Crossing the Inner German Border and Berlin Wall by rail during the Cold War

[StephenHunter]

We did a Railway Study Association trip to Berlin in 1990 , and had some priviliged access to places and staff. Went to Schonefeld Airport one aftrnoon and we me the Station Manager (DR) who via a translator told us of his role in managing the very many specials that ran immediately after the wall was opened , not just on the S-Bahn but coming through from elsewhere. (they thought it might have been a "one off"), which it was not. He of course was on duty for some very long hours , taking little rest. Only way he could get his wife and children up to West Berlin was to arrange for them to have a cab ride , easily arranged for someone of his rank. In passing he in DDR days had two reporting lines - one to the DR , and one to the Russian Officer in charge of the airport.

DR had ranks for its personnel, complete with epaulettes. When I went to the Buckow Light Railway, the staff were wearing DR uniform there.

 

[Ken H]

A quirk of Cold War era Berlin was that the Western (UK, US and French) Allied Occupation forces had rights into the Soviet Zone (East Berlin): any issues required a Soviet officer to resolve - DDR officials had no authority in this situation.

Flights from West Germany to (west) Berlin were operated by BEA, Air France and Pan-Am (I think these were their only internal, non-international, services), not Lufthansa.

Berlin was not part of Germany. They were occupied by USSR, UK and France. Each of the occupiers had a 'sector'

 

[Senex]

A quirk of Cold War era Berlin was that the Western (UK, US and French) Allied Occupation forces had rights into the Soviet Zone (East Berlin): any issues required a Soviet officer to resolve - DDR officials had no authority in this situation.

Flights from West Germany to (west) Berlin were operated by BEA, Air France and Pan-Am (I think these were their only internal, non-international, services), not Lufthansa.

And Red Army officers into the three Western Sectors (and there was/is a big Soviet war memorial in the West). (I think the original idea was two Western Sectors, but the French were then brought into the picture as one of the victorious powers.)
The air corridors were restricted in height and could be quite bumpy. There was also quite a tight curve over East Berlin going into or out of Tegel — I managed only two or three trips into Tempelhof (and never the British Sector's Gatow, of course).
I was on the same trip that Chief Planner reports in #27 above. From a railway perspective — actual and planning — it was a fascinating time to be there.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Berlin was not part of Germany. They were occupied by USSR, UK and France. Each of the occupiers had a 'sector'

Yes and no, sort of.

Sometime, perhaps in the late 70s or early 80s, the DDR had the bright idea, and against the original agreement on Berlin, of explicitly stating, at every opportunity: Berlin - Haupstadt der DDR.

 

[StephenHunter]

Yes and no, sort of.

Sometime, perhaps in the late 70s or early 80s, the DDR had the bright idea, and against the original agreement on Berlin, of explicitly stating, at every opportunity: Berlin - Haupstadt der DDR.

West Berlin was exempt from Bundeswehr conscription, making it a popular destination for those not wanting to serve in it.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

And Red Army officers into the three Western Sectors (and there was/is a big Soviet war memorial in the West). (I think the original idea was two Western Sectors, but the French were then brought into the picture as one of the victorious powers.)
The air corridors were restricted in height and could be quite bumpy. There was also quite a tight curve over East Berlin going into or out of Tegel — I managed only two or three trips into Tempelhof (and never the British Sector's Gatow, of course).
I was on the same trip that Chief Planner reports in #27 above. From a railway perspective — actual and planning — it was a fascinating time to be there.

It certainly was - there were slow progess to a more consumer based society - I recall the excursion to Dresden where we waited ages for a mediocre lunch to be served , whilst outsidethe very blackened station was a portable Burger King truck , sent in as a portent of thing to come.

Signalboxes had "new" German flags hanging outside , whilst carriage washing seemed to be in the capable hands of gangs of women with buckets and brushes (not mechanised washing plants)

Lots of traditional mixed freights and block loads of brown coal for power stations. Somewhere , I have the DR free passeshanded out , including of course the S-Bahn ......the management staff doing presentations had no English (I suppose they were fluent in Russian) , so translaters were essential. One gem we picked up was that rents for railway owned housing / flats for staff and families were set in the 1940's.

 

[Taunton]

There were many things in Berlin very similar between the two sides. Streetsigns were the same colour and font throughout, and bus and tram stops had the universal German "H" symbol (and "HH" if two could be loading at once).

