The Euskirchen club kindly aquired a projector and screen, so I only had to bring my laptop with me on the train up from Munich.
I was demonstrating mostly German and Swiss routes, but the most popular seemed to be the Harzquerbahn.
Although there were several interested visitors, our stand seemed to take the role that Thomas Tank Engine layouts do in the UK, ie, a dumping ground for the kids while their Dads go and look at the layouts.
Köln-Trier train arriving at Euskirchen station:
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The power behind the Köln-Trier train:
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Shunting in Euskirchen. There are now two main industries in Euskirchen, the suger refinery that can be seen in the background, and the Pampers factory.
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Caught at speed just outside Euskirchen:
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All set up and ready for the show to open:
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One of the Basingstoke Club members layouts that made the journey to Euskirchen:
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Concentration:
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EuroTrainSim, The Journey Home
On the Saturday, we tried to get to Köln on the train for the Xmas markets, but the train did not turn up, and it was too cold to wait for the next one. After Saturday's fun with the local train to Köln, I was a bit worried that I could miss my first connection and end up getting home in the early hours of Monday. However, the Sunday evening train was on time (18:01), again being a diesel hydraulic loco and a selection of old Silberlinge coaches. Very busy and I had to stand all the way to Köln, forty minutes away.
At Köln, I found my train (an ICE-T) waiting in the platform, but doors locked as it awaited the arrival of a second unit (from Berlin I think) that it would couple up to. I had paid the extra for seat reservations as standing is commonplace here on Friday and Sunday evenings. This train was heading for Basel, but I would be changing again at Mannheim. There seemed to be a problem with the train, or coupling it up, as we were all still standing on the platform, getting cold, fifteen minutes after the scheduled departure time of 18:53. I could see my 6 minute connection at Mannheim evaporating.
Once we were onboard and underway, the driver was obviously trying to make up time. It took me a while to get through the crowds to my reserved seat, but got there eventually. We had made up five minutes by the time we arrived at Bonn, but did not claw any more back on the short hop to Frankfurt. Between Frankfurt and Mannheim, the digital displays in the coaches that show the time, next stop, final destination and train number, change to show the speedometer as it reaches 300kph for a few minutes.
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Just before arriving at Mannheim, a tannoy announcement tells us that the Munich train is being held for us to make the connection.
I went across the platform and boarded an older ICE train and we are under way again about a quarter to nine. There are a lot of people standing as far as Stuttgart, over an hour away, so I am again glad that I reserved my seats. The speedo shows 200kph for a while on that section. At Stuttgart, the train reverses for the final leg to Munich, which includes the infamous Gieslinge Steige (the German equivalent of the Lickey Incline, but with tight curves thrown in for good measure). Arrival at Munich was spot on time at 23:27, and the U-bahn had me home before midnight (so just under 6 hours total).
It was a pity it was dark all the way home as the journey covers two of the Train Simulator routes I was demonstrating on my computer at the show, ie Stuttgart to Munich and the Rhiental (Rhine Valley), but I did get to see the Munich to Stuttgart section in daylight on the journey there on Friday.
