About the vibrations: The ICE 1 was once "upgraded" with tyres that were reducing vibration in the coaches. However, in 1998, there was a huge accident at Eschede where hundreds of people died because one of these "upgraded tyres" peeled itself off. It then got into a chain reaction and the train crashed into a bridge, only one coach was not totally damaged. Since then, the ICE 1s are going again with their original tyres, more vibration but more safety too. The ICE 2, 3, T and 4 are using a whole different type of tyres again
Despite a couple shortcomings like vibrations and poor wi-fi, that is still an impressive train with a 700 passenger capacity, a true dining car and a train manager's office. The interior was good looking and restful. All in all a good trip at a great bargain price, especially since you travelled almost the complete north-south length of Germany.
Plus, you can’t rally blame the DB for the bad wifi since it’s probably just connected to a cellular router and Germany is known for notoriously bad cell coverage especially in rural areas. Sometimes when I go on trips along major rail lines my calls get disconnected because the providers/government can’t even provide the most basic coverage along the lines.
@@hugonottmayr yes, the wifi is due to bad cell coverage. It is getting better though, DB is partnering with various providers to build better internet infrastructure around the rail network, but that's still gonna take some time. On the ICE 1 i especially like the seats, they're way more comfortable than the seats from the new ICE 4 (when they introduced the ICE 4 in 2017 they had much worse seats than now, they've all been swapped due to passenger complaints lol). Pricing is also getting better and better, with special fares for travelers aged 18-27 and my "BahnCard" i can book (off-peak) ICE rides for as low as 9€, that's amazing!
The WIFI test really doesn't say much. It always depends on the internet connection, how many people are also using WIFI on board and the speed of the train. The train itself works like a big "mobile phone" which means that it's always like using your mobile data on your own phone except you have to share it with everyone on board who is using WIFI too. Since the train is travelling at over 250 km/h and faster mobile internet cells are smaller than slower ones, the train is too fast for using 5G or even 4G at some point because the train is exiting a mobile phone cell right after it even got the connection.
we got rid of vibrations. But that ended badly in this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschede_train_disaster. After the Eschede train disaster DB switched back all ice 1 trains to monoblock Wheels. wich means the resonance of trackwear can vibrate the train again.
I love the characteristic "hump" of the BordRestaurant car of the ICE 1s! They're very reminiscent of the lounge car on Amtrak's long distance routes with the amount of light they let in.
They were designed to be skylights, but originally they had to block them off since the appliances required more space than intended. They only got freed up on a later redesign/refit.
The far-reaching views over the forests and the landscape, which are presented to the active viewer from the numerous large viaducts of the high-speed line from Hanover to Würzburg, make the trip in summer something special. These impressive "low flights" make it easy to get over the enormous amount of tunnels on the route. Thank you for capturing these impressions in this beautiful report about the ICE 1 on its parade route.
Fun fact: when delivered these trains had seat back TVs. These were removed during refurbishment. One set was also sent to the United States in a short formation in the early 1990s where it toured the country to promote Siemens and high speed rail before entering service on Amtrak’s Metroliner. It is rumored to have set an unofficial North American speed record while on test: the official record remains 170.8 MPH though this has been broken unofficially by both the old and new Acelas. Siemens did not win the bid and Amtrak ended up with custom made high speed trains by Bombardier that are soon to be replaced by new Alstom Avelia trains that are basically a down to the power cars and articulation.
Not all seats were equipped with in-Seat-Screens. In 2nd class only the car beneath the power cars was equipped with video screens. But all seats had in-seat-audio/radio. But this was also removed together with the video screens. They introduced the new seats from 3rd gen. ICE which instead had power sockets in each pair of seats.
they also had an onboard radio with up to 9 stations. where you either got audiobooks, music in a loop or local stations of the region you're passing through. Station 3 was always the one for children with a changing program each month with audiobooks for kids. I think those are still available in the ICE 3 trains.
Funfact: The little Red-White Hut you could see from your window at the biginning is Part of the AutoZug-Facility (litraly translates to "CarTrain"). Where DB offered car shuttle services to the south. It is still in use with some ÖBB Nightjet services. The interesting thing about Hamburg-Altona is that for the car shuttles they actually would fence of part of the station concourse and you would drive your car into the station. You actually can see the car loading docks at 1:44 (the yellow ramps on the right).
It's Ingolstadt, not Inglostadt... 😅 Nice review though! Amazing that you actually did arrive on time!! That Hamburg to München line really is THE original high speed line in Germany. You can tell that it was designed before reunification as it makes quite a detour around what was then East Germany. A route from Hannover via Magdeburg and Erfurt would be much more direct but of course now lacks the high speed line which makes it much slower. However a new high speed line opened between Erfurt and Nürnberg 5 years ago. You should definitely check it out some day as it runs through the Thüringer Wald mountain range which means it's almost completely either on bridges or in tunnels.
Just some thoughts which came to mind watching your video. I was using the ICE from day one on my tour from Hannover to Kiel when being a student - gosh, were are these years. 1. I remember the biggest complaint when the train was introduced: many (most?) toilets on board not working properly. The flush was not strong enough to … make things disappear correctly. 2. On your way from Hamburg to Hannover you passed Eschede, where that terrible derailment of an ICE 1 happened with as far as I remember 101 fatalities. 3. That accident was caused by newly introduced wheels after complaints about vibrations. Afterwards they returned to the old wheels and accepted vibrations to a certain degree as you noticed. I hope my memories were accurate. Correct me if I was wrong.
