From airplane seat to platform, having transited immigration and bought a DB ticket to Boppard: 35 minutes.
Next train? 13 minutes.
Lumix LX7 photos.
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DB Köln-Bonn Flughafen
Tag Archives: Koln
Märklin’s Mickey Mouse at Köln!
It was a lucky shot. I was changing trains at the Köln Hauptbahnhof in 1999, when I made this photo from the platforms at the east side of the station.
A DB Class 120 electric had been specially painted by or for Märklin model trains to commemorate the 70thanniversary of Disney’s Mickey Mouse.
One of the great things about exploring German railways is a tremendous variety of trains complete with unexpected surprises in the form of specially painted locomotives, antiques on the roll, and special trains.
Germany is one of my favorite countries to visit and among the places profiled in my new book: Brian Solomon’s Railway Guide to Europe, now available from the Kalmbach Hobby Store.
https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/product/book/01304
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Three views of Köln trams at Bruck Mauspfad.
April soft sun in suburban Köln made for nice light of the modern trams. All three views at Bruck Mauspfad on the northeast side of the city.
Tracking the Light is on AutoPilot while Brian is traveling.
Underground, on the Surface, and on the Elevated: Trams in Köln.
Just a few views from the lens of my Lumix LX7: trams on the roll in Köln during my recent visit.
Köln’s extensive light rail network has endless opportunities for photographs. Over the years I made a few images, but I’ve long felt a more extensive exploration is in the cards.
Someday . . .
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Köln Hbf—March 2017
At the end of March 2017, I revisited the Köln Hauptbahnhof (main railway station).
It was almost 21 years since I made my first visit here with my dad back in 1996.
I was delighted to see that a few of the old East Germany class 143 electrics were still on the move. Once very common, these old electrics have become relatively scarce.
This image was exposed digitally using my Lumix LX7.
Magnificent Railway Stations: Köln Haubtbahnhof—Part 2
Would you believe that 35 of 38 frames of this roll of 35mm film were exposed of the Köln Haubtbahnhof?
Back in August 1998, I was working with an old Nikon F2 and three lenses, I wandered the platforms of this great station to preserve it on black & white film.
I processed my film at the Gallery of Photography in Dublin and made a few proof prints at the time.
The images presented here were scanned digitally from my original negatives using an Epson Prefection V600 flatbed scanner and adjusted in post processing using Lightroom.
For color photos of the Köln Haubtbahnhof and many other stations check out my new book: Railway Depots, Stations & Terminals published this year by Voyageur Press.
See: http://www.quartoknows.com/books/9780760348901/Railway-Depots-Stations-Terminals.html
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Magnificent Railway Stations: Köln Haubtbahnhof-Part 1
Among my favorite large railway station’s: The Köln Haubtbahnhof.
I’ve visited this great German railway palace on several occasions over the last 20 years and find that it always inspires my photography.
I made these images on a visit in August 1998. All were made on one roll of Ilford HP5 exposed using a Nikon F2.
The Köln Haubtbahnhof is among great European stations featured in my new book Railway Depots, Stations & Terminals published this year by Voyageur Press. Don’t miss out, order your copy today!
http://www.quartoknows.com/books/9780760348901/Railway-Depots-Stations-Terminals.html
Also see my previous post:
http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/2015/08/30/new-book-railway-depots-stations-terminals/
More photos of Köln coming soon!
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Scenery Supreme with MittlerheinBahn
MittlerheinBahn operates modern Siemens-built electric multiple units on all-stops local trains on the picturesque Left Bank route between Köln and Mainz, Germany.
Trains operate on an hourly basis throughout the day, with more frequent services at peak times.
The service is affordable, comfortable and the scenery provides an unending tapestry of wonder.
These trains come at such regular intervals, it would be easy enough to let their passage go undocumented while waiting for more unusual movements, such as freights with colourful engines. But I always try to make the most of all trains.
Over the course of a week I exposed dozens of images of MittlerheinBahn’s trains, often using them as a catalyst for complex scenic compositions. Would these views work if there were no trains in them?
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Modern Day Interurban
On September 3, 2015, I made this photo of an interurban electric from Bonn gliding along the streets of Köln.
The Bonn and Köln tram systems are linked via interurban connections.
One hundred years ago the Bay State Electric Railway was one of the most extensive interurban electric networks in the world. Today it is all but unknown. Yet, Interurban lines survive in Germany.
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German Panorama—Looking Down on Köln.
The KölnTriangle building in Köln Deutz on the east bank of the Rhein offers a magnificent view of the railway bridge and the famous Dom.
A few days ago, Gerry Conmy, Stephen Hirsch, Denis McCabe and I spent about an hour watching the trains here. To the northeast is the Köln Deutz Bahnhof and a maze of related trackage. Beyond is a junction and a yard.
From above, it’s like an enormous model railway.
Photography is challenging because of the plate glass barricades in the roof garden. I largely overcame difficulties with reflections and dirt by using a very wide aperture and holding the camera lens as close as possible to the glass, while shading the camera with my hand.
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Rainbow over the Rhein—September 3, 2015
The sun low on the horizon often provides the most colorful light of the day. It had rained and above the clouds were just thinning, and the sun dropped under for a few minutes.
Denis McCabe and I went down the west bank of the Rhein in Köln, and I made this view of a tram crossing with a fleeting rainbow in the eastern sky.
Yes, there’s a bit of luck involved, but also it helps to recognize when the light is about to get interesting.
ICE at Köln Hbf—September 2, 2015
It’s been a few years since I last visited the Köln Hauptbahnhof.
For the railway photographer it is total sensory overload! Trains come and ago in parallel. There’s almost always something on the move.
Even as I write this the bells of the Dom are chiming.
Lx7 photos exposed September 2, 2015.
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