12th October 2013 - Stuttgart to Singen via the SauschwänzlebahnSaturday 12th October 2013 Our original plan had been to stay in Stuttgart last night but the cheapest hotel we could find near the station was over €100 and the Ibis at Heilbronn was less than half that price, a worthwhile saving despite the minor hassle getting there. Following yesterday’s shenanigans, we made sure that we left plenty of time to get back to Stuttgart this morning especially as we had to purchase a Baden-Württemberg Ticket for today’s travels which was easily done using the ticket machine. Buying the same ticket from the booking office costs €2 more so it was no real surprise that there was a queue to use the machine but the process is simple enough and we were soon heading towards the platform for the 07:58 RB service. 146 214 at Stuttgart Hbf4th February 2012. Departing with RE19039 the 12:18 to Singen (Hohentwiel). The RB train took about 45 minutes to get to Stuttgart with plenty of people joining at all the stops en route; many were dressed in traditional lederhosen or dirndl for a beer festival which would explain why hotel rooms were so expensive in Stuttgart last night. We were not there for the beer but a special train which was running to Waldshut via the Gäubahn to Tuttlingen then over the very scenic Sauschwänzlebahn; we had wanted to do this line again but didn't expect to travel over it in this manner. The special was actually run by DB to provide a means of getting the loco and coaches to the area for the 150 years of the Hochrheinbahn celebrations but the local Waldshut and Tiengen tourist board were also promoting a package including accommodation for a weekend away in the area. We originally thought that we would have to book the whole package to travel on the train but, thanks to the wonders of e-mail, an enquiry to the tourist board produced the helpful answer that all we needed to travel on the train was a Baden-Württemberg Ticket. The advertised “historic diesel loco” turned out to be V100 2335 (213 335), one of the few class 213s that we didn’t get for haulage when they were still in normal service which was a most satisfying result. There was plenty of space on the train and most of the other passengers appeared to be fellow enthusiasts though there were a few people with suitcases who looked as if they were partaking of the tourist board’s offer. With only three coaches, the V100 made light work of the steep climb out of Stuttgart before stopping at Böblingen where a few more passengers boarded and a Zürich-bound EC overtook us. 181 207 at Böblingen12th October 2013. On IC183 09:56 Stuttgart Hbf to Zürich HB which it will work to Singen (Hohentwiel) A couple more stops, a few more passengers joined, past Rottweil where 52 7596 was glimpsed raising steam ready to join V100 2335 in the Hochrheinbahn celebrations over the weekend, then onwards to Immendingen where there was another chance to get some photos whilst we waited for our path. V100 2335 at Immendingen12th October 2013. 213 335 on RE92000 09:41 Stuttgart Hbf to Waldshut via Blumberg-Zollhaus. The loco and stock were heading south to be used on special trains the following day to celebrate 150 years of the Hochrheinbahn. At Blumberg-Zollhaus we passed onto the Sauschwänzlebahn which is now a preserved railway but was originally built in the late 1800s as a strategic link to transport military supplies. The section between Blumberg-Zollhaus and Weizen would have required some steep gradients but gentler ones were specified meaning that the line has some spectacular curves, bridges, viaducts and a spiral tunnel to keep the northbound climb as gentle as possible. Following closure in 1974 a group was set up to re-open the line for tourist trains using steam and it is now a popular attraction which runs far more often than most preserved lines in Germany. As we carefully descended, giving us ample time to admire the scenery and engineering features of the line, the weather started to deteriorate (it had been dull all day) and it started raining shortly before we arrived at Weizen, where the steam trains normally terminate. This was the main reason that we wanted to do this tour as it carried on beyond there to join the Hochrheinbahn at Lauchringen, not a particularly rare stretch of track as DB do run a DMU to connect with the Sauschwänzlebahn trains on certain dates, but not the easiest line to cover, least of all loco hauled. There was no time to hang around at Waldshut, it was either get on the unit heading for Singen some 8 minutes after we arrived or wait for another hour so we kept moving and plotted a “move” to get some more new track to Stockach. This plan was promptly abandoned on arrival at Singen when 115 509, wearing a rather fetching livery celebrating 80 years of DB Autozug, was seen getting ready to work an IC train to Stuttgart; yes, you’ve got it – just when we thought that we’d had our last new 110 for haulage, up pops another one! 115 509 at Rottweil12th October 2013. 115 509 carrying a livery celebrating 80 years of DB Autozug on IC184 15:05 Zürich HB to Stuttgart Hbf. This loco took over from an SBB Re4/4 loco at Singen (Hohentwiel). Unfortunately the Baden-Württemberg Ticket is not valid on IC trains but at least you can still buy a ticket from the guard on such trains in Germany (unlike Switzerland) so it was “two priv returns to Rottweil” please and a celebratory tea from the trolley for what could be our last new class 110 though we have said that twice before!
Keywords:
Germany,
Sauschwänzlebahn
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