BRANCH LINE SOCIETY FOUNDED 1955 The Niedersachsen Explorer 26 – 28 June 2020

Three days of special trains in the area of the Lüneburg Heath in northern featuring virtually complete coverage of the Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen network using a veteran diesel locomotive, the two parts of the Lüneburger Industriebahn, a visit to a locomotive workshop and a draisine ride – all in the company of other BLS members!

The main tour locomotive will be Berliner Maschinenbau D.L.00601 which also carries the UIC number 265-103. It was built in 1941.

Between and Hannover is the area known as the Lüneburg Heath and centred on this is the private rail network of the Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen (OHE), based at Celle. Passenger trains ended in 1977, although some parts of the network are used for heritage trains. Nevertheless the majority of the system (over 250 km long) is freight only. This three day railtour will cover almost the entire network using a diesel locomotive hauled train and carriages, including a carriage offering light refreshments. We have been able to add significant extra track to the itinerary from that originally advertised, in particular visits to the 8.5km Lüneburger Industriebahn, Bleckeder Hafen and two more military branches as detailed below. Please note that while we have provisional approvals for the military branches these are subject to confirmation nearer the day. The Bergen Lagerbahnhof is especially interesting due to its grim connection with the Belsen concentration camp. We expect to get to the tank loading platform. To add variety we have included a visit to the Bleckede locomotive works and the opportunity to ride on the Bleckede to Alt Garge draisine line, either pedalling or as a passenger. This is included in the tour price. The tour will end with a barbecue at Lüneburg Süd depot from where it is a pleasant riverside walk back into town. The tour base is Lüneburg, a medium sized German city with plenty of hotel accommodation, though other nearby locations are possible, especially Celle, though accomodation here is limited.

It will be necessary to travel on service trains from Wittingen or Celle to Lüneburg on day 1 and Lüneburg to Celle and to Lüneburg on day 2 to join the tour/get back to Lüneburg. Our operators locomotive and stock are unable to travel on the DB Netz main lines, so the most economical travel option for those not able to purchase discounted tickets is to be part of a group of five travelling on a Niedersachsen Ticket. This is valid for unlimited travel for one day on S, RS, RB and RE services in the Land of Niedersachsen plus Hamburg and costs €24 for one person with an additional €5 person up to a maximum of five people, who must be named on the ticket and travel together. Valid after 09:00 on weekdays and all day at weekends. So for five people travelling together the cost is just under €9 per person per day. Niedersachsen tickets can be purchased from ticket machines or ticket offices (note a small surcharge applies if bought at a ticket office). Also available on line at https://niedersachsenticket.de/ but only in German. If you are happy to organise people you know on the tour into groups, then you can easily buy a ticket for your group on the day. Participants who wish for the Society to buy tickets for them and organise into groups of five on the train should enter the number of people on this booking who require tickets. €9 will be payable on the train for each day, but be aware that you may have to travel with complete strangers.

Tour Programme

The programme is as follows. Note that the route is subject to final confirmation, so minor changes are possible.

Friday 26 June – Locomotive Berliner Maschinenbau D.L.00601/265-103 (1941) Departing at about 09:00, today we travel south from our base at Lüneburg through Bispingen to Soltau, junction for a number of secondary lines. We reverse here before continuing to Bergen where we visit the 2.2km branch to Bergen Lagerbahnhof. Today this serves the NATO military training area, but in WW2 trains arrived with prisoners for the Belsen concentration camp and there are memorials near the station. We now continue to Celle (on the Hannover to Hamburg main line), reverse and set off east on the long freight line to Wittingen, visiting the short branch to Wittingen Hafen en route, then taking the connection into the DB station. There is the possibility to return to Lüneburg by service train. A final reversal and we go back via the outward route as far as Celle from where we return to Lüneburg by service train.

