19th - 29th August 1983

Locomotive Club of Great Britain
The DDR Sonderzug
(Overseas Tour No.6)

Route :

Notes :
(1) At Plauen those taking lunch (which appears to have included John Broderick from his actual timings) left the train at Plauen unterer (lower) for buses to the town, then rejoined at oberer (upper) station. In the mean-time what was reported as the empty stock, but 'on which some of the party travelled' ran via Weischlitz where a loco change also took place.
(1) Booked route suggested as: Plauen unt. Bhf - Kürbitz - Weischlitz (change of train/loco to 52 849) however John Broderick's notes show an arrival time at Plauen Unt (lower) station followed by a departure from Ob (upper) station with 52 849.
(2) Timing sheet showed booked route as: Glauchau ( - St. Egidien) - Stollberg ( - Karl Marx Stadt Süd) - Karl Marx Stadt Hbf.
(3) Brochure suggests bus was supposed to transfer passengers to Annaberg-Bucholz Süd.
(4) Brochure indicates returning by train to Cranzahl however John Broderick records this leg as being by bus (Adrian Palmer is in agreement). The LCBG report on the tour records that 'Buses were again provided back to Cranzahl but time was available before departure to photograph 99.1791 leaving with the 16.30 passenger on which some of the party travelled'.
(5) DR 50 849 on rear.
(6) DR 38 205 on rear.
(7) Special was combined with the 19.24 service train which then consisted of 13 coaches hauled by 99 1786 & 99 713.
(8) Brochure gave booked route as: Karl Marx Stadt Hbf ( - Burgstädt) - Narsdorf (rev) ( - Langenleuba-Oberhain) - Amerika - Penig (rev) - ( - Amerika, then presumably as above) - Großbothen. The LCGB report on the tour confirms the reversal was made at Amerika rather than Penig due to late running and pathing issues that would have resulted at Penig.
(9) Upon arrival at Heidenau the train was booked to traverse the branch to Altenberg, but did not according to John Broderick's records. Adrian Palmer comments he believes this was due to high fire risk.
(10) Service train. Adrian Palmer comments: I used 242 008-1 to Dresden Mitte in order to photograph the ECS arriving at Neustadt over the Elbe bridge
(11) Train as shown in the brochure as being routed: Dessau - Wörlitz - Dessau prior to the run to Köthen but did not according to John Broderick's records.
(12) From Köthen the train was advertised to run direct to Güsten, no mention was made of the run to Aken (which presumably replaced the earlier trip to Wörlitz).
(13) Train was advertised to traverse the route from Blumenberg to Eilsleben and back to Blumenberg, but did not according to John Broderick's records.
(14) Confirmation required if a reversal was made at Probstzella, or a stop made on teh curce to the north of the station - it was given as a stop in John Broderick's notes, but only a ½ minute stop. According to the Webmasters German rail atlas if the train went to Probstzella station then a reversal would be required to access the line to Lauscha.
(15) Confirmation required if SNCB 2324 worked through to Köln Hbf or did it swap to DB traction, if so, where?
(16) 110 059-3 on rear. A later LCGB report confirms the 110 was on the rear of the train to assist on some of the steep gradients. At Wurzbach representations to the DR guides ensured the locos changed ends.
(17) Originally uploaded as DR 41 1135 however Adrian Palmer has corrected this and the LCGB report also lists the loco as 41 1132 (which had been taken off its booked working to haul the special). At Kothen 41 1132 took over a stopping train to Gusten.
(18) Expected traction was a class 41.1 steam locomotive however it was understood that steam had been banned from the border station, it being suggested that a recent escape attempt (from East Germanu) had been made using a steam loco.
(19) It is reported that 'runpasts or photographic stops were made at Unterlemnitz' (although John Broderick's timings seem to dispute this stop) and Ebersdorf-Friesau.
(20) 35 1113 on rear.
(21) It is reported that a 'splinter group' left the train at Neustadt and went by service train to Pirna in order to travel into Dresden on board paddle steamer 'Junger Pionier'.
(22) 52 5137 was running tender-first.
(23) It was reported that it had been hoped that 58 3047 would haul the train part fo teh way to Lutherstadt Wittenberg however 'this did not materialise due to mechanical problems'.

Sources : John Broderick & Adrian Palmer

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from John Broderick)

Notes :
(a) Tour brochure stated that all East German railway times were approximate and would be confirmed each day.
(b) during the tour numerous photo stops, run pasts, false departures and false arrivals were made. Where known these have been shown below but the records are likely far from complete.

19/08

20/08

21/08

It is reported that 'a number of runpasts and photographic stops took place before Barthmuhle where a busy mainline passes overhead on a very lofty viaduct. Stopping beneath it we were able to see 50 849 passing overhead with a DR vintage train'.

22/08

It is reported 'a number of photographic stops were made between Wolkenstein and Johnstadt'.
'photographic opportunities were available at Niederschlag and Hammerunterwiesenthal and a false arrival was made at Kurort Oberwiesenthal'.

23/08

It is reported that at at the reversal at Wechselburg 'we slightly overstayed our time and after a couple of photo stops we reached Amerika a few minutes late to be advised that we must reverse here rather than Penig. Unfortunately we had not previously been told that late running would cause pathing problems at Penig; if we had been so advised steps would have been taken to ensure punctual running'.
'A false start was made' (at Nossen) 'running alongside a 2/10/0 on a freight'.
'Several photo stops took place' (on the Freital-Hainsberg to Kurort Kipsdorf line) 'and we had over ½ hour at Dippoldiswalde during which time the local bar did good business; we were overtaken by a passenger train and crossed a mixed'.

24/08

'Wednesday (24/08) was a disappointment o a number of the participants although not, it must be admitted, to the writer' (of the LCGB report). 'After much discussion it had been decreed that, due to fire risk, we could not cover the branch to Altenberg with steam although doubts were expressed as to whether the 86 class 2/8/2T could have handled the train on the gradients. Our freind 50 849 was the loco as far as Bad Schandau with a couple of photographic stops en-route. Here 86 1001 took over hut struggled on the damp rail, it having been raining, As a result we stood for ½ hour at Ulbersdorf to sross and be overtaken but this did give some photographic opportunities'.

25/08

26/08

27/08

28/08

29/08

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