Welcome to "Phil's Loco Photos"

Another mostly German trip started to co-inside with a 232 on a special from the Ruhr -Oberhof and “Mercia charters” inaugural European tour in Belgium. I flew from Heathrow to Basel and the D202 north to Köln Hbf and then by preferred 103 power to Dortmund. Big Oberhausen 232.525 worked the special but problems with getting the ETH running delayed the train in the platform and we were evicted for not having a legitimate ticket, no amount of persuading would work, very painful to watch it leave without us! I ended up going to see my contacts at Altenbeken and had a lift on the train taking TE109-026 to the ADtranz factory at Kassel! I ended up at Magdeburg and D242 to Liège-Guillemins and then to Leuven via Bruxelles for the Mercia tour with 5116 and 5947 to Monceau, Marchienne Au Pont, Bascoup, Charleroi Sud and Salzinnes. Then back to Köln and D1549 to Halle and some 232 chasing. I then went to Oberhof to have another go at getting on the special. Because the staff could not see a ticket including insurance it was another no! More 232 chasing and ended up at Glauchau for D1660 to Nürnberg with howling and surging 232.626 on the front and probably the last time I ever had such an outrageous sounding 232! Preferred 103 power on D1505 to München and then a few more 103s as I made my way to Düsseldorf for flight back home