Regarding the terrible derailment there is usually more than one thing that causes an accident. In this case they were, from memory :- 1. The design of the new wheels had an elastomer sandwich under the steel `tyre' to dampen vibrations, this meant that the steel tyres were not sufficiently supported (for their thickness) and over time cracks appeared in the tyres. 2. The Service shedule had not been kept to. Had the tyres been inspected in a timely manner the defects would almost certainly have been noticed and the accident prevented.
@@Martindyna The problem with 2: there were some microcracs, which were not a concern at this time. So even though they inspected them, they didn`t find them, because you need special equipment for that.
@@michaelz.7140 Thanks. Take a look at `Eschede derailment' on Wikipedia for some interesting but disturbing reading (it appears that the uploader doesn't allow links in the Comments section).
If I can remember correctly they did have the correct equipment for the microcrack detection but the maintenance didn't trust that equipment because it was prone to erroneous readings.
at least with the uk, you have railways. in the us we dont have them for passengers where they are actually good for going between citys. and even some of our best regional rails are still pretty bad.
Previous long distance trips in Germany have led me to believe there's a new time zone, GIST (German Intercity Standard Time). This is approximately 5 mins behind Central European Time in the morning, about 10 by midday, and a flexible amount by the evening. To be fair, Germany has a complex interconnecting network with multiple major cities, so cumulative delays soon stack up. They're good with customer service when it comes to missed connections though in my experience.
In 2022, I would say not much of pracical service is remaining in case of delay: very low chance to find helpful staff. On the other hand, they are rather lenient at ticket checks; if you were delayed you can just take a later train, even on a trainbound ticket.
Travelled a few times on these amazing comfortable trains the first class is great nothing in the UK compares to these trains travelling first class on a cross country voyager is no better than being on a bus
I have always found the ICEs to be good timekeepers, the ICs less so. These 401s are due to be refurbished despite their age which should give a better ride. DB has a massive backlog of improvements to the system but funding is being made available to enable these to be carried out. Enjoyable video.
Thank you for an excellent review. I too find the ICE 1 is still an excellent train, and Deutsche Bahn are now going to refurbish those units again ! Whilst the riding quality can be indifferent, the seat comfort, particularly in 1st Class is great. The on board service is also wonderful, and I do like the original Bord restaurant cars !
Great video. Nuremberg is also famous for being the home of the artist Albrecht Dürer - his house is now a museum - and for its huge Christmas market. It's an unjustly-neglected German city and well worth a visit!
But Nürnberg should be better known for its old castle, Christmas market, Lebkuchen, Bratwurst, Germanic national museum, toy museum, home of Albrecht Dürer, and of course the Meistersinger Church where I was baptized. And that’s just the start.
Thanks for the great video, this reminds me to use my Bahncard points to upgrade one of my next long distance journeys to 1st class and experience this for myself again!
Thank you - when I worked in Germany I often commuted from Hannover to Frankfurt and back every morning in one of these. That advance ticket is insane value if you can plan far enough ahead.
Ive travelled on ICE 1's many times and always enjoyed them, particularly the restaurant ! Yours may have been due for a wheel turn hence the vibration. Great channel. Ron
Fun fact. (the platform at) Hamburg Altona is car accessible. This is done for car trains to holidays destinations (i.e. the Alps and Italy). You can see the car ramps in your footage.
The high ceiling in the dining car makes this one of the nicest restaurant cars ever. Traveled these with my family in the first year of operation 1991. Will miss them as they are scheduled to be replaced soon.
Not that soon. With the partial refurbishment going on currently, and sets being shortened to nine cars (+ power cars), I think they still have at least five more years left.
@@derriegel5705 Yeah, 2030 was floating around my mind too, but I wasn't sure anymore. I'm certainly not against it though, the ICE 1 has held up amazingly well and is my favourite ICE overall.
Some trivia: As your video starts, thats the car loading station. when the loading of the cars begins, you drive with your car trough the station on to the train.
Enjoyed the trip down through Germany. Also nice for you to have a traveling companion to share the adventures with 😊. Am glad to see some glimpses of her and hope she gradually features a bit more 😃. Travel on!!!!
Great video as always Dylan. That ticket price seems exceptional value for the distance, journey length & for being in first class! Try finding a similar length & distance journey here in the UK for anything remotely close to that! 😂
I'll tell you exactly what I thought Dylan 😁😁I think for a train that is nearly 30 years old I would pay 4 times the price you paid. It just makes me wonder why we have to put up with the rubbish we have in this country and the prices we pay. No wonder German trains are so extensively used and that, one assumes, is a good part of the reason the lucky German travellers get these services and prices. When will we Brits look and take heed of other countries practices? So nice to see you travel with your young lady. I assume you takes these trips as extended weekend breaks or short holidays? Thanks Dylan. Most enjoyable as always. Cheers, Bob
That looked decent enough from what I saw, and it's very rare to find a train with enough seating for everyone (at least in the UK). Maybe the UK train operators should take a page of DB's books, and use 12 car trains as standard instead of the pathetic 4 and 5 car services often found! The facilities also looked to be good - and you rarely see trains now with compartment style seating.
Thanks for mentioning vibrations at high speeds. When Amtrak was test driving ICE 1 on NEC in the 90's the ride was horrific, thanks to minimally maintained U. S. tracks...the same tracks responsible for rough riding Acela Express - less than high speed - trains.
The Acelas are rough riding because they’re bad. I’ve had numerous Acelas with busted airbags that ride significantly worse than an Amfleet. Hopefully track upgrades and new trains will help.