The U-Bahn on both sides was extensively patrolled by two police officers together, with a dog on a short lead with a muzzle, and quite similar black uniforms. This carried on after reunification when they had been merged, one difference I noticed was that for the Western teams the dog was an Alsatian, while the Eastern teams had a Rottweiler!

I read that in the chaotic days after the wall quite suddenly came down all the U-Bahn and S-Bahn staff were engaged on crowd control everywhere. The information kiosks were taken over and manned by the railway enthusiasts' club. They probably were equal or better at giving out routing information! Some were a little over-enthusiastic and dug out their grandfathers' old DR uniforms, as seems to still happen on German enthusiasts' excursions. All the maps of both streets and transport in the West had been scooped up, so after about three days the cartographers on the East Berlin daily newspapers worked nonstop and printed double page spread maps of both in the next morning's newspapers.

 

[wattman]

And Red Army officers into the three Western Sectors (and there was/is a big Soviet war memorial in the West).

That's the Tiergarten memorial, with a Soviet cemetery behind it. It's near the Reichstag. It's still there: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_War_Memorial_(Tiergarten). In 1992 Germany took over the maintenance.

 

[Triddle]

For those interested in East / West rail border crossings in fiction then have a look at 'Berlin Centre' by Max Hertzberg. His Stasi officer protagonist crosses the border by rail disguised as a Westie.

+1 for Max Hertzbergs Leutnant Reim series. Most of the books in that series have some kind of railway-related border crossing IIRC Lubec and Friedrich Strase are in there describing the border guards activities. One of the books even has a great photo of the steam locos lined up at Saalfeld on the cover and there is a few detailed descriptions of other stations in east Germany.

 

[The exile]

Berlin was not part of Germany. They were occupied by USSR, UK and France. Each of the occupiers had a 'sector'

Well - it was part of Germany, but not a constituent part of either the Federal Republic or (officially) the DDR - whatever the East German authorities would have had you believe. On a day-to-day level no-one was going to challenge what “Pankow” was doing.

 

[Senex]

Well - it was part of Germany, but not a constituent part of either the Federal Republic or (officially) the DDR - whatever the East German authorities would have had you believe. On a day-to-day level no-one was going to challenge what “Pankow” was doing.

It was all rather odd. Technically, Berlin (the three Western Sectors and in a sense, because of the military rights, even the Russian Sector too) were all that was left of the Germany that had surrendered at the end of WW2 after the formation of the Federal Republic and the Democratic Republic, which latter then (improperly) named the Russian Sector its capital city. A decision of the four occupying powers gave the running of the railways in all Berlin to DR in 1945, and so it remained right up to reunification save for the S-Bahn lines in West Berlin which passed to western management in the 1980s. All the documentation about the Berlin arrangements was published by HMSO (of happy memory) and made interesting reading.

 

[duncombec]

I don't have any experiences to add (I wasn't old enough), but as a "Germanist" who paid particular attention to the history of East and West, these experiences (and the YouTube video) are fascinating - thanks to everyone for sharing them!

 

[StephenHunter]

There were many things in Berlin very similar between the two sides. Streetsigns were the same colour and font throughout, and bus and tram stops had the universal German "H" symbol (and "HH" if two could be loading at once).

There are actually slight differences in the street signs.

In fact, it has two. Conventional wisdom has it that street signs in the former West Berlin were written in one typeface – it exists in numerous weights and widths but is recognisable by its distinctive Eszett, as well as its ‘tz’ ligature – while the street signs in the former East Berlin were written in a no-less-distinctive but much narrower face.

 

[The exile]

There are actually slight differences in the street signs.

A quick shout out for one of the few cases where the East has triumphed - the Red/Green men at pedestrian crossing where the Ossi-Ampelmann quickly acquired cult status!

 

[Taunton]

The air corridors were restricted in height and could be quite bumpy. There was also quite a tight curve over East Berlin going into or out of Tegel — I managed only two or three trips into Tempelhof (and never the British Sector's Gatow, of course).

