DB- 17 Jan 2014 An afternoon in Frankfurt

294 840 catches a glimpse of light as it shunts at Mainz Bischofsheim

S8 services are worked by the attractive class 420 EMU's.
420 849 pauses at Mainz Bischofsheim.

Flew from London City departing with Lufthansa at 10:05 to Frankfurt and boarded an S8 train to Mainz Bischofsheim.
We stopped here only long enough to 'check out' the location for later. This is not a location I had visited before, but in line with observations sound barriers have been erected along the south side of the yard and along most of the line through the station. Only the central section of railway to the south of the station has escaped the sound barriers (so far).

143 919 at Mainz Hbf

We then boarded an RE service to Mainz Hbf formed with 143009 tnt 143661. Of course as soon as we got on the train a privately operated class 151 came through with a freight- typical, though the picture would have been into the sun anyway.

At Mainz Hbf there was no sign of the 218 which should have arrived off 12049 from Worms at 14:08- though it is entirely possible that it could have arrived while we were upstairs buying bratwerst!

218 408 pushes it's short set of DOSTO's away from
Mainz Gonsenheim with the 14:17 Mainz - Alzey

More importantly the loco and stock for 13816 the 14:17 Mainz-Alzey was sat in the platform as expected with 218408 pushing. This was taken the short hop to Mainz Gonsenheim (both for ease of getting back and to stay within the area of the Hessen Ticket).

Back at Mainz Hbf both 218411 and 218424 were observed shunting. Another RE was then boarded back through to Mainz Birshofsheim powered by 143181. Unlike most of the other RE's here this train was handled by a single loco, 143181. I can only presume DB have a shortage of DOSTO driving traiors?

Plenty of Traxx action- 185 267, Mainz Birshofsheim

Mainz Birshofsheim proved to be productive with no less than 6 freights (plus shunting movements) in around an hour. Unfortunately all were traxx locos with the exception of 155 125 which appeared at the end of our session.

It was back on an S8 train to Frankfurt Niederrad from where 111 108 was taken for the shot hop in to Hauptbahnhof.

The plan from here was simple- to cover the 17:15 Frankfurt- Nidda/Stockheim.

They're not pretty, but they're not Traxx!
155 125 at Mainz Birshofsheim

418417 was on the blocks for the Nidda portion with 418429 on the country end of the train for Stockheim.
We boarded the front portion for Stockheim, with the plan to drop back when the train split at Bad Vibel. We were a couple of minutes late out of Frankfurt with 218429, and a few late into Bad Vibel. On leaving the trian we found to our surpise that the other portion was not attached! It followed in around 10 minutes later and we then scored 418417 onwards to Friedburg.

Time now running out we picked up 146122 back to Frankurt before taking 143289 tnt 143919 back to Flughaven. Then it was just a case of waiting for our 22:05 overnight flight to Shenyang.

Various locomotive classes at Frankfurt Hbf

143 280 is our ride back to Flughaven- Next stop China!

In just a few hours we had had a sucessful taster of the Frankfurt area and managed to travel behind 4 classes of loco, including three 218's. A very worthy stop off between our flights- and very cost effective with a Hessen Ticket.

218 429 prepares to leave Frankfurt Hbf with the 17:15 to Stockheim.
The Nidda portion of the train is further down the  platform.