All began early the morning by preparations... It is
necessary to be indeed on that nothing misses there, therefore I checked my Camera,
checked also that I had enough film in the same way (there is such a circulation of trains
that photos follow themselves to a mad cadence) and, over all, not to forget the folder
presenting the TRAINMASTER site....
Seconde surprise, the rate of trains!!!!
More than 100 trains an hour rolling towards all the Germany !!! Cologne is truly a very
important junction town for the DB (German Railways). 
A other important fact is that all the trains leaving Köln to cross the Rhine, heading to
Köln Deutz pass on the imposing Höhenzollern bridge, six track steel bridge stepping
over the Rhine, bordering several streets and building rows before. [<A>]
Indeed, tracks are higher than the streets, as for the South and North stations in
Brussels. Only the cathedral of Cologne (the Germa
ns call her the " Dom "), is roughly on the same level than
tracks ... The station lies under the "Dom"'s Shadow therefore. This Cathedral
was saved miraculously from Allied bombing runs over the City during WWII, whereas city
surroundings were nearly completely destroyed...
I spoke you about the density of the
traffic in this station... Imagine what should be this traffic on a 
monday morning therefore, knowing that my
visit took place one Saturday, and that employees, etc... didn't work therefore,
decreasing the flux of passengers and therefore the number of trains in service... In
spite of all, I had luck, along my four past hours to the extremity of embankments, to see
a crowd of engines and coaches all more beautiful than the others... BB 120, E-111, E-103,
E-110, BB 143 Ex-DR, V-200 diesel engine, 
BR 364 and 290 diesel switchers, pilot coaches
in S-Bahn sheme, and even one of the last-born of the German engines, the E-101, and all
the paint shemes that could be seen... Red with partially white 
front (present DB sheme), red
and cream, blue and cream, all blue, Orange and White S-Bahn sheme, etc... photos can
proof it... The only inconvenience was that the platform's ends were not
sheltered, and I was thus exposed to the sun... And if I tell you that the sun " hit
" toughly (25° celcius minimum), you will imagine the torture for skin and the
throat, especially as I did not remained inactive... I rised, researched the good angle
for a picture, spoken somewhat with the German, Dutchmen and Belgians spotters (Sure, I
met a compatriot), the two cool drink paks that I had bought ins
ide the station and protected of
the sun's heat allowed me to stay three hours on place without leaving my two points of
view situated at the ends of the longest platform of the station.
I left Köln exhausted, but happy, the head full of
memories and my bag full of pictures... The Thalys (the only that reached Liège and,
fortunately for others, that finally continued until Paris) brought back me to 
Liège where I had, as always in case of strike, to
manage to rejoin Ans where someone picked me up with the car. .. The trip to Köln HBF
ended... But whereas I went in at home, my mind was already back in Germany, to
Ahrfeld and Altenahr, on the magnificent line of the Ahr valley, known valley for its
white wine that lets drink itself all only..., goal of my next trip and article (on
trains, not on wine of course) that will be rich in railway building photographs and, if
they always roll, of "silberlinge" coaches...
And Cologne, I'll speak about Her in detail in a next article I'm planning to write in March 200... with a new visit to Köln HBF, a trip to Köln Deutz and a new batch of pictures.
Ricky