Actually the airfield at Gatow, which was in the British sector, became an RAF base. It was used by the quite frequent military chartered flights from the UK, the former Britannia Airways having long had the contract. By coincidence there was an airfield in each of the four sectors, sufficiently notable that the boundaries may have been set with this as an objective. The DDR airport at Schonefeld was actually just outside the city boundary, in the DDR proper, which led to a further set of unlikely regulations to get to it from West Berlin. There used to be a DDR Ikarus bus to the airport which departed from outside Zoo station in West Berlin. I didn't go on it, but saw that people (always just a few, and occasionally none) seemed to have to show a lot of paperwork to get in.

From a railway perspective — actual and planning — it was a fascinating time to be there.

It certainly was, both before and immediately after reunification. And to a considerable extent it still is. The Technical Museum, in the old Anhalter Bahnhof, is essentially a railway museum in the old rail buildings, with an extensive loco collection. It's a good place to look at its V200 diesel hydraulic and compare it to a Warship.

 

[StephenHunter]

There's a DR SVT 175 parked up at Lichtenberg.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Berlin was initially supposed to have three occupation sectors: US, UK, USSR.
Then France demanded to partake as an ally.
The subsequent deal was that the US/UK sectors would accommodate a French sector, and that the Soviet sector would accommodate a Polish sector also as an ally.
France got its sector in the west but the Soviets ignored the Polish demand in the east.

Vienna, and Austria, were also divided between the allies, but were returned to Austrian control in 1955 (after Austria declared neutrality).
The British sector of Austria included Styria, Carinthia and East Tyrol.
In Vienna itself the British controlled two separate areas in the SW and SE districts, and control of the central zone alternated monthly.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Vienna, and Austria, were also divided between the allies, but were returned to Austrian control in 1955 (after Austria declared neutrality).
The British sector of Austria included Styria, Carinthia and East Tyrol.
In Vienna itself the British controlled two separate areas in the SW and SE districts, and control of the central zone alternated monthly.

The way Vienna was parcelled out between the allies is arguably as fascinating as Berlin. Off -topic for this thread, but as I remember seeing relevant maps, there were a number of 'islands' in sectors controlled by other countries. I forget if there were any such 'islands' within the main Soviet zone, which I think was at least otherwise contiguous.

How they came to decide on that map this is something too. Of course, there was no "wall" ever erected. By 1955, I assume that the 'obvious' differences in living standards were not so obvious as they were in Berlin by the time the wall went up, so the internal migration issue was not as obvious in the early 50s. Austria escaped lightly post-war, really, considering a large percentage of the population were Nazi party and SS members - just as Nazi as the German population in fact.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Austria remained under four-power administration to 1955 and didn't have rival governments set up in the Soviet and Western sectors - unlike Germany from 1949 onwards. By 1955 Stalin had died and a more liberal regime under Khrushchev agreed to Austrian independence in return for neutrality. The 'Third Man' film has some very atmospheric shots of a bombed out Vienna - and a supposedly through train to Paris at the Westbanhof.

 

[Kingston Dan]

I was in Berlin over the week in June 1990 when border controls ended. When we arrived they were in place and when we left they weren't (and I still have my then passport with a DDR stamp from the last day they were issued). And it was mental. You could walk through Check Point Charlie as both sides had given up controlling it but the S Bahn and U Bahn arrangements were in in place (until they weren't). I remember walking through Check Point Charlie to the East passing a U Bahn station and as I was a bit tired when I walked back thought I might as well catch the train from there. I walked down the steps to be greeted by two heavily armed East German guards demanding to see my East Berlin transit papers which I didn't have. So I beat a hasty retreat and walked back to the western sector. The next day there were no guards and you could use any U or S Bahn station in any way you'd like.

 

[Christian Schm]

I was born in Berlin (West), but lived in Hamburg. In the 1980s I made lots of trips to Berlin, and a few to east Germany too.

There were basically four types of trains:

1. transit trains between West Germany and West Berlin
2. long-distance interzonal trains between West Germany and East Germany
3. local interzonal trains
4. transit trains to Poland, Czechoslovakia or Scandinavia

