Afternoon all (just!)

 

Today's posting will most certainly highlight the fact that I as a railfan can indeed derive satisfaction from situations which I suppose will be terribly nerve-wracking for John Every-Passenger, and that trams are far from being inflexible!

 

Engineering work carried out on Georg-Schumann-Straße this week means that until and including 10 April, a fairly intriguing replacement service arrangement had to be set up. Line 11 trams are rerouted to the Line 4 terminus at Landsberger Straße, turning right at the Lindenthaler Straße intersection. Rail replacement buses cover the gap to the Wahren loop, with Line 11 shuttle services running from there to Schkeuditz and back. In spite of copious passenger information on and off the trams, significant numbers of them but seemed to be disoriented this morning…

 

 

 

 

Anyway: Having walked up Landsberger Straße to the Max-Liebermann-Straße intersection, 1204 "Köln" was rolling down towards the city centre on a Line 11 service for the Connewitz, Klemmstraße terminus…

 

 

 

…followed by 1141 "Friedrich Nietzsche" doing its usual Übermensch-like service on Line 4.

 

 

 

Having ridden back to the Lindenthaler Straße/Georg-Schumann-Straße intersection, I took the rail replacement service out to Wahren.

 

 

 

…where 1341 "Mölkau" and company were waiting on the up track for their next trip to Schkeuditz as Turn 11-71. The fact of Leoliner cars working Line 11 services is unusual enough in its own right.

 

 

Now, to help you understand the following photos, I should first post a few screenshots from Google Earth, I think.

 

 

 

The Wahren loop, normally used by Line 10 services, rounds the tree-planted square at the centre of this aerial view. To enter the loop in normal operation, trams turn left at the Linkelstraße intersection, rounding the loop counter-clockwise…

 

 

 

…similar to how the silver Renault Clio is going in this image. As you can see, the diverging track branches off from the up main track only.

 

 

 

Similarly, the loop exit connects to the down track only.

 

 

 

And a view up Linkelstraße to illustrate the loop entry. As you can see, the loop is double-tracked to permit overtaking, if required.

 

 

 

However, the Schkeuditz-Wahren shuttle services obviously arrived on the down track, so that the only way of entering the loop and returning to the up line…

 

 

 

…is reversing through the loop. On the inside track, a spare formation of 1337 "Knauthain" and 1321 "Probstheida" is powered down and stabled, while 1311 "Schönefeld" and 1348 "Hänichen" back up, with the driver at the shunting control stand at the rear end of 1311.

 

 

 

 

Looking at the operation from the loop exit. The orange Volkswagen van belonged to an Operations Director keeping an eye on the shuttle and rail replacement service.

 

 

 

Having taken the mandatory break, the formation of 1348 and 1311 reversed onto Georg-Schumann-Straße…

 

 

 

 

…with one of the replacement buses for Lindenthaler Straße emerging from Linkelstraße to the right. Rail replacement services were run mostly with Solaris Urbino 18 LE bendies, like 14146 (L-NV 4146) here.

 

 

 

 

Soon after that, the next shuttle service came in from Schkeuditz, headed by 1343 "Reudnitz".

 

 

 

 

After some passenger confusion was remedied, the set, with 1323 "Dölitz" at the rear, began reversing into the loop. Who ever said trams were inflexible?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, LVB had also sortied at least one of their "Irvine" styled Mercedes Citaro G bendies, originally designed for public transport operator "üstra" of Hanover on the occasion of the EXPO 2000 fair. The replacement buses, with L-NV 1328 seen in this photo, were obviously signed as Line 11 services.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then rode up to the Landsberger Straße loop, which this week sees a lot of traffic from Lines 4 and 11! Here, this Tatra Großzug of 2124, 2101 and NB4 trailer 903, booked on Line 11, rounded the loop, exiting it through the left of the two departing tracks. Line 4 services use the right departure track.

 

 

 

 

To illustrate – Here, 2124 and company exit the loop onto the shortish single-tracked stretch at the top end of the line…

 

 

 

 

…while 2158 and its trailer emerge from the right departure position just one minute later.

 

 

 

 

A less common sight on this route, Flexity car 1233 "Augsburg" sorties on a Line 11E service to Connewitz, Klemmstraße…

 

 

 

 

…followed by 1112 "Seiferts Oscar" on Line 4, representing the standard fare for this route.

 

 

 

Aside from the complex traffic arrangement on Line 11, Line 10 is affected as well, only serving the southern section from Lößnig to Central Station. Cars reverse through the loop immediately to the west of Central Station…

 

 

…again illustrated by a Google Earth shot with the loop visible rounding the single house off Kurt-Schumacher-Straße.

 

 

 

 

Here, 1143 "Robert Schumann" is turning off the main route to enter the loop, signed as an "E" car.

 

 

 

 

With 1143 visible to the right, 1107 "Hieronymus Lotter" is on its down service to Markkleeberg-West on Line 9…

 

 

 

 

…followed by the trial formation of 1101 "Johann Sebastian Bach" and trailer 906 on Line 11E. As of now, this is the only NGT8, or Type 36, car to have been made compatible with trailers.

 

 

 

And this would be it for today. Thanks for reading!