Organizing a Plandampf is a challenge these days. Two weeks before the deadline for subscriptions, the number of bookings was very low, but then a rush started, and finally more then 300 participants paid their contributions so costs were covered.
While funds were secured, the museum diesel loco 212 084 suffered from a broken gear a few days before the event. To substitute the diesel its diagrams were changed to steam traction, with locos released from double headers. A few hours before the Plandampf on Friday evening, the 064 491 from Ebermannstadt could not be moved to location as lines near its home base were closed over night. Next day it failed en route early in the morning. At short notice the 39 3199 from Heilbronn was arranged for substitute, being towed with an electric to Seckach while steaming up. The Prussian P8 replaced the 064 491 from Sunday on.
The Plandampf started on Friday Sept. 30 in Heilbronn with a loco parade in front of the shed. Then the entire rolling stock for the Plandampf was transferred to Seckach in a single train: electric 141 228, steam locomotives 023 042, 023 058, 064 419, twenty vintage coaches, 10 freight cars and several staff cars, 650 meters in total. With substantial support from the local train operator Westfrankenbahn, that material was used to convert all scheduled trains on the branch line between Miltenberg and Walldürn to steam traction over the weekend September 30 and October 1st. Only a class 218 diesel for standby duties in Walldürn did not fit into the perfect scene of the early 70s.
The weather over the weekend was better then expected from the forecast: a lot of sunshine on Saturday, and some blue spots in the sky on Sunday as well. From sound and sight, the steam workings up the grades to Walldürn from both ends of the line offered a splendid performance. The trains operated well to schedule. The few delays on Saturday were caused by locos being serviced in Walldürn between duties with dense diagram due to the absence of 064 491.
On Sunday the trains were packed with people up to 150% of normal capacity, and several late departures were caused by travellers no longer used to doors that have to be closed manually. The Plandampf was a big success with the local population. Even teenagers joined the party as their evening train to the disco turned out a steam train, with windows to open, smoke and sparks outside, and techno tunes from the class 64 at the top of the train.
An Monday the sky was overcast. The prominent feature of the day was scheduled semi-fast train RE 4921 steam hauled from Miltenberg to Crailsheim, where stock continued after a short stop as scheduled RE 19728 to Heilbronn. This made a total of 219 Kilometres real Plandampf for loco 023 058, attracting many dedicated steam riders. The train recovered from an early delay arriving Bad Mergentheim almost in time. Then the fire in the loco went bad on the Vorbach ramp, low steam pressure, extended stops to brew up, the train arrived at Heilbronn more than an hour late. After attention in Heilbronn shed the loco, coaches and travellers returned to Lauda by special working, with a splendid performance of 023 058 over the grades at Osterburken. On that final leg of the excursion, steam showed that it is able to cope with current RE schedules, if it gets another chance.
For the last day of the Plandampf the weather forecast promised no good. In fact the torrential rain on this public holiday October 3rd seemed to concentrate on the area between Lauda and Crailsheim. Many participants braved the rain and waited for the photo train doubleheaded by class 23 under umbrellas or car roofs. Due to the wet air the railway enthusiasts witnessed something they missed in the hot weather of the previous May 2005 Plandampf: mighty steam clouds above the railway tracks in Hohenlohe.
