Passauer Eisenbahnfreunde

The Passauer Eisenbahnfreunde (Passau Railway Society) or PEF is a German railway society with the aim of preserving historic railway vehicles in working order in order to operate them.

The society was founded in 1978 in Passau. In 2007 it had about 190 members and is registered as a limited company (e. V.).

All vehicles belonging to the society are maintained and repaired by volunteer mechanics in their free time. The inspections and certifications are carried out by independent experts in order to guarantee operating safety.

The society owns two Class 798 railbuses, an associated VB 98 centre car and a VS 98 driving car. Apart from one power car, all parts of the multiple unit have passed their general inspection and may therefore operate on networks owned by DB AG, ČD, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and other companies. The general inspection of the second power car was due in 2007. For more information: see the Uerdingen railbus article.

In order to be able to carry out shunting, a Class V 40 diesel locomotive was procured. This engine is equipped with remote control and automatic couplers, in order to be able to shunt with the minimum of staff. The V40 has a top speed of 45 km/h and a power output of 400 PS.

In December 2006 a Köf III (332 052-0) was bought from Regensburg locomotive depot (Bahnbetriebswerk) to relieve the V 40. This engine entered service at Bahnbetriebswerk Passau in 1963 and was stationed there until its retirement in 2000. The locomotive was bought from the DB in a pitiful state; the engine was no longer usable because important levers and armatures had been removed from the driver's cab or destroyed. However within a few weeks, the PEF succeeded in getting it into a workable condition. The engine had a general inspection in spring 2007 and is now fully operational again.

The Class 018 shunter was built in 1954 for the Peine steelworks. With a power of just 28 PS it is the least powerful engine owned by the society, but at 10 tonnes it is also the lightest. The locomotive was restored in the 1990s as a youth project. It was given its nickname Auerhahn ("capercaillie" or "wood grouse") because of its noise when running, which sounds like a courting capercaillie.

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