The transit trains between West Germany and West Berlin were quite slow compared to pre-war or current journeys, e.g. 4 hours from Hamburg to Berlin, but otherwise quite punctual. Coming from the West, they startes as normal West German long-distance trains, with a West German engine and conductors, until it got to the West German border station. There the conductors got off, and the engine was changed for an East German one. (From Hamburg this was at Büchen, from Cologne/Hannover at Helmstedt.) They then crossed the border and stopped at the first station in the East. Here passengers that wanted to go to the East could get off (in fact any passenger not wanting to go to Berlin had to go off, from Hamburg this was Schwanheide, from Cologne/Hannover it was Marienborn). East German conductors and border guards also got on, the latter checked and stamped all passports. The trains then went non-stop through the East, to minimise the opportunities for easterners to board the train. I believe those transit trains had highest priority in case of disruption. In steam times, when engine changes were required for trains from southern West Germany to Berlin, those changes happened at god-forsaken well-fenced small station, not in cities. Just before West Berlin there was a final stop in the East (Staaken or Griebnitzsee). This was not for passenger use, but border guards & conductors got off, and trains stopped for 20 minutes or so to get searched. (I vividly remember still being on the toilet when suddenly there was a dog barking just under me under the train...) This was to ensure East Germans couldn't use these trains to flee. Trains terminated in West Berlin (well, Friedrichstraße, which was actually in East Berlin but for border control purposes in the west), and then run through to eastern depots for servicing. Pretty much the same happened in the reverse direction.

The long-distance trains between West and East Germany, on the other hand, were unpunctual to very unpunctual. They had numerous stops both in the West and in the East, and East German border controls had to be done at the East German border station, which took a while going east and could take aeons going west! Our family once spend more than 2 hours at Schwanheide on a train from Neubrandenburg to Hamburg.

Local interzonal trains were a bit better. These were much shorter, and most passengers were locals - there were special/simplified rules for West Germans that lived near the border for local crossings.

The transit trains to Poland and Scandinavia were very slow. They also had several stops within East Germany, so could a while at the border. On the other hand they had to be handed over to friendly neighbours reasonably on time (same went all the way to Moscow) or had to catch a ferry. So their timetables was extremely generous, Berlin-Warnemünde took even longer than Berlin-Hamburg...

I thing that was nice was that all the long-distance trains had proper restaurant cars which from a western perspective were quite cheap, esp. the beer.

 

[Beebman]

I posted these some years ago in an older thread but worth a repost - here's some scans from an 'Ihr Zug Begleiter' leaflet I kept from my trip from Minden to West Berlin on train D243 Paris-Warsaw in April 1977 which shows an example of the schedule of a transit train. The wait at Marienborn was only 5 minutes but my recollection was that border officers boarded the train there and issued transit visas while the train was on its way across the GDR. I also remember that there was a short stop at Griebnitzsee (not shown in the leaflet) just before entry into West Berlin where the officers left the train.

 

[CW2]

All this (very interesting and highly nostalgic) discussion has prompted me to delve into the archives to see which border crossings I did, and when.

1981
Ken Howard and I had long planned a trip to Poland, but our visas were cancelled at short notice due to public unrest. We hurriedly replanned a visit to Saalfeld instead, to see if we could pick up some DR steam locos on passenger workings. We joined D300 the 2227 Munchen – Berlin Friedrichstrasse at Nurnberg, and alighted at Probstzella in the wee small hours of 25th December. We were the only two passengers alighting to travel forward on the local train to Saalfeld, so the border guards gave us a very thorough going over indeed.

After a week in the DDR our exit route was D438 0917 Rostock – Koln via Lubeck.

1982
A second attempt to visit Poland with Ken Howard. This time he had to withdraw at late notice for personal reasons, so I continued alone. This time my route in was D441 2143 Koln – Leipzig via Oebisfelde. My exit into Poland was D499 2209 Leipzig – Krakow via Forst. This train was the preferred way to enter Poland, as it was booked for Pt47 steam haulage from Forst, and was the only train (pair) of the day over that border. That meant you could enter the DDR in the small hours, spend all day in the country bashing track and locos, then fetch up on the “first available train”.

My exit from Poland into the DDR was on D313 2118 Gdansk – Berlin Lichtenberg from Szczecin via Szczecin Gumience. From Lichtenberg I took the S Bahn to Friedrichstrasse, went through the border controls there, then another S Bahn to Berlin Zoo, where I joined D344 1206 Berlin Friedrichstrasse – Hoek van Holland via Helmstedt.

1983
Another trip to Poland. This time we took the easy option with D245 2147 Aachen – Warszawa Gdanska via Helmstedt and Frankfurt (Oder) / Kunowice to enter Poland.
Whilst in Poland, we included a trip on the daily mixed train which crossed into (what is now) Ukraine, in the far south east of Poland, thus doing another couple of dodgy borders.

