading ].

Enjoyable photos !

Best, SZ


 

Thanks for posting.  A lot has changed now on the DB.

Very nice.  

I had a hankering to do international adventuring in the 1990s, but never pulled it off.  

I passed through Hanburg twice in the teens, very nice station with trains coming and going nonstop.  

I wish I had gotten there earlier to see the classic streamlined locomotives, older rolling stock.  

Thanks for sharing, 
Ted in OR

The Hamburg docks, which generate huge amounts of freight are to the south of Hamburg HBF, and much of the freight that head north, to Denmark, Kiel etc, runs via an avoiding line to the east and then north of the city centre.

Hello NMlurker,

even the first 101 class, which were fairly new at the time you took the pictures are headed for the scrap heap now. However, they will be aound for a little while longer.

Cheers

kbs651

This is an incredbile series!  Thanks for posing,