Saturday 27 June – Locomotive Berliner Maschinenbau D.L.00601/265-103 (1941) This morning we start with service trains from Lüneburg to Celle, leaving Celle at about 09:30. Initially we retrace yesterday’s route as far as Beckedorf before taking the line to Munster (Ortze), continuing through the station onto the branch to Munster Bundeswehr Barracks where we expect to reach the platform once used by a weekend Friday/Sunday IC train pair to/from Hamburg for the benefit of the soldiers. We return to Beckedorf and continue to Soltau (reverse) and Bispingen. At Hützel we join the line to Winsen (on the Hamburg to Lüneburg line), where we reverse and travel along the branch to Niedermarschacht Achterdeich, visiting the short spur to Tönnhausen ladestelle, on the side of the canal, on the way. Back at Winsen we return to Lüneburg by service train. Those who wish may stay on the ECS for the journey back to Lüneburg Sud depot via Hützel.

Sunday 28 June – Locomotive Deutz 230 41 (1961) and historic dmu GDT 0518 We start the day (at approximately 09:00) with Lüneburg Industriebahn west as far as we can go. Hopefully that will be Yanfeng. Luneburg Industriebahn East is next and we expect to get to the end of the line at Lüneburg Hafen, and also travel the Lüneburg Bundeswehr branch (end of line requested). Reversing at Lüneburg Nord we head for Bleckede where a variety of activities await us. First we will continue to Bleckede Sud and use the railcar to take us on the short branch to Bleckede Hafen. Now half the group will visit the Bleckede locomotive works, while half set off for the draisine ride to Alt Garge and back. The groups will then swap over so everyone does everything they wish to. At about 17:00 we will return to Lüneburg and continue via the freight yard to the Heide Express depot at Lüneburg Sud where the tour ends and we will have a barbeque. From here it is a pleasant 15-20 minute riverside walk back into town. Transport is available for the physically challenged.

Dmu GDT 0518 has a fascinating history. Diesel locomotive 230 41 complete with rods!

Booking Please note that membership of the Society is NOT required

The tour is limited to 100 places on each day, and priority will be given to people who book for all three days.

If bookings comfortably exceed our minimum number, and the strength of the pound does not fall too much, it may allow us to give a rebate on these prices.

Booking for the tour is via the Branch Line Society website branchline.uk fixtures page with payment by credit and debit cards. For overseas tours such as this we also require the additional details requested in the Booking Form below which should be completed and sent to Mark Gomm, preferably via email to: [email protected] or post to Mark Gomm, 84 Mornington Road, Stoke On Trent, ST1 6EL, enclosing SAE if printed confirmation required. If you are unable to book on line (or unable to print) please send a SAE to the above address to receive a printed booking form.

Please ensure that your passport is valid for at least six months from the date of the tour and that you have a valid EHIC card.

Standard Branch Line Society Terms and Conditions (except where overridden below) apply to all railtour participants, however the places are booked. These are available to download on our website or by post with an SAE. Please note that tickets are NOT transferable. It should be noted that full cancellation will be accepted up to two weeks prior to the tour date, after which date refunds will only be possible in the event that the Society itself cancels the trip, in which case the amount refunded will be limited to the charter train fare, or if the train provider cancels: in this case the percentage refunded will reflect the proportion of the charter charge repaid by the provider. Finally, the Society will not accept any liability arising from changes imposed by any third parties, either before or on the day, or any consequences of any late running that may occur. By signing the booking form, participants accept theses terms and conditions.

Getting There and Back Direct flights are available from the UK to Hamburg, Bremen and Hannover and these destinations have direct train connections to Lüneburg. For those that do not wish to fly, travel from London to Lüneburg by train is easily possible. A guide on getting to and from the tour will be prepared and will include general information on accommodation, tourism and recommended railway lines. If you want a copy send a request for the Niedersachsen Tour Guide to [email protected] . A paper copy will be available by sending a SAE to Paul Griffin, 7 School Bell Mews, Church Lane, Stoneleigh, Coventry, CV83ZZ, but the document makes extensive use of links to access further information, so may not answer all questions.

Overnight Stays It is anticipated that most, if not all, participants will stay in Lüneburg, though other towns are possible with early starts. Hotel bookings can be made on many websites, such as Hotels.com, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, HRS.de to name but a few. It is strongly advised that hotel accommodation should be booked as soon as possible.