@@JBS319 I was conductor on Acela Express for 15 years before retiring and I am very familiar with the chronic mechanical and construction failures. Train crews hate them. Still Amfleet equipment would ride much smoother if tracks were maintained up to European standards. I know how long it takes for Amtrak to fix a simple pothole that can require reduced speeds for months.
As someone who loves OMSI bus simulator. It's so good to see Hambung Altona for real. I feel like I have driven there many times. That was an amazing game. 🙂
For being 30 years old, it looks very modern & edgy. Finally a train with a nice wide aisle!. The onboard restaurant reminded me of the one in White Xmas. Rather 1950ish. I was rather disappointed in the lack of scenery. Germany looks so built up. I barely got to see any open spaces. On board I much preferred the open car seating to those closed up little compartments. They would make me feel claustrophobic. If travelling with a small child, I could understand the need. The roomy seats in the open saloon seemed to be the way to go. Enjoy your weekend. See you on Monday.
Not all of Germany looks like that. Sadly, most parts of the route this train operates on are boring and less scenic (except the cities where this service stopped) than for example the linke Rheinstrecke between Cologne and Mainz. But if you wanna travel at high speeds, you have to take these shortcomings.
Noticeable that trackside graffiti in Germany outdoes that in the UK. In comparison the UK has hardly any! Not sure of the service post pandemic but there used to be excellent restaurant car service on the ECML. Over the years I have enjoyed many good meals on trains in the UK - but I am going back to the days of the Pullman services on the ECML 😊😀 In comparison to the UK the ticket price is outstanding value! (and yes - my three journeys on ICEs have always been late!
The 1s had excellent, deep, comfy seats when new. They now have the same, less substantial ones found in later generation sets. Altona may be pegged back at some point, but it's basically a siding stroke reverse facility for Hbf. Imagine if everything terminated there! It's mad enough as it is with dangerously overcrowded platforms at peak times. Lots of sets don't run to the depot, rather come into Altona and go straight back out again. Train cleaning (occasionally) happens on route. Altona also hosts all but a handful of NOB services up to the far north. Not many of these take the curve into Hbf.
This was a great video, but just a few comments here, first of all I think you should have boarded at hamburg hbf because it is much nicer than hamburg-altona and its also more of a hamburg icon, and maybe also done some trip reports of their ubahn or sbahn services and taken some videos for sightseeing
Thanks for actually having a voice over in your videos, unlike so many others! If you had to choose between ICE 1 or ICE 4 for a long trip (Frankfurt to Kiel), what would you choose for second class and for first class?
That's amazing value, lovely train, and looks very clean and comfortable, really want to experience a long journey and the restaurant brilliant food looks good, nice Hungarian goulash my favorate.
People complain about DB's terrible track record with delays but in my experience it's not exceptionally bad. I've travelled a lot in Germany and I reckon about 1 in 4 trains were delayed, while only about 1 in 6 or 7 trains were badly delayed. Compared to other countries, that's not so bad.
those trains look fantastic, was nice to see your other half in the videos too Dylan, hopefully she’s in a few more videos. the food looked fantastic too, although at those speeds i hope you were holding onto that beer!
Nice ride on an oldie😍 I was wondering if that Dome carriage seen at 22:02 is an ancient Adümh101 (one of the five ever built) refurbished. It intrigued me
It's a refurbished and overworked Wagon from RailAdventure. This trailer can apparently be rented for special events and trips. They own some very special vehicles. They even have 2 HST 125 Locomotives
@@ender8850 thanks. I was reading about Luxon, the private rail operator who provides the service and indeed it is a refurbished Dome car of the 1960's, one of the five still remaining
I found the Ice 1 very smooth in comparison to the newest Ice 3 neo I travelled Frankfurt to Montabaur on the Cologne - Frankfurt High-speed line and I must say that I would have loved the comfort of the Ice 1 on there because after the trip Ice 3 neo my butt was hurting and you felt every gradient change and rattle along the way
@@corenaticzzic4455 Btw, if you really felt everything during that ride, the chance for the train having a Flachstelle is really high, because the ICE 3 normally doesn't rattle. And feeling every gradient change on that route is normal, you'll feel it on every train that operates there (DB Br 403, 406, 407 and 412) because the line itself is so steep (40‰ max).
@@velarod3961 I mean every train ICE train rattles at such high speeds but this was the worst ride ever on that route and I travel that route a lot I mean yes you feel the gradient changing everytime but it felt like jumping over a hill with a race car...
Probably someone pointed it out already, but as sad as it is, the train was not built exclusively by Siemens. It was a consortium of Kraus Maffei (Car exterior), Kraus Maffei, Krupp Maschinentechnik and Thyssen Henschel for the rest (Boogies, Interior etc.) except the electrical components; they were delivered by ABB, AEG and Siemens.
The vibrations at high speed occur because the ICE-trains were originally designed and used different wheels with rubberpads. After a train crash in 1998 where one of the wheels disintegrated at a speed of approximately 200 km/h DB decided to exchange them for steel monoblock wheels which reduced ride comfort. I think the suspension wasn't redesigned because it wasn't worth the money. For anyone with further interest in the train crash google fro the Eschede train crash. Warning upfront: it is the worst train crash in recent German history with 101 people killed.
i love the first class in these older ICE & IC coaches; whilst i do like the new modern design of the ICE4, you get less legroom and it feels more "plastic-y" than the first class of the older ICE's.
