German train ferry Rügen in Mukran Fährhafen, October 2004. Rügen was built in 1972 in Rostock and delivered to East German Railways (DR) for use on the train ferry line Sassnitz - Trelleborg, where it remained in service until 1989 when the successor Sassnitz was delivered.
From 1989 the Rügen was used on the summer-only line to Rønne on the Danish island Bornholm, but it was sometimes also used on other lines like Rønne-Ystad, Rostock-Gedser and Sassnitz-Trelleborg. Rügen made its last journey from Sassnitz to Rønne/Bornholm in the last weekend of October 2004 and is now laid up, waiting to be sold (hopefully not for scrapping, but it seems unlikely that Rügen will remain in Northern European service).

Photo (October 28, 2004): Janne Petersson (e-mail: petersson_janne@hotmail.com)