Welcome to "Phil's Loco Photos"

Part one of a Christmas and New Year global InterRail started off with a flight to Stuttgart and one night there. Early on the Friday morning I started the ticket and went north to Düsseldorf for the main attraction of the day with (thankfully) 120 power on Fridays only IC1959 which was booked via Altenbeken and Leinefelde on its slow journey to Berlin. I had one night there and then had a day covering the Magdeburg 146 diagrams, this included a trip to Stendal which always brings back memories of taking photos there in 1983 on my first ever visit to the DDR. I picked up the two locos I wanted and also had vintage 143.002 on S7 running to Halle-Nietleben. The direct ICE from Halle - Erfurt had gone so I had to trundle via Naumburg and horrible cart. Next day was the Ludmilla tour from Erfurt - Goslar via Herzberg giving some tasty new Ludmilla track. Six hours in Goslar and then heavy snow just before departure time for nice atmosphere. ICE to Coburg via the new line next morning and them covered the new Railpool top'n'tail Vectron turns to and from Nürnberg. Thankfully I got a 120 over to Stuttgart and the as booked an ÖBB 1116 to Singen and then a few new Re450 and a Lion set to Winterthur. I stayed at Seuzach next few nights with days out on BLS, RhB, SNCF and chasing the Freiburg 146s and the Neuenburg border crossing. The Saturday I planned to do the 218 to Neustadt but it was a filthy 611 unit, bonus prize with steam 01-519 a few minutes behind it. On the Sunday I did a Re460 to Lugano and back to get the new Gotthard tunnel in, not exciting but done it now. Vastly more interesting was the top'n'tail Re446 on the Voralpen Express to St Gallen and passing all six Re456 on the other services. Then the undoubtable highlight of the day was quality Re6/6 power on the return run of the St Gallen - Luino special train on classic ex SBB stock with huge full opening windows! A real bonus occurred at Zürich as we went via the new "durchmesserlinie" and the huge climb onto existing tracks outside Zürich HB. As always fantastic to do the Gotthard again with superb traction! I had one night in Luino and then made my way to Bergamo and flight back home