The vibrations you've mentioned is because they use the original wheelset, in 90s that is also the same issue, the ICE 1 was placed with dual block wheels which it removed its vibrations, however it later came into a big flaw because dual block wheels are only used for light rail, not high speed trains, üstra warned DB not to use the dual block wheels after cracks on such wheel on their trams, but DB never listened to, which caused the derailment at Eschede, and since the tragedy happened, the dual block wheels were never used again, replaced with the original ones, and these vibrations are considered acceptable... also the ICE 1 is in the process of a refurbishment, this time, they removed one first class coach and three standard class coaches and full exterior and interior refurbishment/upgrade
I live near Munich and my grandparents live on an island in the North Sea. So I am doing this journey once a year for the laste 20 years. the maximum delay we had where 20 minutes. and I think that's great considering the whole trip takes 12 hours
Fun Fact: the "Bordrestaurant" in the ICE costs more money than it is generating, but DB still operates it, because there are a lot of customers which likes the restaurant.
They actually had a shortened ICE 1 tour the US at one point, and Americans HATED the open saloon seating because they would sit face-to-face with strangers. Also, since the ICE 1 power cars are technically series 120 locomotives you can occasionally spot them "ferrying" on their own, which is a really odd sight. The interior has been replaced several times over the trains' lifespan, which explains the more modern look. A main improvement is the Bord-Restaurant, which now has skylights (as initially designed) as smaller appliances no longer require the added space below the raised roof of the car. The restaurant was kinda the cause for the infamous Eschede-disaster, as early trains had uncomfortable vibrations that made glasses "wander off tables" in the restaurant, something the DB rushed (too much) to fix. After the accident they reverted the changes that caused the accident, but in return some of the vibrations returned. The most recent "redesign" is meant to give them a service life at least into the 2030s, outliving some of the younger ICEs (most notably, ALL the tilting-diesel-ICE-sets were recently scrapped). Their disadvantage is that they can't run multi-tractions, so their capacity is less flexible (especially now with shortened ICE 1 in service). This was mended with the Mk2 trains. (Side note: It's ingOLstadt, not ingLOstadt)
Great Trip report your final destination and the previous city are the homes of Audi and BMW. Which would’ve been worth mentioning for Ingolstadt That’s coming from someone who is really into cars Even though I know you’re not really a car based channel that’s definitely a useful fact
As usual, Dylan. Another fantastic video. The train is a real beauty despite how old it is. This train and part route is now available on Train Sim World 2. Good to see your girlfriend. I am sure she has a name. Keep up with the excellent work.
Great video Dylan, nailed this format so much better than the old non-narrated ones. Minor comment just a bit of comment on the end scenes makes it a review and a travelogue. Possible sponsorships there.
For a 30 year old train it still looks quite modern. To me all the ICE trains seem to have a bit of a timeless styling to them which is good when you're running several generations of trains at the same time.
they have been refurbished at least 2 times... the only thing they didn`t change was the luggage rack with the reading lights... they changed the seats - at least 2 times, they installed wooden panels (before it was a greenish color)
Did I miss that sequence? I saw Rexine seats and Formica table tops in the style of BR in the 1950s. The saloons were another matter entirely. They looked superb and I did not miss the ironing board seat backs of the UK Hitachis, Stadlers, Clas 800s etc.
![[#2024MAMA] G-DRAGON - 무제(Untitled, 2014)+POWER+HOME SWEET HOME+뱅뱅뱅+FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ox29z5Nf1Uk/mqdefault.jpg)
About the vibrations: The ICE 1 was once "upgraded" with tyres that were reducing vibration in the coaches. However, in 1998, there was a huge accident at Eschede where hundreds of people died because one of these "upgraded tyres" peeled itself off. It then got into a chain reaction and the train crashed into a bridge, only one coach was not totally damaged. Since then, the ICE 1s are going again with their original tyres, more vibration but more safety too. The ICE 2, 3, T and 4 are using a whole different type of tyres again
The ICE 1 has definitely aged quite well aesthetically. Still looks sleek and modern even at 30 years old!
...and better than our "modern" 800 series.
@@davidfinch5062 and I think more modern
They've done well to keep them in the same livery all this time.
Despite a couple shortcomings like vibrations and poor wi-fi, that is still an impressive train with a 700 passenger capacity, a true dining car and a train manager's office. The interior was good looking and restful. All in all a good trip at a great bargain price, especially since you travelled almost the complete north-south length of Germany.
Plus, you can’t rally blame the DB for the bad wifi since it’s probably just connected to a cellular router and Germany is known for notoriously bad cell coverage especially in rural areas. Sometimes when I go on trips along major rail lines my calls get disconnected because the providers/government can’t even provide the most basic coverage along the lines.
@@hugonottmayr yes, the wifi is due to bad cell coverage. It is getting better though, DB is partnering with various providers to build better internet infrastructure around the rail network, but that's still gonna take some time. On the ICE 1 i especially like the seats, they're way more comfortable than the seats from the new ICE 4 (when they introduced the ICE 4 in 2017 they had much worse seats than now, they've all been swapped due to passenger complaints lol). Pricing is also getting better and better, with special fares for travelers aged 18-27 and my "BahnCard" i can book (off-peak) ICE rides for as low as 9€, that's amazing!
The WIFI test really doesn't say much. It always depends on the internet connection, how many people are also using WIFI on board and the speed of the train. The train itself works like a big "mobile phone" which means that it's always like using your mobile data on your own phone except you have to share it with everyone on board who is using WIFI too. Since the train is travelling at over 250 km/h and faster mobile internet cells are smaller than slower ones, the train is too fast for using 5G or even 4G at some point because the train is exiting a mobile phone cell right after it even got the connection.
we got rid of vibrations. But that ended badly in this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschede_train_disaster. After the Eschede train disaster DB switched back all ice 1 trains to monoblock Wheels. wich means the resonance of trackwear can vibrate the train again.
