This is a collection of recent and archive footage of railways in and around Dresden. Most of the present day scenes are of trains at or around the vicinity of the Hauptbahnhof, main station, and the nearby Dresden-Neustadt station. These scenes include Class 143-operated double deck push-pull S-Bahn trains, DB and trilex Desiro DMUs, Class 442 Talent EMUs, ICEs, and Czech Class 193 Vectron locos on the Praha–Hamburg EuroCity trains. There are also archive views of international trains to and from Praha changing from a Czech Class 371 to a DB Class 101 TRAXX loco at Dresden Hbf in the 1990s or early 2000s.
One of the major routes to serve the city is the Sachsen-Franken Magistrale between Dresden and Nürnberg via Hof; direct long-distance trains no longer run on this line but here footage shows Class 612 tilting DMUs from the early 2000s on the Franken-Sachsen-Express. Also shown is the present day Class 1440 Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn Talent EMUs on the current Hof–Dresden services.
Freight services form an important part of rail traffic through Dresden; coverage at the Dresden Friedrichstadt freight terminal shows a variety of freight trains hauled by various private operators such as Captrain and Havelländische Eisenbahn. Several of Czech Railways freight arm CD Cargo’s locos are also shown, including the present day Vectrons and the now relatively rare Class 371s and 372s.
Dresden has been a magnet for steam enthusiasts for many years and there is extensive coverage of the annual Dresdner Dampflokfest and the numerous steam specials run in connection with the event. The Dresdner Parkeisenbahn is also featured, along with the nearby narrow gauge steam railways to Kurort Kipsdorf and Radeburg.
The city’s tramways, the Standseilbahn (funicular) and the Bergschwebebahn (inclined suspension railway) are also viewed, along with a visit to the Verkehrsmuseum (transport museum) and the Dresden tram museum, where some of the preserved trams are seen in action. German commentary. 58 minutes running time.