Helmstedt 1970-71
Eisenbahn am Zonengrenz
From 1945 until 1990, Helmstedt lay on the border between two Germanys,
and served as a border crossing point between East Germany and West
Germany, and also between the Soviet Zone of Occupation and the joined
Western Zones of the United States, France, and Britian. On the Autobahn, Alpha Checkpoint led the triplet that included Bravo Checkpoint at Dreilinden, the other end of the Autobahn corridor to West Berlin, and Checkpoint Charlie, between West and East Berlin.
On the Railroad, Helmstedt was also a border station, though it must have been less obvious to casual viewers.
(Ich bitte um sachliche und gramatische Korrekturen.)
A class 01 Pacific of the East German "Deutsche Reichsbahn" leaves Helmstedt behind as it heads toward the border.
The same train as above, with the locomotive very near the actual line of the border. I am watching from Bundesstraße 1, which ends a few dozen meters to the east. When it was Reichstraße 1, it extended from Aachen, on the Belgian border, to Königsberg, in East Prussia.
A class 41 Mikado arrives in Helmstedt with a train from the East. Its train will head West from Helmstedt behind a West German "Deutsche Bundesbahn" diesel locomotive, while the 41 will be turned on the turntable and eventually take another train east -- probably a freight, the primary duty of the 41 class.
A class 03 light Pacifics; the heavier class 01 had larger boilers, and filled their profile more. The 03 was the more common passenger power from the East.
The same 41 as above. The boiler is the same design as the 03 light Pacific, though the domes in these two examples differ.
Does anyone know who these two German railfans are?
As an American soldier, I felt it might be a problem for the East German crews if I tried to talk to them, so I steered clear of them, and in this case did not inroduce myself to the railfans eaither.
Four class 50 Decapods of the "hometown" DB show their distinctive "cabin" tenders, while the DR "visitor" shows off its large pre-war style smoke deflectors. The 01 2029-5 here is almost certainly the same loco as in the first two pictures.
Note the little metal signs with pointed tops fastened to the far handrail on the turntable. These marked where to position the cab of the different classes of steam loco in order to be well balanced lengthwise on the table. The long white object to their right is a light fixture with a flourescent light tube.
The turntable operator's position is unencombered by cabin or other shelter. There is simply a stand with a brake handle on one side: push forward to move one way, pull back to move the other way, or to stop the table when aligned. I think maybe the lower stand is simply light switches. I believe there is a second lever on the control stand for latching into alignment with the selected track. I do not remember whether this turntable was operated by steam or compressed air, but I believe it was not electric powered.
I added this photo mostly to complete the "tour" and show the second DR class 118 B-B diesel-hydraulic, but it also shows the turntable pit rail, rectangular latching points, and the track labels painted on the inside of the concrete pit. These of course would have been offset, so as to be visible from the operators position at the opposite end of the turntable. A little metal arrow stuck out in an L to allow the markings to be used for accurate positioning, with the latching mechanism having a tapered tip to provide final adjustment.
Another 03 visitor being tended to before leaving again. Note the check-digit for the "computer numbering." During this period, the DR was still in the process of renumbering, and some locomotives had old numbers, some new.
This rather ugly and European loooking beast actually has the heart and soul of American ancestors: The design was developed from roots in the Alco RS-1 road switchers sent to Russia during World War II. To American railfans, the sound was pure Alco, and these locomotives continued to be able to surprise and disconcert if they came up from behind. The sound and the distinctive round radiator fan opening on the roof were the only external clues of their history, but someday I hope to be able to poke around inside one of the preserved examples.
A lovely pair of VT 08 railcar sets, or DB class 613 under the new numbers. These may have arrived as a joined pair, then been split to handle different schedules back West. I have a few more VT 08 pictures to add in a future revision.
Two three-unit VT 08 sets on the Bahndamm just to the west of Helmstedt, toward Königslutter. Those are Rüben, or sugar beets, in the foreground. Na ja, es kommt wieder Heimweh. Schade, daß die Rübenverkehr ganz entgleist ist und die restliche VT 08 mit Flügelräder entschmükt sind.
The DB class 624 shared duties with the VT 08 in 1970, and may have replaced them by 1971 ("The memory is the second thing to go"). Is it true that the 624 still hasn't been commercially modelled in N scale? Sigh. The station administration building is on the right.
A three unit set of Uerdinger-built DB class 798 railbus and trailers leads a three unit set of MAN-built private railway railbus and trailers into Helmstedt from the Schöningen line (note the different profiles).
The MANs, property of the Hornburger Eisenbahn, but in service on the DB, reverse through the yard throat to get to the stub track next to the station. Note the markings on the turntable pit wall where there are no tracks -- each track was also marked opposite,
The MAN railbus set is now on the same stub track as the 624, and the left hand VT 08, a few pictures back. The track disappearing to the left leads to the turntable, but most turntable traffic went past it to the West, then came back in from that side. Note the VT 08 here in the distance, just in front of the 50 Kab.
