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Description
By now, of course, you already know all about this train, as Soma , my partner in crime on this tour, already posted a picture , which he could do far earlier than me since he lives closer to Cologne central. But for those of you who didn’t see that picture yet and are too lazy to follow the link above, a short recap:

This year, we are celebrating 175 years of railroad in Germany. At the same time, thanks to some issues with wheelsets, we are also celebrating a huge shortage in available trains, so just about anything has to be put in service. Nobody really knows which of these two is relevant here, but either way, since last week the IC 1806 (Cologne central to Hamburg Altona) and IC 1817 (reverse) are hauled by a historic class 103 engine together with a historic set of Intercity- and TEE (Trans Europ Express) coaches. And two modernized long-distance coaches from the last days of the GDR in modern regional traffic colors as well, because, see above, we have a shortage of rolling stock.

Except for the red GDR-era coaches (known as Halberstädter, as they were built in Halberstadt, Saxony-Anhalt), the entire train is a quite accurate representation of the IC ’79. In 1979, the InterCity, the highest tier of german trains, gained a second class in addition to first class and thus changed from a luxury train to the backbone of german long-distance travel. Today, that role is filled by the ICE, with the IC fulfilling secondary roles in long-distance travel. Whether the ICE is as stylish as this, though, is subject to debate.

Description
By now, of course, you already know all about this train, as Soma , my partner in crime on this tour, already posted a picture , which he could do far earlier than me since he lives closer to Cologne central. But for those of you who didn’t see that picture yet and are too lazy to follow the link above, a short recap:

This year, we are celebrating 175 years of railroad in Germany. At the same time, thanks to some issues with wheelsets, we are also celebrating a huge shortage in available trains, so just about anything has to be put in service. Nobody really knows which of these two is relevant here, but either way, since last week the IC 1806 (Cologne central to Hamburg Altona) and IC 1817 (reverse) are hauled by a historic class 103 engine together with a historic set of Intercity- and TEE (Trans Europ Express) coaches. And two modernized long-distance coaches from the last days of the GDR in modern regional traffic colors as well, because, see above, we have a shortage of rolling stock.

Except for the red GDR-era coaches (known as Halberstädter, as they were built in Halberstadt, Saxony-Anhalt), the entire train is a quite accurate representation of the IC ’79. In 1979, the InterCity, the highest tier of german trains, gained a second class in addition to first class and thus changed from a luxury train to the backbone of german long-distance travel. Today, that role is filled by the ICE, with the IC fulfilling secondary roles in long-distance travel. Whether the ICE is as stylish as this, though, is subject to debate.