For all Gaby (the bicycle racing champion) fans who are also interested in her adopted home, I have some new documentary video clip for you. As some of you may realize and/or remember, in June 2021 there was a huge flood in western Germany that was especially devastating for the valley of the Ahr river. Know in German as Ahrtal.

In that flood, which was virtually a flash-flood, many homes, houses, bridges and even the railroad line along the Ahr to the Rhine were destroyed. The recovery and reconstruction is still ongoing. The town names of Bad Neuenahr, Ahrweiler, Walporzheim, Dernau, Rech, Mayshoß, Altenahr and Ahrbrück should be familiar from the readings of the Gaby Sagas by Maddy Bell. All these towns are located on the Ahrtalbahn, the ”Railroad of the Ahr Valley”, which originates in Remagen, a town located just below where the Ahr flows into the Rhine. As well as a frequent connection point for the adventures of Gaby and her friends to both Bonn and Koblenz.

The video Schotter, Schienen und Schwellen kommen zurück ins Ahrtal is a summary of the reconstruction progress of the rail line from Walporzheim (just up-river from Ahrweiler) past Dernau towards Rech. The YouTube channel Ahrtalbahnfreunde e.V. is a group of railroad fans of the Ahrtalbahn that are documenting the reconstruction of that rail line since January 2024. Both the audio commentary and the closed captions are in German. But the landscapes are still impressive. And some of you might also enjoy seeing the technology used in the construction of a railroad.