I love the characteristic "hump" of the BordRestaurant car of the ICE 1s! They're very reminiscent of the lounge car on Amtrak's long distance routes with the amount of light they let in.
They were designed to be skylights, but originally they had to block them off since the appliances required more space than intended. They only got freed up on a later redesign/refit.
The far-reaching views over the forests and the landscape, which are presented to the active viewer from the numerous large viaducts of the high-speed line from Hanover to Würzburg, make the trip in summer something special. These impressive "low flights" make it easy to get over the enormous amount of tunnels on the route. Thank you for capturing these impressions in this beautiful report about the ICE 1 on its parade route.
Fun fact: when delivered these trains had seat back TVs. These were removed during refurbishment. One set was also sent to the United States in a short formation in the early 1990s where it toured the country to promote Siemens and high speed rail before entering service on Amtrak’s Metroliner. It is rumored to have set an unofficial North American speed record while on test: the official record remains 170.8 MPH though this has been broken unofficially by both the old and new Acelas. Siemens did not win the bid and Amtrak ended up with custom made high speed trains by Bombardier that are soon to be replaced by new Alstom Avelia trains that are basically a down to the power cars and articulation.
Not all seats were equipped with in-Seat-Screens. In 2nd class only the car beneath the power cars was equipped with video screens. But all seats had in-seat-audio/radio. But this was also removed together with the video screens. They introduced the new seats from 3rd gen. ICE which instead had power sockets in each pair of seats.
they also had an onboard radio with up to 9 stations. where you either got audiobooks, music in a loop or local stations of the region you're passing through. Station 3 was always the one for children with a changing program each month with audiobooks for kids. I think those are still available in the ICE 3 trains.
Why’s a high speed train in the usa?😂 There they have nothing compared to this l
Funfact: The little Red-White Hut you could see from your window at the biginning is Part of the AutoZug-Facility (litraly translates to "CarTrain"). Where DB offered car shuttle services to the south. It is still in use with some ÖBB Nightjet services. The interesting thing about Hamburg-Altona is that for the car shuttles they actually would fence of part of the station concourse and you would drive your car into the station. You actually can see the car loading docks at 1:44 (the yellow ramps on the right).
It's Ingolstadt, not Inglostadt... 😅
Nice review though! Amazing that you actually did arrive on time!! That Hamburg to München line really is THE original high speed line in Germany. You can tell that it was designed before reunification as it makes quite a detour around what was then East Germany. A route from Hannover via Magdeburg and Erfurt would be much more direct but of course now lacks the high speed line which makes it much slower. However a new high speed line opened between Erfurt and Nürnberg 5 years ago. You should definitely check it out some day as it runs through the Thüringer Wald mountain range which means it's almost completely either on bridges or in tunnels.
Interesting, thanks!
Well, the new highspeed line is currently only from Ebensfeld to Erfurt
Just some thoughts which came to mind watching your video. I was using the ICE from day one on my tour from Hannover to Kiel when being a student - gosh, were are these years.
1. I remember the biggest complaint when the train was introduced: many (most?) toilets on board not working properly. The flush was not strong enough to … make things disappear correctly.
2. On your way from Hamburg to Hannover you passed Eschede, where that terrible derailment of an ICE 1 happened with as far as I remember 101 fatalities.
3. That accident was caused by newly introduced wheels after complaints about vibrations. Afterwards they returned to the old wheels and accepted vibrations to a certain degree as you noticed.
I hope my memories were accurate. Correct me if I was wrong.
Regarding the terrible derailment there is usually more than one thing that causes an accident. In this case they were, from memory :-
1. The design of the new wheels had an elastomer sandwich under the steel `tyre' to dampen vibrations, this meant that the steel tyres were not sufficiently supported (for their thickness) and over time cracks appeared in the tyres.
2. The Service shedule had not been kept to. Had the tyres been inspected in a timely manner the defects would almost certainly have been noticed and the accident prevented.
@@Martindyna The problem with 2: there were some microcracs, which were not a concern at this time. So even though they inspected them, they didn`t find them, because you need special equipment for that.
@@michaelz.7140 Thanks. Take a look at `Eschede derailment' on Wikipedia for some interesting but disturbing reading (it appears that the uploader doesn't allow links in the Comments section).
If I can remember correctly they did have the correct equipment for the microcrack detection but the maintenance didn't trust that equipment because it was prone to erroneous readings.
Thank you for reminding me what a substandard and expensive railway we have here in the UK.
Ditto for the US 🤷🏿♀️🤦🏿♀️
at least with the uk, you have railways. in the us we dont have them for passengers where they are actually good for going between citys. and even some of our best regional rails are still pretty bad.
Previous long distance trips in Germany have led me to believe there's a new time zone, GIST (German Intercity Standard Time). This is approximately 5 mins behind Central European Time in the morning, about 10 by midday, and a flexible amount by the evening. To be fair, Germany has a complex interconnecting network with multiple major cities, so cumulative delays soon stack up. They're good with customer service when it comes to missed connections though in my experience.
In 2022, I would say not much of pracical service is remaining in case of delay: very low chance to find helpful staff. On the other hand, they are rather lenient at ticket checks; if you were delayed you can just take a later train, even on a trainbound ticket.
