Originally Posted by
Aviatrix
The rule in Germany used to be that you could buy tickets on the train, without paying a surcharge, if your departure station was unmanned. I remember travelling on some rural lines where paying on board was the norm.
Yes, I remember this too, particularly around the Black Forest. The rule (similar to other European countries' rules) was that if your departure station was unmanned, you could buy a ticket on board, but that you had to approach the guard before he approached you.
Quite how this is enforced, I'm unsure.