The return trip from Poland to the UK was via Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria, so didn’t involve the DDR.

1984
Poland again, I repeated the use of Oebisfelde crossing on D441, a day in the DDR, then D499 via Forst. The journey back to the UK was via D240 1055 Brest – Aachen via Frankfurt Oder to Berlin Ostbahnhof, where I joined D328 2200 Berlin Zoo – Kobenhavn, That took me to Denmark via Warnemunde Ferry, and a happy time with MX, MY and MZ diesels.

A second trip to Poland later in the year saw me using D441 via Oebisfelde and D499 via Forst again. My return this time was D484 0732 Krakow – Koln via Gorlitz. D409 1546 Rostock – Munchen took me via Gutenfurst to Hof.

To round out the year I did another trip to Poland. D453 0953 Monchengladbach – Leipzig took me via Gutenfurst. I stuck with the train all the way to Leipzig for the usual connection into D499 via Forst. The return from Poland in January 1985 was on the balancing working D498 1820 Krakow – Leipzig via Forst. I exited via Oebisfelde once more.

1985
Another move via Denmark and the Gedser – Warnemunde ferry, then eventually back into DB territory via Probstzella. (Both DB and DR were holding railway celebrations in 1985).

At the end of the year I did another Polish trip, this time entering the DR via Probstzella and continuing into Poland via Gorlitz on D1487 1602 Zwickau – Warszawa Wschodnia dated service, which had a PKP Ty2 steam loco working it from Gorlitz to Legnica. The return trip was rather more conventional, on D240 1125 Brest – Paris Nord via Frankfurt Oder and Helmstedt.

1986
An October trip to Poland saw me – unusually – choosing to fly from Glasgow to Berlin and return. I flew to / from Tempelhof Airport, which is now closed. The details of the moves from the airport to central Berlin and vice versa have been lost. I assume I went once more via S Bahn to Friedrichstrasse, crossed to the DDR there, and continued by S Bahn to Lichtenberg. There I picked up D716 1623 Leipzig – Stralsund as far as Angermunde, dropping back there onto D312 2013 Berlin Lichtenberg – Gdynia via Gumience and Szczecin. The return was once again on D240 via Frankfurt Oder to Berlin Zoo.

Another end of year Polish trip, this time on D451 2348 Frankfurt – Warszawa Wschodnia via Gerstungen - Fortha - Eisenach, which was a route constructed by the DDR to keep corridor trains clear of the border zone area. It has since closed. I continued into Poland on D485 2145 Koln – Krakow via Gorlitz / Wegliniec.

The return was on D1498, a dated 1828 Katowice – Leipzig service via Forst. Amazingly this was worked by a Ty2 2-10-0 Kriegslok from Legnica to Zagan, where a Pt47 2-8-2 took over to Forst. I crossed into West Germany on D436 0840 Leipzig – Hamburg Altona via Buchen.

1987
The customary end of year trip to Poland. This time I went via Hoek van Holland and joined D345 0711 to Berlin Friedrichstrasse, via Marienborn / Helmstedt. Crossed into East Berlin at Friedrichstrasse, then S Bahn to Lichtenberg to end up at Frankfurt Oder for D247 1312 Koln – Leningrad. The return journey a couple of weeks later was by the same route.

1988
Another Polish trip, keeping it simple. Out via Gerstungen – Fortha – Eisenach, crossing into Poland at Forst. The return was via Gorlitz – once again a Ty2 2-10-0 hauling the train, then via Reichenbach and Gutenfurst to Hof.

1989
A July trip to Czechoslovakia for various steam events ended with me coming home via Poland and Germany. Again fairly straightforward, D244 from Rzepin via Frankfurt (Oder) and on via the newly named Berlin Hauptbahnhof (formerly Ostbahnhof). I stayed on D244 through to Berlin Zoo, then dropped back onto D1244 via Helmstedt.

The Berlin Wall fell on 9th November 1989, and the process of German Reunification began. One of the first tangible changes to the railway network (outside Berlin) was the reopening of Walkenried to Ellrich to passenger trains, which I first travelled over on 11/01/90.

 

[WesternLancer]

All this (very interesting and highly nostalgic) discussion has prompted me to delve into the archives to see which border crossings I did, and when.