Travelled a few times on these amazing comfortable trains the first class is great nothing in the UK compares to these trains travelling first class on a cross country voyager is no better than being on a bus
The fact that they’re still in service after 30 years says something about their durability for sure. :)
I have always found the ICEs to be good timekeepers, the ICs less so. These 401s are due to be refurbished despite their age which should give a better ride. DB has a massive backlog of improvements to the system but funding is being made available to enable these to be carried out. Enjoyable video.
Thank you for an excellent review. I too find the ICE 1 is still an excellent train, and Deutsche Bahn are now going to refurbish those units again ! Whilst the riding quality can be indifferent, the seat comfort, particularly in 1st Class is great. The on board service is also wonderful, and I do like the original Bord restaurant cars !
We finally got to see Mrs Travel Reports! Albeit masked, but great none the less :) x
You know, I feel like I am traveling the world by watching your videos. Thank you!
Great video. Nuremberg is also famous for being the home of the artist Albrecht Dürer - his house is now a museum - and for its huge Christmas market. It's an unjustly-neglected German city and well worth a visit!
But Nürnberg should be better known for its old castle, Christmas market, Lebkuchen, Bratwurst, Germanic national museum, toy museum, home of Albrecht Dürer, and of course the Meistersinger Church where I was baptized. And that’s just the start.
I posted my reply before I saw yours! Yes, the Lebkuchen are wonderful.
Thanks for the great video, this reminds me to use my Bahncard points to upgrade one of my next long distance journeys to 1st class and experience this for myself again!
That “worlds smallest litter bin” is a cigarette ashtray lmaoo
Thank you - when I worked in Germany I often commuted from Hannover to Frankfurt and back every morning in one of these.
That advance ticket is insane value if you can plan far enough ahead.
Ive travelled on ICE 1's many times and always enjoyed them, particularly the restaurant ! Yours may have been due for a wheel turn hence the vibration. Great channel. Ron
The relocation of Altona indeed is already planed and they also started works for the new station: Hamburg Diebsteich
Love the ICE1 trains - been using them alot of times between Munich and Hamburg!
Nice one, Dylan. That was a smashing fare for a 1st class seat on that route!
An ejoyable video. I travelled with BD a few years ago from Amsterdam to Frankfurt with a journey time of 4 hours.
Fun fact. (the platform at) Hamburg Altona is car accessible. This is done for car trains to holidays destinations (i.e. the Alps and Italy). You can see the car ramps in your footage.
The high ceiling in the dining car makes this one of the nicest restaurant cars ever. Traveled these with my family in the first year of operation 1991. Will miss them as they are scheduled to be replaced soon.
Not that soon. With the partial refurbishment going on currently, and sets being shortened to nine cars (+ power cars), I think they still have at least five more years left.
@@bahnspotterEU DB plans to use them at least until 2030. And considering its dire need for more trains, I could imagine that they use it even longer.
@@derriegel5705 Yeah, 2030 was floating around my mind too, but I wasn't sure anymore. I'm certainly not against it though, the ICE 1 has held up amazingly well and is my favourite ICE overall.
Keep doing what you are doing! I really enjoy your videos!
Great trip report
Thks for the ride.
Some trivia: As your video starts, thats the car loading station. when the loading of the cars begins, you drive with your car trough the station on to the train.
Wish we still had that facility here in the UK! Is it still used by the NightJet services?
@@DylansTravelReports Indeed it is still used.
loved the train, and the food looked good as well,nice one dylan. brian d.
Enjoyed the trip down through Germany. Also nice for you to have a traveling companion to share the adventures with 😊. Am glad to see some glimpses of her and hope she gradually features a bit more 😃. Travel on!!!!
Amazing value and a very fair appraisal of the ICE1 - still better than most of Europe in style and comfort despite the odd rattle.
Great video as always Dylan. That ticket price seems exceptional value for the distance, journey length & for being in first class! Try finding a similar length & distance journey here in the UK for anything remotely close to that! 😂
You can also pay a lot in Germany, but if you book smartly its ok
Very nice video dylan and i was the one who commented about the two way recline
Thank you!
excellent journey. thank you.
I'll tell you exactly what I thought Dylan 😁😁I think for a train that is nearly 30 years old I would pay 4 times the price you paid. It just makes me wonder why we have to put up with the rubbish we have in this country and the prices we pay. No wonder German trains are so extensively used and that, one assumes, is a good part of the reason the lucky German travellers get these services and prices. When will we Brits look and take heed of other countries practices?
So nice to see you travel with your young lady. I assume you takes these trips as extended weekend breaks or short holidays?
Thanks Dylan. Most enjoyable as always.
Cheers, Bob
That looked decent enough from what I saw, and it's very rare to find a train with enough seating for everyone (at least in the UK). Maybe the UK train operators should take a page of DB's books, and use 12 car trains as standard instead of the pathetic 4 and 5 car services often found! The facilities also looked to be good - and you rarely see trains now with compartment style seating.
Thanks for mentioning vibrations at high speeds. When Amtrak was test driving ICE 1 on NEC in the 90's the ride was horrific, thanks to minimally maintained U. S. tracks...the same tracks responsible for rough riding Acela Express - less than high speed - trains.
The Acelas are rough riding because they’re bad. I’ve had numerous Acelas with busted airbags that ride significantly worse than an Amfleet. Hopefully track upgrades and new trains will help.
@@JBS319 I was conductor on Acela Express for 15 years before retiring and I am very familiar with the chronic mechanical and construction failures. Train crews hate them. Still Amfleet equipment would ride much smoother if tracks were maintained up to European standards. I know how long it takes for Amtrak to fix a simple pothole that can require reduced speeds for months.
