Still In Our Midst

Had an appointment in Cologne today, and as you may know, driving into Cologne at rush hour is about as much fun as eating pure cinnamon. Thankfully, my destination is just next to a tram station, so I only had to catch a train to Cologne Deutz (to get to the tram). But when I looked at the timetable, I saw that instead of taking the appropriate train to get there on time, I could also pick a slightly earlier one, simply because it was the 110 hauled booster train!



Took this shot after getting off in Cologne, and before making my way to the underground tram station. The locomotive was pushing, which is usually annoying for photos, but in this case, it meant that I had all the sunlight I wanted! And a nice view of the pantograph too, which seems to be somewhat taller than one would expect... Guess the wire in Deutz hangs higher than average for some reason.

And yes, it was great fun to ride these old n-type carriages, also known as "Silberlings". I get the feeling that I'm one of the last people on earth who actually prefer these over modern rolling stock. I just love everything about them, the proper train noises they make, the windows that you can open properly, and most of all the doors! The good old manual doors that you have to open with pure muscle power! Now I admit that I spend quite some time working on my physical fitness, but nothing makes me feel quite as manly as pulling the door open with one swift move, while the guy next to me keeps struggling like the wimp he must be!

Yes, I'm terrible...

As for the locomotive, 110 438 was built in 1966, in continued service for 45 years now, and her current inspection is valid until February 2013! It's also interesting to note that all overhauls from the 1960s all the way to the end of the 1990s were carried out at the locomotive workshop in Leverkusen Opladen, which DB decided to close down in 2003. Babbled some more about it here, in case you're interested.