1981
Ken Howard and I had long planned a trip to Poland, but our visas were cancelled at short notice due to public unrest. We hurriedly replanned a visit to Saalfeld instead, to see if we could pick up some DR steam locos on passenger workings. We joined D300 the 2227 Munchen – Berlin Friedrichstrasse at Nurnberg, and alighted at Probstzella in the wee small hours of 25th December. We were the only two passengers alighting to travel forward on the local train to Saalfeld, so the border guards gave us a very thorough going over indeed.

After a week in the DDR our exit route was D438 0917 Rostock – Koln via Lubeck.

1982
A second attempt to visit Poland with Ken Howard. This time he had to withdraw at late notice for personal reasons, so I continued alone. This time my route in was D441 2143 Koln – Leipzig via Oebisfelde. My exit into Poland was D499 2209 Leipzig – Krakow via Forst. This train was the preferred way to enter Poland, as it was booked for Pt47 steam haulage from Forst, and was the only train (pair) of the day over that border. That meant you could enter the DDR in the small hours, spend all day in the country bashing track and locos, then fetch up on the “first available train”.

My exit from Poland into the DDR was on D313 2118 Gdansk – Berlin Lichtenberg from Szczecin via Szczecin Gumience. From Lichtenberg I took the S Bahn to Friedrichstrasse, went through the border controls there, then another S Bahn to Berlin Zoo, where I joined D344 1206 Berlin Friedrichstrasse – Hoek van Holland via Helmstedt.

1983
Another trip to Poland. This time we took the easy option with D245 2147 Aachen – Warszawa Gdanska via Helmstedt and Frankfurt (Oder) / Kunowice to enter Poland.
Whilst in Poland, we included a trip on the daily mixed train which crossed into (what is now) Ukraine, in the far south east of Poland, thus doing another couple of dodgy borders.

The return trip from Poland to the UK was via Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria, so didn’t involve the DDR.

1984
Poland again, I repeated the use of Oebisfelde crossing on D441, a day in the DDR, then D499 via Forst. The journey back to the UK was via D240 1055 Brest – Aachen via Frankfurt Oder to Berlin Ostbahnhof, where I joined D328 2200 Berlin Zoo – Kobenhavn, That took me to Denmark via Warnemunde Ferry, and a happy time with MX, MY and MZ diesels.

A second trip to Poland later in the year saw me using D441 via Oebisfelde and D499 via Forst again. My return this time was D484 0732 Krakow – Koln via Gorlitz. D409 1546 Rostock – Munchen took me via Gutenfurst to Hof.

To round out the year I did another trip to Poland. D453 0953 Monchengladbach – Leipzig took me via Gutenfurst. I stuck with the train all the way to Leipzig for the usual connection into D499 via Forst. The return from Poland in January 1985 was on the balancing working D498 1820 Krakow – Leipzig via Forst. I exited via Oebisfelde once more.

1985
Another move via Denmark and the Gedser – Warnemunde ferry, then eventually back into DB territory via Probstzella. (Both DB and DR were holding railway celebrations in 1985).

At the end of the year I did another Polish trip, this time entering the DR via Probstzella and continuing into Poland via Gorlitz on D1487 1602 Zwickau – Warszawa Wschodnia dated service, which had a PKP Ty2 steam loco working it from Gorlitz to Legnica. The return trip was rather more conventional, on D240 1125 Brest – Paris Nord via Frankfurt Oder and Helmstedt.

1986
An October trip to Poland saw me – unusually – choosing to fly from Glasgow to Berlin and return. I flew to / from Tempelhof Airport, which is now closed. The details of the moves from the airport to central Berlin and vice versa have been lost. I assume I went once more via S Bahn to Friedrichstrasse, crossed to the DDR there, and continued by S Bahn to Lichtenberg. There I picked up D716 1623 Leipzig – Stralsund as far as Angermunde, dropping back there onto D312 2013 Berlin Lichtenberg – Gdynia via Gumience and Szczecin. The return was once again on D240 via Frankfurt Oder to Berlin Zoo.

Another end of year Polish trip, this time on D451 2348 Frankfurt – Warszawa Wschodnia via Gerstungen - Fortha - Eisenach, which was a route constructed by the DDR to keep corridor trains clear of the border zone area. It has since closed. I continued into Poland on D485 2145 Koln – Krakow via Gorlitz / Wegliniec.

