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Lucky Lorraine

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Something I haven't mentioned in my journal is a small annoyance at the beginning of our journey, which started with a mistake that I made many times before: We took the train to get to the airport, since driving there means that one has to park the car in an extremely expensive carpark. And every time I decide to go by train, I usually end up regretting it. This time was no exception.

I always plan well ahead and depart with adequate time to spare, in case something goes unexpectedly wrong. But even so, I was a bit worried when I checked DB's site before departing, watching in horror how the train we planned to take got more and more delayed. In the end, we hurried down to the station, as I planned for us to take the previous train, which was also delayed by quite a bit. Thankfully, we juuuust managed to catch the train, with mom standing in the door while I waited for the ticket machine to give me back my change. Not a second to spare I tell you!

After that little escapade, we got to Cologne Deutz, and were able to take a slightly faster RegionalExpress train instead of the S-Bahn we'd usually have taken. And even before we went over to the appropriate platform, something interesting caught my eye in the distance, making me hurry even more. Once I was up on the platform, it was also a matter of seconds before I had to have the camera ready to capture this sight, a class 181 multi-tension electric from the 1970s, hauling a short empty stock train towards the nearby depot.

The DB class 181 was originally developed in the 1960s for international trains running into France and Luxembourg. Due to those countries having different catenary voltages and frequencies, special locos were needed to avoid having to change locomotives at the border. These days, you can buy locos that can run under a multitude of different voltages off the shelf, one of the many advantages of modern power electronics. Back in the day though, building such a loco for just two catenary systems was a major challenge. Four pre-series locomotives were built and tested from 1966 onwards, followed by 25 serial production units in 1974.

Apart from all the technical details inside, these locomotives are also quite interesting in terms of appearance, built very low to accomodate the low hanging catenary wire in France. This effect is of course also exaggerated by the tall double decker car just behind the loco. This photo marks the first time ever that I managed to get a proper shot of one of these, so I'm quite happy, despite the blurred background, courtesy of non-manual camera settings.

Four units of this class received names, based on the region they usually visit. These are 181 211 "Lorraine", 181 212 "Luxembourg", 181 213 "Saar" and 181 214 "Mosel". Unfortunately, Luxembourg is out of service, probably due to planned retirement, while Lorraine and Saar were lucky enough to receive a full overhaul last year, pleasing railfans for a few more years to come. But the most interesting speciemen of this class are of course the ones in the original dark blue livery. And yes, some of these rare birs have also ended up in my hometown at our infamous scrapyard.
Image size
1200x800px 915.44 KB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 650D
Shutter Speed
1/125 second
Aperture
F/6.3
Focal Length
22 mm
ISO Speed
100
Date Taken
Oct 27, 2013, 11:33:04 AM
Sensor Size
5mm
© 2013 - 2024 shenanigan87
Comments12
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HerrDrayer's avatar
I nailed one of these a few years ago...  :)  www.deviantart.com/art/Paris-N… She's not named though.  :(