The German Hotspots 2025

During the day we will collect you from whichever location you have elected to join and, for those joining the tour at one of the first five pick-up locations, there is opportunity to obtain a meal at the Clacket Lane Services stop. Once everyone is on board we head for the tunnel and cross the channel. No more overnight outward travel means that you will spend a restful first night tucked up in bed. In this case Hotel Ibis Styles, Calais Centre.

Refreshed by a good night sleep and hearty breakfast, we resume the journey to the German border at Aachen. Here we break the journey with a stop for lunch at Aachener Land Services. We continue to our first depot of the tour, Bw Gremberg, followed by a view of the nearby Gremberg Rbf. We continue, pausing briefly for the stabled locomotives (usually two heavy shunters) at Montabaur on the high speed line. The final location will be Bw Frankfurt 1. In addition to the locomotives standing on the depot and yards, we will spend a brief interlude observing the passing traffic (rail, of course). The hotel is situated alongside the Hbf. and here you have the choice of the low-level suburban platforms, the high level intercity and regional trains or perhaps you will take a ride out to Bischofsheim or Frankfurt Sud for the passing freight trains. Overnight - Intercity Hotel, Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. One of the benefits of using an Intercity hotel is that guests are given free tickets for use on all public transport in the area. If you require a ticket, all you need to do is to ask at Reception.

A mid-morning departure will allow you to cover the morning ‘peak.’ Once that has slowed, we proceed to our first destination of the day, namely the freight depot Bw. Mainz Bischofsheim. We follow up with Bw Mannheim, where it is reasonable to expect 90 to 100 ‘on shed.’ As we leave we take views of Mannheim Hbf and continue to Heilbronn Hbf to view anything stabled. Our hotel for the next two nights will be the Hotel Strauss Würzburg. Conveniently, trams to the Hbf. stop outside the hotel.

The first of two outstanding full days as you enjoy one of Germany’s most prolific ‘Hotspots,’ Würzburg Hbf. Watch the continuous flow of freight and passenger services. Of course it is officially a Free Day when you may have alternative plans, but will the lure of the station be simply irresistible?

After a leisurely departure, we visit Bw. Würzburg (Including SGL) followed by a view of the yards. Finally, the small stabling point of Würzburg Zell will be visited to capture the parked Privateers. By way of a departure from the 2023 tour, today we are heading for the interesting locations around Erfurt. First will be Bw. Erfurt, followed by a view of Erfurt Ost, the principal depot of Erfurterbahn (EIB). The final location of the day will be a view of the Privateer Depot, and Workshops situated in the old Bw. Eisenach. Arriving in Fulda we check into our hotel conveniently situated less than a five-minute walk from the Hbf. The Invite Hotel Fulda will be our home for the next two nights.

The day is yours. Fulda is our second ‘hotspot’ and just as prolific as Würzburg. Pass the whole day on Fulda Hbf or again, ‘do your own thing.’ Maybe a mixture of both, the choice is yours.

A late morning departure will provide the added bonus of two or more hours of observations before we continue our journey. To conveniently break the journey we are inserting two stops, both of one hour duration, at Giessen and Koblenz Hbfs. The former had a very interesting depot but, since closure, we have neglected it. Most remiss of us! We understand that, with locomotives and units both passing and parked, it is certainly worth a visit. Koblenz needs no ‘bigging up.’ The familiar surroundings of the Nikki City Hotel Leverkusen is our hotel for the night.

Heading home, the final day is a similar route that concludes of most of our German tours, Bw Köln Gremberg is first. We finish the tour with views of Aachen West Rbf and Aachen Hbf Depot. It is then the long haul back to Calais, the Channel Tunnel and home.