Diesel Hydraulik Locomotive of the V 160 family

Hi All, 


Derailed Class BR 218 at Hamburg - Rahlstedt in July 2006

When I was onmy way to work at the Airbus Company Warehouse at Hamburg - Fuhlsbüttel close by the Airport, I needed to take a comutter local train from Bargteheide to Hamburg Union Station.

In July 2006, shortly after the football world championship had been started this comutter local train derailed by a "terrorist" attack aigainst the State Railway DB.

The five minutes before passing by through train was not derailed.
From a bridge overpass have three boys thrown an Ironbeam of 350 Kgs onto the railway tracks. When the Federal State Police captured them, they all said, that they would see what will happen if a train derails.

Only the Locomotive derailed, the very strong coupling of the behind six cars was the cause that not more happened. The incoming train was on breaking procedure to reduce the speed and to stop in the station.

We all heard a loud rumbling noise when two signals wer falling down and the Locomotive had been plowing the ballast stones.
I was sitting in first compartment just behind the loco and gave order to other passenger to go immidietly into the next coaches the more back to the trains end the better.
We all had a very big luck that not more happened. Mostly it gives hundreds of death causalities behind the stopped locomotive when the coaches folded themself.

A railway engineer said that by other used couplers the danger of folded cars would be much more higher.
The old "antique" Buffer with Hook and Chain Coupling is in such ways the best.

I made this photo from same position where the local press photographers made their photos, too, until the Hamburg Firebrigade evakuated us from the derailed train.

In the long history of this powerfull Class BR 218 Loco this loco is the last of the V 160 family, which was first built in the early 1960's.
All newer Versions got other Class BR Numbers. Im a not the Expert in this kind of locomotives.

The Station of Hamurg - Rahlstedt is at Km 42 counted from Luebeck.
The loco's fueltank got demadged and around 3500 litres of Diesel run into the ground.