The return was on D1498, a dated 1828 Katowice – Leipzig service via Forst. Amazingly this was worked by a Ty2 2-10-0 Kriegslok from Legnica to Zagan, where a Pt47 2-8-2 took over to Forst. I crossed into West Germany on D436 0840 Leipzig – Hamburg Altona via Buchen.

1987
The customary end of year trip to Poland. This time I went via Hoek van Holland and joined D345 0711 to Berlin Friedrichstrasse, via Marienborn / Helmstedt. Crossed into East Berlin at Friedrichstrasse, then S Bahn to Lichtenberg to end up at Frankfurt Oder for D247 1312 Koln – Leningrad. The return journey a couple of weeks later was by the same route.

1988
Another Polish trip, keeping it simple. Out via Gerstungen – Fortha – Eisenach, crossing into Poland at Forst. The return was via Gorlitz – once again a Ty2 2-10-0 hauling the train, then via Reichenbach and Gutenfurst to Hof.

1989
A July trip to Czechoslovakia for various steam events ended with me coming home via Poland and Germany. Again fairly straightforward, D244 from Rzepin via Frankfurt (Oder) and on via the newly named Berlin Hauptbahnhof (formerly Ostbahnhof). I stayed on D244 through to Berlin Zoo, then dropped back onto D1244 via Helmstedt.

The Berlin Wall fell on 9th November 1989, and the process of German Reunification began. One of the first tangible changes to the railway network (outside Berlin) was the reopening of Walkenried to Ellrich to passenger trains, which I first travelled over on 11/01/90.

Great post there. Love the detail.

 

[Beebman]

I've just found a German-language video posted a few days ago on a channel called Nostalgie Garage Sachsen about border control in the GDR in the 1970s. It's an official video made by the GDR's National People's Army about the work of customs officers and it shows border controls taking place on railways, roads and at ports, also mail packages being opened for forbidden items such as western currency, propaganda and pornography. (There's also a section at the end showing a training school for officers.)

Checks on trains are shown at two locations, Frankfurt an der Oder and Gerstungen. At the former ("our border with our socialist neighbour") there are relatively simple checks on freight and passengers including a train formed of Soviet coaches with GDR officers speaking Russian with passengers.

The most interesting parts (and the most on-topic for this thread) are at Gerstungen. The first is at 4:32-6:11 with a DR 01 Pacific arriving on a train with DB coaches. Officers are shown checking documents and questioning passengers with one of them taking down a ceiling panel and checking inside. Another officer makes checks on the loco's footplate and tender. The second at 8:42-9:25 shows a sniffer dog checking freight wagons.

 

[StephenHunter]

I forgot to mention that all the Passport Control people were Stasi.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Priceless film - thanks for posting.

 

[Amstel]

In 1969 I visited West Berlin with a girlfriend who was a student with me at Uni in Nuremberg. One day we went across (on foot) to East Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie, without any problems.

We decided to come back on the S-Bahn. When we arrived at Friedrichstrasse Station the border guards came on to the train, checked our passports, and told us we had to get off and go back through Checkpoint Charlie.

We had no East German Ostmarks left and didn’t have a map so trudged through East Berlin asking people (we spoke German) how to get to Checkpoint Charlie. No-one would speak to us, probably thinking we were part of a Stasi trap.

Eventually we got there but it seemed to take forever. Now I realise it’s just a few minutes walk!

 

[Christian Schm]

Yep, day visas for East Berlin (which were different to visas for the rest of East Germany) always required going back via the same crossing that you entered.

 

[Taunton]

We decided to come back on the S-Bahn. When we arrived at Friedrichstrasse Station the border guards came on to the train, checked our passports, and told us we had to get off and go back through Checkpoint Charlie.

We had no East German Ostmarks left and didn’t have a map so trudged through East Berlin asking people (we spoke German) how to get to Checkpoint Charlie. No-one would speak to us, probably thinking we were part of a Stasi trap.

Eventually we got there but it seemed to take forever. Now I realise it’s just a few minutes walk!

Checkpoint Charlie was an American army expression, so those in the GDR would not know it. They referred to the three car crossings. Alpha was the one near Hanover on the corridor Autobahn to Berlin; Bravo was the other end of the corridor, on the outskirts of West Berlin; and Charlie was in central Berlin, between West and East of the city.