As someone who loves OMSI bus simulator. It's so good to see Hambung Altona for real. I feel like I have driven there many times. That was an amazing game. 🙂
Dylan you mean the train is 330 m long including the locos,which is about 1100 feet,and I very much like your videos.😉👍
I believe those cars at Ingolstadt are new Audis waiting to be transported.
For being 30 years old, it looks very modern & edgy. Finally a train with a nice wide aisle!. The onboard restaurant reminded me of the one in White Xmas. Rather 1950ish. I was rather disappointed in the lack of scenery. Germany looks so built up. I barely got to see any open spaces. On board I much preferred the open car seating to those closed up little compartments. They would make me feel claustrophobic. If travelling with a small child, I could understand the need. The roomy seats in the open saloon seemed to be the way to go. Enjoy your weekend. See you on Monday.
Not all of Germany looks like that. Sadly, most parts of the route this train operates on are boring and less scenic (except the cities where this service stopped) than for example the linke Rheinstrecke between Cologne and Mainz. But if you wanna travel at high speeds, you have to take these shortcomings.
Really love your style, great vid, thanks!
The "tiny litter-bin" would probably have been an ash-tray - when the train was built, smoking was still allowed on publid transport.
Nope. This seats were build during refurbishment after smoking was forbidden.
@@janv777 Oh, they went on providing ashtrays long after you weren't allowed to use them! Force of habit. And useful for sweet-wrappers.
Im Irish and i personally say I C E
Noticeable that trackside graffiti in Germany outdoes that in the UK. In comparison the UK has hardly any!
Not sure of the service post pandemic but there used to be excellent restaurant car service on the ECML. Over the years I have enjoyed many good meals on trains in the UK - but I am going back to the days of the Pullman services on the ECML 😊😀
In comparison to the UK the ticket price is outstanding value!
(and yes - my three journeys on ICEs have always been late!
Mentioning both, the city I was born in, and the one I currently live in, is a nice coincidence.
I love the skylights on the borde restaurant car
Nice, you are travelling onboard the original ICE that our Country made!
The 1s had excellent, deep, comfy seats when new. They now have the same, less substantial ones found in later generation sets.
Altona may be pegged back at some point, but it's basically a siding stroke reverse facility for Hbf. Imagine if everything terminated there! It's mad enough as it is with dangerously overcrowded platforms at peak times.
Lots of sets don't run to the depot, rather come into Altona and go straight back out again. Train cleaning (occasionally) happens on route.
Altona also hosts all but a handful of NOB services up to the far north. Not many of these take the curve into Hbf.
Nürnberg is also the home of DB's museum. In other words, it is a must see for railway fans.
very nice video. One small thing at 8:34: the ICE 1 is 358m long, not 558m
I like to watch the scenery go by!
I enjoyed the extra wave in the mirror
This was a great video, but just a few comments here, first of all I think you should have boarded at hamburg hbf because it is much nicer than hamburg-altona and its also more of a hamburg icon, and maybe also done some trip reports of their ubahn or sbahn services and taken some videos for sightseeing
Well, he wanted to review the train compartments etc. So he boarded at much less busy HH-Altona station.
I always say I-C-E....saying ice seems a little naff to me!
I-C-E is how it's supposed to be.
Great trip on a first generation of ICE.
Good video. i am glad you made the video. Keep up the good work.
That price is amazing . Great video too Dylan 👍😊.
Enjoyed the video. I agree, great price for this trip.
Thanks for actually having a voice over in your videos, unlike so many others! If you had to choose between ICE 1 or ICE 4 for a long trip (Frankfurt to Kiel), what would you choose for second class and for first class?
That's amazing value, lovely train, and looks very clean and comfortable, really want to experience a long journey and the restaurant brilliant food looks good, nice Hungarian goulash my favorate.
Very nice Dylan. Love watching your videos.
21:55 Ha! You caught the RailAdventure Presentation Train! Would be fun to see you rent out a stay in that one
People complain about DB's terrible track record with delays but in my experience it's not exceptionally bad. I've travelled a lot in Germany and I reckon about 1 in 4 trains were delayed, while only about 1 in 6 or 7 trains were badly delayed. Compared to other countries, that's not so bad.
Excellent 👍👍👍
I knew this video was coming! 😃
Thanks
those trains look fantastic, was nice to see your other half in the videos too Dylan, hopefully she’s in a few more videos.
the food looked fantastic too, although at those speeds i hope you were holding onto that beer!
Why?? It’s a review of a product . Not a family photo.
Nice ride on an oldie😍
I was wondering if that Dome carriage seen at 22:02 is an ancient Adümh101 (one of the five ever built) refurbished.
It intrigued me
It's a refurbished and overworked Wagon from RailAdventure. This trailer can apparently be rented for special events and trips. They own some very special vehicles. They even have 2 HST 125 Locomotives
@@ender8850 thanks. I was reading about Luxon, the private rail operator who provides the service and indeed it is a refurbished Dome car of the 1960's, one of the five still remaining
Handsome train interior.
Do love the ICEs taken a few of them the original among them Great trains in germany
I found the Ice 1 very smooth in comparison to the newest Ice 3 neo
I travelled Frankfurt to Montabaur on the Cologne - Frankfurt High-speed line and I must say that I would have loved the comfort of the Ice 1 on there because after the trip Ice 3 neo my butt was hurting and you felt every gradient change and rattle along the way
The ICE 3 neo isn't even in service yet...
@@velarod3961 then why they drive on the Cologne Frankfurt High-speed line
@@corenaticzzic4455 That's not the ICE 3 neo, that's the ICE 3 Redesign.