Nicht nur für Stimmung, ... but maybe mostly for mood after all ...
I spent a lot of time parked here, with books, magazines, and snacks, to while away an hour or two before or after duty at Alpha Checkpoint or the RTO, which is behind the paltform canopy, and hidden by smoke just to the right of the Bahnhof, which is at the left edge of the picture.
Is there anyone out there who would like to join me again in the Bahnhofsgäststette for a Wurst und Salat (Summer) or Wirst und Suppe (Winter), while waiting for the Duty Trains with the mail bags for our detachments in Wobeck and Helmstedt.
This isn't the only shot I have that shows a DB class 220 in Helmstedt, but I'll have to go back through my pictures again. It seems to me that this shot, and the one above, to which it adjoins with only a small gap, are more than worth sharing, for mood, for relationship to the town, or just for old time's sake.
I added this as a counter to those who say that "serious model railroaders shouldn't have beer cars on their layouts." I'm here to tell you that they did exist, and it was indeed possible to photograph ein Bierwagen am Ladestraße.
This picture also shows the hillside where I often parked, and took the two pictures above, through gaps in the trees.
I would welcome correction of any errors of fact or grammer at the contact addresses provided below.
Out of sheer laziness, I have just slapped the German text together without shame and following the rule of "when in doubt, umlaut."
There are more pictures, and I will eventually find them and get them posted -- hopefully a snit more quickly than these, which I promised in 1999.
I would very much appreciate "now" photographs to create "then and now" pairs.
Ich möchte besonders auch Bilder von der Wagendrehscheibe und dazustehende Anlagen neben Güterschuppen, die die Kleinfabrik gegenüber die Straße diente.
The standard gauge freight cars were carried from this small turntable to the factory courtyard by being loaded pggyback on a dedicated transporter that ran on rails embedded in the cobblestones. The rusty out-of-service parts of this operation could still be seen in 1971.
Who?
I arrived in Germany in March 1970, and was assigned to the 42d MP Group (Customs), Detachment B, Bremerhaven. In August 1970, and from August to December 1971, I was in Helmstedt, where Det B had a small subsection. In the fall of 1971, that was SGT Michael K. Matson, SGT Alan B. Winston, and SGT What's-his-name, who was technically in charge, so had to take most of the blame.We had good friends among our hosts Berlin Brigade's Helmstedt Detachment, among a rather strange group known as "Det K, Wobeck," and among the civilian community in and around Helmstedt. I wish I remembered all your names and had all your addresses -- please drop me a note! For recognition purposes, I share the only picture I have of myself in Helmstedt (I'm sure laws for protection of stone age artifacts were being broken).
Eventually I hope to also create pages for pictures from the Bremerhaven area, as well as from duty trips I took to other parts of Germany.
Links
(All responsibility for content of linked web pages is entirely that of their owners; URLs are provided only as a convenience; no endorsement is intended.)Duty Trains at Yahoo Groups is an interest group devoted to the military Duty trains operated between West Berlin and the West by France (West Berlin - Strasbourg), Britain (West Berlin - Braunschweig), and the US (West Berlin - Frankfurt, West Berlin - Bremerhaven, and an additional route Bremerhaven - Frankfurt). The group includes an optional email list and a place to share pictures, files, and web links. At this point it is still in its birth pangs, but may end up amounting to more than a 1999 effort did.
AKESON, or "Arbeitskreis
Eisenbahngeschichte Südostniedersachsen" is devoted to the railways of the area including Helmstedt, and has a web page, as well as a mailing list.
AlphaBhf is the Helmstedt part of an extensive web site about "Berlin 69" and the Duty Trains.
Grenzlos is a memorial site about the Helstdet border crossing.
Det Wobeck Page and Rochell Software Engineering - Wobeck are a couple of pages on Det K, Wobeck
Where's the Helmstedt Detachment page? Here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HelmDet ?
Schimmel or Bell and Hammer, is a German game I find interesting, but otherwise has nothing in particular to do with Helmstedt.
Aspergers Syndrome is not necessarily unrelated to an unusually intense interest in trains (AS Characteristics). [Deutsch: Asperg-Syndrom]
PTSD is not necessarily unrelated to an unusually intense interest in certain episodes of one's life. [Deutsch:
Post-traumatische Belastungsstörung]
Contact
I would welcome contact, regarding anything having to do with topics discussed above, however indirectly, atawinston@scn.org
or via Duty Trains at Yahoo Groups,
or if you cut and paste and remove the spaces, at
al br wi @ ya hoo . com
Postal mail may be sent to:
Alan Winston
8353 29th Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98117
USA
Text and images Copyright (c) Alan Winston
All rights reserved