The turning track at the tram station Haus Vorst in the west of Cologne seen on
17 March 2005. During times with a high traffic density, some trams coming from
the centre of Cologne end here to go back again, instead of running through to
Frechen-Benzelrath. This line, which was operated by the
Köln-Frechen-Benzelrather Eisenbahn (KFBE) in the past, is technically a
"real" railway line, although the catenary is fed with 750 V DC. Freight trains
are pulled by diesel locos of the Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln
(HGK). Note that the switch in the foreground has a movable frog, so it can be
passed by freight trains (with a wide wheel profile) and trams (with a narrow
wheel profile). The switch in the background is only passed by trams, so it has
a fixed frog and very narrow gaps for the wheels. The leftmost track is not
electrified, it connects the Grundig factory at Marsdorf with the station
Frechen (the next station).
<p>
Digital photo by
<a href="http://www-users.rwth-aachen.de/christoph.schmitz2/index.html">Christoph
Schmitz</a>
(<a href="mailto:christoph.schmitz2@post.rwth-aachen.de">christoph.schmitz2@post.rwth-aachen.de</a>)