@@corenaticzzic4455 Btw, if you really felt everything during that ride, the chance for the train having a Flachstelle is really high, because the ICE 3 normally doesn't rattle. And feeling every gradient change on that route is normal, you'll feel it on every train that operates there (DB Br 403, 406, 407 and 412) because the line itself is so steep (40‰ max).
@@velarod3961 I mean every train ICE train rattles at such high speeds but this was the worst ride ever on that route and I travel that route a lot
I mean yes you feel the gradient changing everytime but it felt like jumping over a hill with a race car...
Probably someone pointed it out already, but as sad as it is, the train was not built exclusively by Siemens. It was a consortium of Kraus Maffei (Car exterior), Kraus Maffei, Krupp Maschinentechnik and Thyssen Henschel for the rest (Boogies, Interior etc.) except the electrical components; they were delivered by ABB, AEG and Siemens.
The vibrations at high speed occur because the ICE-trains were originally designed and used different wheels with rubberpads. After a train crash in 1998 where one of the wheels disintegrated at a speed of approximately 200 km/h DB decided to exchange them for steel monoblock wheels which reduced ride comfort. I think the suspension wasn't redesigned because it wasn't worth the money. For anyone with further interest in the train crash google fro the Eschede train crash. Warning upfront: it is the worst train crash in recent German history with 101 people killed.
i love the first class in these older ICE & IC coaches; whilst i do like the new modern design of the ICE4, you get less legroom and it feels more "plastic-y" than the first class of the older ICE's.
Litter bins are in the entry area. When built new these small things at the seats were actually designed as ashtrays.
The vibrations you've mentioned is because they use the original wheelset, in 90s that is also the same issue, the ICE 1 was placed with dual block wheels which it removed its vibrations, however it later came into a big flaw because dual block wheels are only used for light rail, not high speed trains, üstra warned DB not to use the dual block wheels after cracks on such wheel on their trams, but DB never listened to, which caused the derailment at Eschede, and since the tragedy happened, the dual block wheels were never used again, replaced with the original ones, and these vibrations are considered acceptable...
also the ICE 1 is in the process of a refurbishment, this time, they removed one first class coach and three standard class coaches and full exterior and interior refurbishment/upgrade
I live near Munich and my grandparents live on an island in the North Sea. So I am doing this journey once a year for the laste 20 years. the maximum delay we had where 20 minutes. and I think that's great considering the whole trip takes 12 hours
Could not even get from Redhill to London for that price. Very good value for money. Very clean and punctual.
Why can’t we have the nice things in the UK? This train looks very comfortable indeed!
Because trains are communism!🤪
Fun Fact: the "Bordrestaurant" in the ICE costs more money than it is generating, but DB still operates it, because there are a lot of customers which likes the restaurant.
Loved it ! It's on my bucket list...:):):)
Ja der ICE 1 war damals schön für mich zu sehen
Ice Ice Baby!
They actually had a shortened ICE 1 tour the US at one point, and Americans HATED the open saloon seating because they would sit face-to-face with strangers.
Also, since the ICE 1 power cars are technically series 120 locomotives you can occasionally spot them "ferrying" on their own, which is a really odd sight.
The interior has been replaced several times over the trains' lifespan, which explains the more modern look. A main improvement is the Bord-Restaurant, which now has skylights (as initially designed) as smaller appliances no longer require the added space below the raised roof of the car. The restaurant was kinda the cause for the infamous Eschede-disaster, as early trains had uncomfortable vibrations that made glasses "wander off tables" in the restaurant, something the DB rushed (too much) to fix. After the accident they reverted the changes that caused the accident, but in return some of the vibrations returned.
The most recent "redesign" is meant to give them a service life at least into the 2030s, outliving some of the younger ICEs (most notably, ALL the tilting-diesel-ICE-sets were recently scrapped). Their disadvantage is that they can't run multi-tractions, so their capacity is less flexible (especially now with shortened ICE 1 in service). This was mended with the Mk2 trains.
(Side note: It's ingOLstadt, not ingLOstadt)
They seem to be smoother and quieter than mk5s do in the Uk! 😂
Oh dear, an Englishman/British man, judging a German train. That can't end well! And indeed at around 19:30 the obligatory mention of WW2 became true.
Nice video . Thanks
Thanks!
Great Trip report your final destination and the previous city are the homes of Audi and BMW.
Which would’ve been worth mentioning for Ingolstadt
That’s coming from someone who is really into cars
Even though I know you’re not really a car based channel that’s definitely a useful fact
Germany is always impressive.
As usual, Dylan. Another fantastic video. The train is a real beauty despite how old it is. This train and part route is now available on Train Sim World 2. Good to see your girlfriend. I am sure she has a name. Keep up with the excellent work.
8:33 an ICE 1 trainset is "only" 358meters long... ;)
Great video Dylan, nailed this format so much better than the old non-narrated ones. Minor comment just a bit of comment on the end scenes makes it a review and a travelogue. Possible sponsorships there.
Thanks!
For a 30 year old train it still looks quite modern. To me all the ICE trains seem to have a bit of a timeless styling to them which is good when you're running several generations of trains at the same time.
they have been refurbished at least 2 times... the only thing they didn`t change was the luggage rack with the reading lights...
they changed the seats - at least 2 times, they installed wooden panels (before it was a greenish color)
The Dining Cart is a Beaut! 😀
Did I miss that sequence? I saw Rexine seats and Formica table tops in the style of BR in the 1950s. The saloons were another matter entirely. They looked superb and I did not miss the ironing board seat backs of the UK Hitachis, Stadlers, Clas 800s etc.