This is basically an East German trip. Travelling from Gosport to Dover via London, taking the 01:00 Oostende ferry. The full itinerary, which happens as it happens, is as follows:-
DAY 1 (Mon 8th April): Oostende, Köln Hbf, (Frankfurt Main), München Hbf, Donnersburgerbrücke, München Hbf, (Regensburg, Hof).
DAY 2 (Tue 9th April): (Hof), Dresden Hbf, Leipzig Hbf, Haale Hbf, Magdeburg Hbf, Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Leipzig Hbf, Zeitz, (Zeitz depot, incomplete - 7 locos), Leipzig Hbf, (Juterbog).
DAY 3 (Wed 10th April): (Juterbog), Binz, Lietow, Bergen, Putbus, Göhren, Putbus, (Putbus depot - 6 locos) Lauterbach, Bergen, Stralsund, Velgast, Rostock, Bad Doberan, Ostseebad Kühlungsborn West (OKW depot - 2 locos), Bad Doberan, Rostock, Warnemunde, Rostock, Neubukow, Rostock, Erfurt Hbf.
DAY 4 (Thu 11th April): Erfurt Hbf, Nordhausen Bf, Nordhausen Nord, Elend, Drei Annen-Höhne, Schierke, Drei Annen-Höhne, Wernigerode Westerntor, Wernigerode Bf (Wernigerode NG Depot - 4 locos), Halberstadt, Haale Hbf, Leipzig Hbf, (Juterbog).
DAY 5 (Fri 12th April): (Juterbog), Stralsund, Neubrandenburg, Berlin Lichtenberg, Berlin Hbf, Schöneweide Betriebsbahnhof. (Berlin Schöneweide depot - 52 locos), Berlin Leninallee, Berlin Schöneweide, Magdeburg Hbf, Aschersleben, (Aschersleben SP - 12 locos), Sandersleben, Erfurt Hbf.
DAY 6 (Sat 13th April): Erfurt Hbf, (Leipzig Hbf), Berlin Schöneweide, Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld, Riesa, Chemnitz Hbf, Cranzahl, Kurort Oberwiesenthal, (KO depot - 4 locos) Cranzahl, Floha, Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf, (Hilbersdorf depot - 40+ locos) Chemnitz Hbf, Leipzig Hbf.
DAY 7 (Sun 14th April): Leipzig Hbf, Rostock (Rostock depot - 45 locos), Wismar (Wismar depot - 35 locos) Schwerin, Wittenberge (Wittenberge depot - 44 locos), Stendal (Stendal depot - 62 locos), Rostock, Haale Hbf.
DAY 8 (Mon 15th April): Halle Hbf, Leipzig Hbf, Borsdorf, Leipzig Paunsdorf (Engelsdorf depot - 36 locos), Leipzig Hbf, Sellerhausen, Leipzig Ost (Leipzig Hbf Sud depot - 34 locos), Leipzig Hbf, Leipzig Wahren (Wahren depot - 71 locos), Leipzig Hbf, Riesa (Riesa depot - 45 locos), Leipzig Hbf, Halle Hbf.
DAY 9 (Tue 16th April): Halle Hbf, (Camburg), Probstzella, Gräfenthal, Saalfeld Bf (Saailfeld depot - 37 locos), Gera Hbf (Gera depot - 53+ locos), (Weimar), Arnstadt Hbf (Arnstadt depot - 28 locos), Erfurt Hbf, Eisenach Hbf, (Bebra), Frankfurt Main Hbf, (Bebra).
DAY 10 (Wed 17th April): (Bebra), Eisenach Hbf, Berlin Schöneweide, Berlin Hbf, Berlin Lichtenberg, Cottbus, Görlitz, Lobau, Bautzen (Bautzen depot - 24 locos), Hoyerswerda, Hohenbocka, Falkenburg, Halle Hbf, Leipzig Hbf, (Magdeburg Hbf).
DAY 11 (Thu 18th April): (Magdeburg Hbf, Hannover Hbf), Köln Hbf, Oostende, Dover Western Docks, London Victoria, Clapham Junction, Waterloo, Portsmouth Harbour.
* Footnote: on day 2 an abortive attempt was made to procure the use of a hotel, but it seems hotels were in short supply in the old DDR, and those I found were either full, or too expensive, so I spent every night on overnight trains, which were plentiful at the time, and on all but one occasion I had the entire compartment to myself.
DAY 1 (Mon 8th April): Oostende, Köln Hbf, (Frankfurt Main), München Hbf, Donnersburgerbrücke, München Hbf, (Regensburg, Hof).
