Extracts from the European Railway series of programmes.

Hamburg is one of the busiest freight centres in Germany: we visit the massive Maschen Yard to the south of the city as well as calling at adjacent suburban stations to view the traffic on lines feeding in to the complex.

The Lobenstein branch: running up into the Frankenwald hills is the single track line to Blankenstein. Along its route are two important saw mills which generate up to 7 return freight workings each day to and from Saalfeld.

We look at modern day freight and passenger workings, including class 204 and 290 diesels as well as a fascinating look back to operations in 1996, when a ‘Plandampf’ event saw some of the workings handed over to steam operation, including the use of Cl 50, 52 and 58 locos – an interesting example of then and now workings.

The RWE Rheinbraun: a look at the impressive, privately-operated, lignite railway to the west of Cologne. The company operates a fleet of new and older electric locomotives on a network stretching over 300km.

New trains on order will spell the end for most of the class 143 electrics in the coming years, we look at the class at work on the line from Freiburg to Titisee.

We visit Mühldorf: the final outpost of the remaining class 217 diesels is featured as we witness freight and local passenger workings in this non-electrified area of south-east Germany. The single-track branch line to Burghausen has up to 14 return freight services along it each day, we witness a number of these headed by pairs of class 217s or single class 233 – the latter a recent type introduced as the ultimate replacement for the 217s. We study other lines in the area as well as a visit to Mühldorf where we see the then last cl 213 in operation.