Chunky 2-10-2 tank engines are the mainstay of the three line system (Harzquerbahn, Brockenbahn and Selketalbahn) and power all … The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways is a railway company that operates a 1,000 mm metre … For railway travellers, this is truly one of the best lines in the world. Thanks! First, the Gernrode terminus was converted into a through station. Its head office is in Wernigerode, where its workshops and locomotive depot are located. A ride with the Brockenbahn – the famous Harz railway The Brockenbahn is a 19 kilometer narrow gauge railway between Wernigerode and Brocken, the highest mountain in the Harz. This halt is intended to further improve access to the railway network for the population of Nordhausen. 106 File:Unfinished railway bridge near Pyskowice (Peiskretscham), Upper Silesia.jpg, not featured; 107 File:Syringa vulgaris 2015 G1.jpg, not featured; 108 File:2013 Ahmanson Cup Regatta yacht Zapata II b photo D Ramey Logan.jpg, featured. With 25 engines, the Harz Railway boasts the largest fleet of passenger steam locomotives in the world. Shareholders in the HSB are the districts of Harz and Nordhausen, the communes along the railways, the town of Quedlinburg, the municipality of Tanne and the spa company of Braunlage. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways is a railway company that operates a 1,000 mm metre gauge network in the Harz mountains, in central Germany. A trip to the Harz mountains is a must travel to Nordhausen and take the steam train to Wernigerode stay overnight and then take the another steam train up to the Brocken Mountain this area was on the old East/West border and closed to visitors during the DDR days. Most of them are 60 years old or more and all are shining examples of well-kept, well-run trains with the livery of the carriages resembling British Rail’s ‘plum and spilt milk’ colours. Great: the loudspeaker announcements explain what you can see where along the route. There are 48 stations on the line (with three branches) and you could easily spend a week hopping on and off the Harz trains exploring this amazing part of the former East Germany. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways. A day of choice to relax and explore the traditional shops and cafés of Wernigerode, or to use your Harz Mountains Railway Pass and venture further by steam train. On board you can take a step back in time and enjoy a ride to the land of mysterious forests, medieval towns and snow-capped mountains. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Since then, the above-mentioned tramway between Nordhausen Hospital and the HSB halt of Ilfeld-Neanderklinik (Line 10) has been worked by electric and hybrid vehicles of the Combino duo class. The Harz Mountains have an extensive network of these trains that are used for actual transportation between many of the towns, not just as a ride for tourists. The steam locomotives are assisted by a fleet of diesel railcars which operate to a greater or lesser degree on most lines to supplement the steam services for the benefit of the local population. On 1 February 1993 the private railway company Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH (HSB) took over all stock, lines, staff, etc., from the Deutsche Reichsbahn and since then has acted as both the railway operating company (EVU) and railway infrastructure company (EIU). Today the HSB has the longest single network of narrow gauge railway in Germany, with a total length of 140.4 km (87 miles), 44 stations and halts. The so-called Trans-Harz Railway (Harzquerbahn) from Wernigerode via Drei Annen Hohne to Nordhausen was fully opened to traffic on 27 March 1899. This is Europe’s longest railway network and while other steam trains are now run for tourists only, this line serves the locals too. The company was formed after the Second World War as a merger of two earlier companies. These antique steam engines chug up and over the mountains, connecting the little villages of the Harz -Wernigerode being the closest one to the Brocken. The network is divided into three principal railways; the Harz Railway, which connects Wernigerode to Nordhausen, the Selke Valley Railway, which branches off the railway to arrive in Quedlinburg, and the Brocken Railway, which also branches off the Harz Railway and runs to the summit of the Brocken. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. This is not something we did personally but … A train ride on the Harz Steam Railway – Wernigerode, is a fascinating experience that travellers cannot miss out when visiting Germany. In 2009 Lower Saxony tried to co-finance a connection of the town of Braunlage to the HSB network using an accumulation of capital from the economic stimulus package, Konjunktur II. Your email address will not be published. ... Harz Narrow Gauge Railway. The GHE and NWE were subordinated to the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn in on 1 April 1949. In 1896 a second railway company was entered into the commercial register that wanted to build a narrow gauge railway through the Harz. According to the legend, the national park is also the focal point for the Brocken witches. On a half-grey day in the Harz Mountains, the huge doors of a railway restoration workshop were flung open, letting in cold air. You can decide if, whether in addition to the cookies required for operating the website, we may also use cookies from operators that are used for tracking and targeting purposes. Required fields are marked *. 95 1027 was overhauled at the Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works. And don’t miss the chance to travel to the snowy peak of Brocken Mountain – at 1,142 metres, it’s the highest mountains in northern Germany and the journey there through a snow-capped landscape is spectacular. In the years that followed, the line was extended and the network enlarged. It owns about 140 kilometres of track, connecting the principal towns of Wernigerode, Nordhausen and Quedlinburg and several smaller settlements in the area. On 30 November 2009 construction was started in Nordhausen on a new halt (Schurzfell). On 18 April 2005, work started on the extension of the Selke Valley Railway from Gernrode to Quedlinburg (length 8.5 km) after DB AG had closed this standard-gauge section and sold it to the HSB. Harz Mountains Narrow Gauge Steam Trains We use cookies to optimally enhance and improve the website. The journey will take place with an old steam train and take some 1.5 hours one way. On the Trans-Harz Railway (which has no catenary), motive power is diesel-electric, the trams being equipped with an on-board diesel engine. 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