Arriving in the lovely Saxon city of Leipzig, we met up with the Austrian sound expert Christian Leopoldseder. In the scene, he is well known by the name of his company: LeoSoundLab. After a stimulating evening of expert discussions, we travelled together with „Leo“ to Leipzig-Espenhain to visit the industrial railway located there, along with its associated workshop belonging to the Pressnitztalbahn. The tour participants from Asia had already stopped here last year.
Following a friendly welcome on-site by the workshop manager, work began on measuring various versions of the former Deutsche Reichsbahn V100. In the meantime, Leo was able to take his time recording the sounds of the various engines fitted in the vehicles, such as the 12 KVD 18/21 type or the new Caterpillar engines. It was a truly impressive acoustic spectacle when the locomotives ran under simulated full load. However, it wasn't just the sounds of the diesel engines that were recorded, as the many auxiliary drives—such as air compressors, starter-generators, turbochargers and much more—also play their part in creating a plausible soundscape.
Thus the day in Espenhain flew by and we had to leave the PRESS site again in the early evening. Our route led us back into the town, where we prepared for the final leg of the journey, which was to take place the very same day – a visit to the Spur 1 Interest Group in Naumburg, Saxony-Anhalt. There is more about this in the final part. Look forward to it.
Anyone who would like to find out more about the Pressnitztalbahn can do so on their website: https://www.pressnitztalbahn.com
Now, here are a few photos from the experiences of this leg. Enjoy them!
