The Bayern Tour 2025

During the day we will collect you from whichever location you have elected to join and, for those joining before Ashford, there is the opportunity to obtain a meal at the Services stop. That location has been changed to Clacket Lane for the foreseeable future due to the continuing limitations of Maidstone! Having everyone 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’s sleep and hearty breakfast, we resume the journey to our first port of call. It’s a long way but will be broken by a stop for lunch at Aachener Land Services. We then travel direct to Koblenz Hbf where we pause for an hour to observe the passing traffic and whet your appetite with thoughts of things to come. 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, by now the evening ‘peak’ will be ‘hotting up.’ From the road overbridge there will be much to see of the traffic leaving the Hauptbahnhof and passing the depot. 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 late morning departure, to enable another ‘sweep’ of the Hbf before we head to our first port of call at Bw Würzburg. Here we will see at least one of the converted emergency rescue train formations, together with the top & tail locomotives. Moving off we will view, as much as we are able, the Unit SP that lies beyond the station. We continue to the small freight SP at Würzburg Zell where a small number of ‘Privateers’ will be found. Nürnberg is up next where we visit the freight depot at Bw Nürnberg 2, which should be good for plenty of DB loks and some privateers. Finally, we make our way to the new Bw Nürnberg 1 depot, built to replace the old passenger depot (NN1). We will attempt to secure a visit but if that fails, we will view as much as possible. Arrival at the hotel will be late afternoon, which should give ample time to enjoy the delights of the Hbf. If you book early, you should secure a room with a window overlooking the Hbf, allowing you to see all the ‘comings and goings.’ Overnight - Intercity Hotel, Nürnberg. Unfortunately, this Intercity has no agreement with the local transport authority and consequently does not issue transport tickets.

A late departure this morning will give you the chance to cover the morning ‘peak’ either on the Hbf or viewing from your bedroom window. Sights to delight will include Vectrons on northbound RE trains, along with the many varied classes of EMU and DMU. Once ‘on the road’ and after leaving the city, first up will be the small depot and yard at Bw Schwandorf, closely followed by Regensburg. Here the depot has been long closed, but locomotives still stable here and at Regensburg Bf & Yards. The freight depot at Bw Ingolstadt, officially closed but still used for loco stabling, may just give us a glimpse of an Austrian loco or two as they bring trains through into the interchange yard. It is then directly to München for our loco fest as we visit München Nord Yard and Bw München 1 (which will probably be a view). We will arrive at the hotel late afternoon, with plenty of time to begin the rush hour vigil - will it be Hackerbrücke or Donnersburgerbrücke, or maybe even München Ost for the freight as well? Don’t worry if you can’t make up your mind, you’ll have plenty of time to do them all over the next two days. Overnight (2 nights) - Ibis Hotel, München City West.

Traditionally your FREE DAY, but usually most of the party enjoy a ride out on the trains and a few depot visits. After the morning ‘peak’ STARS can offer you a visit to Bw Mühldorf. We then head south and just over the Austrian border into Salzburg. Here we will visit both the passenger depot at Zfl Salzburg and the freight depot at Zfl Gnigl. If time permits, we will also visit the Lokalbahn SVB depot at Itzling before our return to München where you will be able to catch the later stages of the evening peak. Although the cost of rail travel is not included in your fare, we will endeavor to obtain a group ticket reduction. Alternatively, you are free to do your own thing, with no shortage of railway entertainment to keep you busy all day.

A late departure should enable you to see one final rush hour in München, then it’s off to our first depot Bw Kempten. We continue North to our overnight stop at Ulm. Here we will visit or take views of Bw Ulm and the nearby Ulm stabling point. We aim to be in the hotel mid-afternoon, which means plenty of ‘station time’. Ulm is a busy location with plenty of freight and passenger traffic. Overnight - Hotel Ibis, Ulm City. The hotel is situated 500 metres from the station. (This year we have been forced into a change of hotel. Our usual Intercity Hotel is closed following extensive water and structural damage! There has been no indication of when it is likely to re-open!)

No doubt the early risers will find time enough for an hour or two on the Hbf before we move off. First stop is the DMU depot at Bw Tübingen which also has a preservation section. Today, having been forced into a change from the usual itinerary, we now make for Bw Mannheim, a location we normally cover on Day Eight. On conclusion we check into Intercity Hotel, Mannheim, situated at the Hauptbahnhof. Yet another busy location to observe both evening and morning ‘peaks.’

A late departure will allow you to make the most of the morning activity. A short distance away is Bw Ludwigshafen, where we will endeavor to obtain a visit, or view from strategic vantage points. Moving on we visit Bw Bischofsheim, now the principal freight depot in the Frankfurt area, and take this opportunity to visit Mainz Hbf SP. An early arrival in Köln will ensure the opportunity to observe passenger traffic at the Hbf and/or freight traffic at Köln West. Overnight - Nikii City Hotel, Leverkusen.

Sadly, all great tours must come to an end, and by today you should have already filled up a notebook or two. Just make sure you have left some space as we visit BW Gremberg, Aachen West Gbf and Bw Aachen Hbf as we journey home.