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Reliability II

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Remember this photo from almost two years ago? Since the 155 is the 143's big momma so to speak, I thought "Reliability II" would fit well. Shot this after getting off my train at Leverkusen-Mitte, before getting on my bike for the slippery ride home over icy roads. Really liked the depth in this one, and the locomotive of course.

Winter is traditionally the time when rail transport overtrumps everything else, be it cars, planes, ships, bicycles and even walking. Back in the 1960s, the Bundesbahn boldly advertised the comparative snow-proofness of their trains. As you may know, it's a different story today. Modern technology has allowed for trains to be run at the absolute limit for maximum profit, and with no reserves, there can't be reliability. Decades ago, one couldn't exactly determine whether a train ordered to withstand -20°C weather could do exactly that, so they made sure it could at the very least do it. The resulting train could probably operate at -40°C. Today, they seem to make sure that working up to the ordered temperature is the absolute maximum performance, not one degree lower, as more reliability would cost more money, and money has to be saved. It's no surprise that AC units were only rated for 32°C and then failed, frying passengers in ICE trains. DB seems to go for higher profits in every single decision, even if common sense would go for that little bit of extra security. Same issue with modern trains and winter. Let the passengers suffer a bit, instead of having a fleet that can operate in any kind of weather, hot or cold.

Likewise, despite numerous assertions from DB after last year's winter, trains kept breaking down, switches kept freezing up, screwing up the entire timetable. When asked about why they won't increase the temperature of their switch heaters, they replied that it would lead to an overproportionate increase of power consumption. Seems as if ordering winter- or summer-proof trains is also on the list of things that are less important than maximum profit at all costs, even if it means pissing people off all the time, even risking their safety.

The older locomotives on the other hand are often the heroes of the season. Be it the Thunderbirds, heading out to rescue a stranded ICE, or the "Bügelfalte" 110 acting as substitute when modern stock is down, or our old "Silberling" carriages, helping out when the new EMUs couldn't cope with the fierce winter. And don't forget the boxy 143 here, shuffling along with S-Bahn trains. Yes, they're slow, yes, they're outdated, yes, they're inefficient, and no, there's no rational reason for locomotive hauled trains in this world of multiple units.

But as long as DB thinks it can save the cost of winter-proof trains, the proper locomotive will always triumph, be it steam, diesel or electric.
Image size
1209x794px 973.25 KB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 1000D
Shutter Speed
1/250 second
Aperture
F/8.0
Focal Length
123 mm
ISO Speed
200
Date Taken
Dec 6, 2010, 3:18:38 PM
Sensor Size
6mm
© 2010 - 2024 shenanigan87
Comments19
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ReiZk0rn's avatar
Das ist die Bahn, mit der ich von Köln nach Düsseldorf zum Praktikum gefahren bin. Innen war die Bahn schon ziemlich schmuddelig, aber von außen sieht die Bahn - sicherlich wegen des sehr gut gelungenen Fotos - sehr schön aus. Die Bahn ist in einem optimalen Winkel und die Distanz und Position im Bild ist auch sehr gut.
Dir ist mit diesem Bild etwas sehr gut gelungen. Weiter so ;)