The Plandampf "Über'n Buckel" from Saturday September 29 to October 3 2007
was again a last chance, this time on the line from Heilbronn via Sinsheim to Heidelberg. The "Buckel" near Grombach provided decent gradients in both directions. Electric suburban units will take over the service on this line soon.
The operations during the Plandampf event were coordinated by Wolfgang Löckel and Wilfried Byrdus for the Revierdampf-Team, assisted by Marcus Benz. Wolfgang Löckel knows the line from steam days and employed locomotives that represented the common traction in the late 60s and early 70s: 023 042, 023 058 (both 2-6-2), 50 2740 (2-10-0, running in DB number scheme as 052 740) and diesel V 200 033. The passenger trains were composed of matching stock, including mail and parcel coaches. For authentic service on the branch line from Steinsfurt to Ettlingen the "Schienenbus" 798 622 + 998 250 + 998 746 took over from the modern diesel railcars. In addition, the Schienenbus and the class 50 worked scheduled trains on the private SWEG branch lines to Aglasterhausen and Hüffenhardt on Monday and Tuesday. The celebrations 160 Jahre Pfalzbahn at Neustadt / Weinstraße were linked with the Plandampf on Saturday and Sunday by a scheduled RE service from Heilbronn which was extended beyond Mannheim to Neustadt and back.
Initially the Pacific 01 1066 was booked for the RE trains to Neustadt. A few weeks before the event it turned out that this engine could not be transfered in time from a special at the same weekend. Therefore, it was replaced by 01 533 – not an authentic locomotive on the Sinsheim line because the Reko 01 worked on East German tracks, but at least a Pacific. More stress for the organisers appeared as 50 2740 from the Ulmer Eisenbahnfreunde had its date for boiler examination shifted more and more towards the Plandampf. The staff at Ettlingen did their best and worked night shifts. Saturday morning it was clear that the 50 had passed its boiler examination the day before, but would not arrive in Heilbronn that day in time for its first Plandampf service. The dispatcher from Revierdampf decided at short notice to operate the photo freight with vintage diesel locomotive 212 084 and keep the timetable, to prevent the photographers along the line from waiting for frustration. The V100 diesel was received quite well – that loco was common in the 70s, and opportunities to get it on a photo train are perhaps even more rare than steam trains.
While the Plandampf trains were most authentic, time could not be turned back in reality. As the V100 waited at Hoffenheim level crossing with its empty cars recreating a sugar beet train, a lorry plus trailer loaded with sugar beet passed on the street, holding up the traffic on the main road. Along the line the new cables for signalling were already in place, and some of the stations were already modernised. However, it might have been worse if the civil construction unit of German Railways would not have kept their promise to clear up the construction sites during the Plandampf, and not remove the semaphores before the event.
The local politicians and the vice minister of transport in Rheinland Pfalz appeared on the scene on Saturday to sign a contract on the modernisation of the railways in the Kraichgau area. The local railway operator hired another Plandampf train for proper transport of the guests from Heidelberg to Sinsheim, at short notice, hauled by 38 3199 (4-6-0). Not surprisingly for the railway enthusiasts, the camera team from ZDF state broadcast then focussed on the steam locomotive rather then the official party. They missed another small sensation as on Monday the first Plandampf train with an all-female footplate crew worked from Heilbronn to Grombach.
Each participant should have had a chance to get his/her favourite photo or video shot during the event. The weather was perfect from Saturday to Monday, at least. The trains performed on time. Delays occurred only due to the large number of passengers waiting at the platforms. The publicity effect of the Plandampf was inevitable. For example, the Kindergarten at Siegelsbach made a bargain steam trip: four normal tickets for the teachers, and 20 children below 6 travelling for free. It will be difficult to get more fun for less money. It is hoped for the SWEG that the enthusiasm among the local population will help the line to Hüffenhardt to survive.
With respect to the financial aspects, Plandampf remains a very uncertain business. Even with more than 500 participants the participant fees covered just more than 50 percent of the operating costs, which amount to about 100.000 Euros. The missing funds were gained from ticket sales and subsidies from the local train operators. The operating costs do not include staff costs, because almost every job in the Plandampf - loco driver, conductor, coach cleaner, catering services etc. – were covered by volunteers. They had no easy task, taking the responsibility for safe operations during an event with exceptional numbers (and behaviour) of travellers. With no volunteers the costs for the Plandampf would have increased by another 100.000 Euros, making the event simply impossible.
