2020 Part 1 (January)

245015 departs from Munchen Ost with RB27027 1107 Munchen Hbf - Muhldorf (09/01/2020)

218465 readies itself for the run down the Allgaubahn from Munchen Hbf with EC194 1213 to Zurich Hbf (09/01/2020)

Some 2 1/2 hours and 220km later, 218465 takes a well earned rest in the afternoon sunshine after reaching Lindau (09/01/2020)

No sooner had EC194 departed Lindau for Switzerland than two more 'Rabbits' appeared as I was waiting for my train back north: 218499 + 218458 are pictured on arrival with IC119 1044 Stuttgart - Innsbruck (09/01/2020)

A closer look at 218458 in the company of 218499 at Lindau after being detached from IC119. The '055' suffix carried by the distinctive blue-liveried machine isn't original and is part of a numbering sequence used by its owner PRESS (09/01/2020)

218465 is coupled up to to EC195 1302 Zurich - Munchen at Lindau, whilst on the right is OBB electric loco 1144040 which was waiting to take IC119 across the Austrian border to Innsbruck (09/01/2020)

Later that evening 120104 is pictured on the blocks at Munchen Hbf after arriving with the empty stock for NJ295 2010 to Roma (09/01/2020)

The following morning 218429 + 218402 are seen waiting to depart from Oberstdorf with IC2012 0951 to Dortmund Hbf (10/01/2020)

Another view of the pair of 'Rabbits' waiting to depart from the Alpine resort - which I'd not actually managed to reach for some 18 months due largely to the long-standing bus replacement of the ALEX services during most of the previous year (10/01/2020)

A busy scene at Immenstadt as 218476 departs with IC2084 0941 Oberstdorf - Augsburg as 218458 is coupled up to IC2012 to take the train forward to Stuttgart (10/01/2020)

I'd been desperately hoping the sun would reappear from behind a passing cloud before the train was due to depart and wasn't to be disappointed: 218458 shows off its colourful blue livery as 218429 creeps into view in the background following the booked loco change (10/01/2020)

In the very last of the daylight, 218463 calls at Buchloe later that afternoon with EC195 1302 Zurich - Munchen Hbf (10/01/2020)

What a difference a day makes: Immenstadt was submerged in cloud the following morning as 218438 waits to depart with the late running RE3279 0557 'SO' Stuttgart to Oberstdorf 'Winter Sports' train. Having stayed overnight in Ulm, the plan had been to do this all the way up the branch for a choice of IC2084 or IC2012 back down. After a heavily-delayed start though I was grateful just to have got this far behind a 'Rabbit' and still have a choice of moves on the table (11/01/2020)

218488 + 218456 arrive light engine into Immenstadt from Lindau in order to work forward on IC2012. Although ostensibly sporting the standard red livery, the former is actually owned by 'Railsystems' - hence the 'RP' as opposed to 'DB' logos on the front and side of the loco (11/01/2020)

Having finally got the road, the work-stained 218438 is seen here departing Immenstadt on the last 21km of its journey to Oberstdorf (11/01/2020)

218824 + 218476 await departure from Lindau with IC118 0854 Innsbruck - Stuttgart Hbf. Although this pair had been booked to head south from Immenstadt off IC2012, I'd had to precede them on the only available DMU and desperately hope that they followed! Fortunately I wasn't to be disappointed, and was rewarded with both a required '218' and a rare run over the Hergatz to Memmingen line - which has been closed for most of the last year to enable electrifcation work to be carried out (11/01/2020)

Just over three hours later 218824 + 218476 pause at Goppingen, where I'd bailed on a small 'plus' for 218456 + 218488 back into the mountains on IC2013 (11/01/2020)

The temporary reinstatement of IC118 and IC119 over the Christmas and New Year holiday period had created a short-term need for four additional '218' diagrams, which Ulm were struggling to cover out of their own allocation. The solution was to hire in a number of privately-owned machines from Railysytems and PRESS as well as borrow 218824, which is normally found on standby duty at Stuttgart and used to rescue stricken 'ICE' units (11/01/2020)

Having failed to even get onto the branch this morning, I did at least manage to get most of the way up it to Fischen for the returning 'Winter Sports' train later that afternoon. 218438 is pictured here during the reversal at Immenstadt with RE3278 1749 Oberstdorf - Stuttgart, which it worked as far as Ulm (11/01/2020)

The final morning of my latest expedition to Southern Germany began like so many others in the darkness of Munchen Hbf, where 218465 readies itself for departure with EC196 0714 to Zurich (12/01/2020)

A frosty morning at the foot of the Alps finds 218456 at the head of IC2084 0941 Oberstdorf - Augsburg (12/01/2020)

A couple of minutes later and the 'Rabbit' is on the move - although in trying to be clever I'd not spotted that the low Winter sun would leave a rather awkward shadow from the platform sign on the bodyside! Just visible on the left is ALEX 223013 which was working the branch shuttle to/from Immenstadt (12/01/2020)

Privately-owned duo 218458 + 218488 make a fine sightat the head of IC2012 0951 Oberstdorf - Dortmund. With the additional (IC118/119) trains between Innsbruck and Stuttgart due to finish this weekend, today was the last day the locos were expected to be on hire to DB Fernverkehr for the time being (12/01/2020)

218402 + 218491 back onto the recently arrived IC2012 at Immenstadt to take the service forward to Stuttgart. Despite the fact that 'IC118' wasn't booked to run today and hence there was no apparent need to swap the locos around, the pair had still run light from Lindau earlier that morning as per the traditional loco diagrams (12/01/2020)