HAMBURG AND NIEDERSACHSEN SEPTEMBER 2010

The german city of Hamburg offers plenty of rail action, especially freigth. For a more detailed description of the rail hot spot, watch my German Rail Hot Spot page.

Having been to the Hamburg area a few times before, I knew that places like Hamburg-Harburg is very busy, my plans was to explore both the Hamburg area as well as the lines to Hannover and Bremen.

I had bought a Niedersachsen-ticket single for EUR 20, with this I could travel unlimited on regional trains (and S-Bahn, U-bahn and busses in Hamburg) for one day in all of Niedersachsen.

On the way to Uelzen I noticed a lot of track work - actually the line is having a third track added to increase capacity. This track work also meant that some passenger trains had been rerouted or replaced with busses - and almost all freight trains - my special interest - had been rerouted via the line to Bremen. I didn't know that, but I noticed that this line, which is normally very busy, was actually quite low on traffic.

Well, with some delay the train arrived in Uelzen and I saw the station - it is quite unique and worth a visit if you are interested in architecture. Rail traffic was still slow (I still didn't know that freight traffic was rerouted) - so I decided to go back to Hamburg. Back in Hamburg I checked the internet and found out that freight traffic was rerouted via the Bremen line of out Maschen yard. So I took a Metronom train going to the Bremen line.

And here things were busy, especially freight traffic. I started in Buchholz, this is where the freight line from Maschen Yard joins the Hamburg - Bremen mainline. Buchholz is a good place to photograph trains, especially freight trains. A footbridge adds extra opportunites. After a little while, I continued to Tostedt. The sun was out most of the time, but there were also a few showers. After a couple of hours in Tostedt, I took a Metronom regional train back to Buchholz and spend perhaps an hour. As the sun was setting, I went back to Hamburg - a day that started a little unsuccesful ended very succesfully.

DB Schenker 152 147 in Buchholz on September 2, 2010 (opens in new browser)

Metronom 146-09 in Tostedt on September 2, 2010 (opens in new browser)

One of the things I had been researching at home, before my trip, was a possible location in Meckelfeld. Meckelfeld is just north of the Maschen Yard, and there is a public parking area, that perhaps could be a good place to photograph trains. With almost all freight trains going through Meckelfeld, there is plenty of action, but it's a bit difficult to take pictures.

After about an hour in Meckelfeld, I returned to Hamburg-Harburg to catch a bus to Hamburg Süderelbe. Finding the right bus wasn't the easiest thing, but I finally found out that bus 149 or 153 would take me to Hamburg Süderelbe.

So after a few minutes busride on bus 153 I arrived at Hamburg Süderelbe. This is a good location for photos and the bridges across Süderelbe adds a nice background. But most trains are going quite fast so photography can be a little difficult.

After about an hour at Hamburg Süderelbe I went back to Hamburg-Harburg to catch IC 1806 - a fridays only train from Köln Hbf to Hamburg-Altona, celebrating 175 years of railways in Germany and consisting of "old" TEE-wagons and hauled by DB 103 235. It was planned to arrive at track 2, and I was waiting at track 3 so that I could get a picture of the train in front of the platform and not having a platform covering the lower part of the train. But suddenly it was announced that the train would arrive at track 1 - so with all my cameraes I ran to the platform for track 1 and 2 and only just made it to get some photos.

After 103 235 had left, I stayed at Hamburg-Harburg for another 1½ hour. The weather wasn't the best, with a few showers. But freight traffic was intense, and I used all of the remaining daylight until around 20 o'clock.

Westfälische Landes-Eisenbahn 81 (aka 189 801) in Buchholz on September 3, 2010 (opens in new browser)

DB ICE 401 062 at Hamburg Süderelbe on September 3, 2010 (opens in new browser)

DB 103 235 with IC 1806 at Hamburg-Harburg on September 3, 2010 (opens in new browser)

After having seen Miniatur Wunderland I spend a few hours sightseeing before I went back to Hamburg Hbf. in the afternoon and took the train back to København.