DAY 2 (Tue 9th April): (Hof), Dresden Hbf, Leipzig Hbf, Haale Hbf, Magdeburg Hbf, Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Leipzig Hbf, Zeitz, (Zeitz depot, incomplete - 7 locos), Leipzig Hbf, (Juterbog).
DAY 3 (Wed 10th April): (Juterbog), Binz, Lietow, Bergen, Putbus, Göhren, Putbus, (Putbus depot - 6 locos) Lauterbach, Bergen, Stralsund, Velgast, Rostock, Bad Doberan, Ostseebad Kühlungsborn West (OKW depot - 2 locos), Bad Doberan, Rostock, Warnemunde, Rostock, Neubukow, Rostock, Erfurt Hbf.
DAY 4 (Thu 11th April): Erfurt Hbf, Nordhausen Bf, Nordhausen Nord, Elend, Drei Annen-Höhne, Schierke, Drei Annen-Höhne, Wernigerode Westerntor, Wernigerode Bf (Wernigerode NG Depot - 4 locos), Halberstadt, Haale Hbf, Leipzig Hbf, (Juterbog).
DAY 5 (Fri 12th April): (Juterbog), Stralsund, Neubrandenburg, Berlin Lichtenberg, Berlin Hbf, Schöneweide Betriebsbahnhof. (Berlin Schöneweide depot - 52 locos), Berlin Leninallee, Berlin Schöneweide, Magdeburg Hbf, Aschersleben, (Aschersleben SP - 12 locos), Sandersleben, Erfurt Hbf.
DAY 6 (Sat 13th April): Erfurt Hbf, (Leipzig Hbf), Berlin Schöneweide, Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld, Riesa, Chemnitz Hbf, Cranzahl, Kurort Oberwiesenthal, (KO depot - 4 locos) Cranzahl, Floha, Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf, (Hilbersdorf depot - 40+ locos) Chemnitz Hbf, Leipzig Hbf.
DAY 7 (Sun 14th April): Leipzig Hbf, Rostock (Rostock depot - 45 locos), Wismar (Wismar depot - 35 locos) Schwerin, Wittenberge (Wittenberge depot - 44 locos), Stendal (Stendal depot - 62 locos), Rostock, Haale Hbf.
DAY 8 (Mon 15th April): Halle Hbf, Leipzig Hbf, Borsdorf, Leipzig Paunsdorf (Engelsdorf depot - 36 locos), Leipzig Hbf, Sellerhausen, Leipzig Ost (Leipzig Hbf Sud depot - 34 locos), Leipzig Hbf, Leipzig Wahren (Wahren depot - 71 locos), Leipzig Hbf, Riesa (Riesa depot - 45 locos), Leipzig Hbf, Halle Hbf.
DAY 9 (Tue 16th April): Halle Hbf, (Camburg), Probstzella, Gräfenthal, Saalfeld Bf (Saailfeld depot - 37 locos), Gera Hbf (Gera depot - 53+ locos), (Weimar), Arnstadt Hbf (Arnstadt depot - 28 locos), Erfurt Hbf, Eisenach Hbf, (Bebra), Frankfurt Main Hbf, (Bebra).
DAY 10 (Wed 17th April): (Bebra), Eisenach Hbf, Berlin Schöneweide, Berlin Hbf, Berlin Lichtenberg, Cottbus, Görlitz, Lobau, Bautzen (Bautzen depot - 24 locos), Hoyerswerda, Hohenbocka, Falkenburg, Halle Hbf, Leipzig Hbf, (Magdeburg Hbf).
DAY 11 (Thu 18th April): (Magdeburg Hbf, Hannover Hbf), Köln Hbf, Oostende, Dover Western Docks, London Victoria, Clapham Junction, Waterloo, Portsmouth Harbour.
* Footnote: on day 2 an abortive attempt was made to procure the use of a hotel, but it seems hotels were in short supply in the old DDR, and those I found were either full, or too expensive, so I spent every night on overnight trains, which were plentiful at the time, and on all but one occasion I had the entire compartment to myself.
On my first visit to East Germany, I travelled overnight from München Hbf, arriving here, at Dresden Hbf, early in the morning. C-C diesel 118 722 was the first DR locomotive I ever saw in daylight. The 'patchwork quilt' paint job was fortunately not a universal DR colour scheme! 9th April 1991.
On my first visit to East Germany, I travelled overnight from München Hbf, arriving here, at Dresden Hbf, early in the morning. C-C diesel 118 722 was the first DR locomotive I ever saw in daylight. The 'patchwork quilt' paint job was fortunately not a universal DR colour scheme! 9th April 1991.