Arguably the greatest steam railway in the world, the Harz Railway, with three interconnecting lines, travels for 86 miles, stopping at 48 stations through the fairytale villages of Germany ’s famous Harz mountains. Thanks! 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). 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. Slowly, on tracks … 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. Its head office is in Wernigerode, where its workshops and locomotive depot are located. Wernigerode itself is located on the northern slopes of the Harz Mountains, with a lovely old town and picturesque castle. Arguably the greatest steam railway in the world, the Harz Railway, with three interconnecting lines, travels for 86 miles, stopping at 48 stations through the fairytale villages of Germany’s famous Harz mountains. 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. About the tour Join us as we ride on vintage steam trains through Germany's wild landscapes and gorges to discover towns with timber-framed houses and cobbled lanes. To form your own, personal impressions from the Harz Mountains, join us on one of our future tours there. 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. Your email address will not be published. Goslar is not only a beautiful destination for a vacation in the peaceful Harz-Mountains but is also the town I grew up in and lived for about 20 years. "Meldung der Goslarschen Zeitung dated 29 April 2009", Information about HSB locomotives (in English) from the HSB web site, accessed 4 February 2007, Eisenbahnfreunde Traditionsbahnbetriebswerk Staßfurt, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harz_Narrow_Gauge_Railways&oldid=975005098, Germany articles missing geocoordinate data, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Specials to the Brocken, otherwise held in reserve (Wernigerode), Reserve for special trains (Nordhausen Nord), Superheated/wet steam engines for specials; wet steam engine in for general inspection, Harz and Selke Valley Railway (3 Nordhausen Nord, 1 Wernigerode), On long-term loan to the Friends of the HSG (, Metre-gauge prototype for locomotive series for the Indonesian State Railways, HSB Website (most pages are in German only), This page was last edited on 26 August 2020, at 05:26. 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. Wernigerode, a beautiful town amidst the mountains, provides an excellent base for this stunning winter rail holiday. A branch railroad line connecting the Brocken to the Harz Mountains' existing narrow-gauge railroad was proposed in 1869, but it was not until 1899 that the eighty-kilometer track was declared operational. Go on a ride with the traditional steam locomotives! It was owned by the Gernrode-Harzgerode Railway Company (Gernrode-Harzgeroder Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) or GHE. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Apart from one pair of steam trains from Nordhausen and a few HSB railcars all trains since then have terminated at the tramway stop of Nordhausen Bahnhofsvorplatz. The present-day narrow gauge operator emerged as a result of the merger of two different railway companies that operated their own lines: In 1887 the first narrow gauge line in the Harz, from Gernrode to Mägdesprung, was opened. All the lines are worked by steam trains, only in the winter timetable does the Stiege–Eisfelder Talmühle section of the Selke Valley Railway have no regular steam services due to its relatively low workload at that time of year. Required fields are marked *. As a result of the connecting track to the Nordhausen Tramway, the station of Nordhausen Nord, in particular, lost its significance. It owns about 140 kilometres of track, connecting the principal towns of Wernigerode, Nordhausen and Quedlinburg and several smaller settlements in the area. The SLIPS in Germany trip has seen us staying the Harz Mountains for the majority of our trip, and with that, comes the railway. 108.1 Alternative 1; 108.2 Alternative 2 If time is tight, there are two places you need to head for: Quedlinburg, a World Heritage Site medieval town with steep-roofed houses and narrow cobblestone streets. In the years that followed, the line was extended and the network enlarged. For more videos visit our YouTube-Channel! The best-known line is the Brocken Railway which is worked by steam locomotive-hauled trains to a daily scheduled timetable running from (Wernigerode –) via Drei Annen Hohne to the Brocken and back. 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. The Brocken is the highest peak in the Harz Mountain range located in central Germany. This halt is intended to further improve access to the railway network for the population of Nordhausen. UNESCO World Heritage Sight Quedlinburg, Collegiate church St. Servatius, Harz Mountains. 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. Great: the loudspeaker announcements explain what you can see where along the route. This is Europe’s longest railway network and while other steam trains are now run for tourists only, this line serves the locals too. It is the perfect location for hiking, climbing, birdwatching or skiing, depending on the season. It was used on the HSB and is now running museum railway services on the Rübeland Railway. With 25 engines, the Harz Railway boasts the largest fleet of passenger steam locomotives in the world. 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. 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. 2019 Tour code: 20HZX The new halt was opened in time for the summer timetable in 2010. On the Trans-Harz Railway (which has no catenary), motive power is diesel-electric, the trams being equipped with an on-board diesel engine. MTB. This is a perfect opportunity to get those Harz railway tickets and ride on the most beautiful steam train in the world while admiring the scenic routes that Germany has to offer. Perhaps cross the mountains north-south, with cork screw turns, pastoral plateau landscapes and … A train ride on the Harz Steam Railway – Wernigerode, is a fascinating experience that travellers cannot miss out when visiting Germany. On 1 May 2004 a link line was opened in Nordhausen between the Nordhausen Tramway and the Trans-Harz Railway. This is primarily as a result of lack of investment during the period the line was in Deutsche Reichsbahn ownership, between 1945 and 1993. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (Harzer Schmalspurbahnen) have the largest network of narrow gauge railways in Germany and been classified as historical monuments since 1972. Answer 1 of 4: I will be in Gottingen, Germany for about a month and I was wondering if anyone had any travel itinerary suggestions for me while I was there. 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. (Image thanks to Hejkal, CC-by-SA license.) Our holidays offer the perfect balance between railways, nature, culture and leisure. 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. Much of the network is steeply graded and picturesque, but its most popular destination is the Brocken, the highest mountain in the region. Harz Mountains Narrow Gauge Steam Trains We use cookies to optimally enhance and improve the website. The Brocken Railway in Germany’s Harz Mountains is a train lover’s delight. The company runs a significant number of its trains with steam haulage, mostly employing 1950s vintage 2-10-2 tank locomotives, hauling traditional open-platform bogie carriages. Germany Holidays: The Harz Mountain Railway This restored steam-hauled railway criss-crosses the Harz and the former border between Germany’s East and West. 95 1027 was overhauled at the Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works. Its trains run daily to a timetable and it operates more than ten steam locomotives, seven diesel railbuses and three trams (on the Nordhausen Tramway). The company is mainly owned by the various local authorities whose territories it serves. The journey will take place with an old steam train and take some 1.5 hours one way. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (German: Harzer Schmalspurbahnen or HSB) is a railway company that operates a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap} 3⁄8 in) metre gauge network in the Harz mountains, in central Germany (formerly East Germany). Travel through the Harz Mountains, the highest range in northern Germany, experiencing a scenic journey on the Brocken Railway and discovering historic cities on guided tours. DW The Harz Mountains. Because the line followed a section of the valley of the Selke, a small river, it was also nicknamed the Selke Valley Railway (Selketalbahn). An historic narrow gauge steam train, the Brockenbahn Railway (today, officially, the Harz Mountain Railway) circles its way up the highest point in Northern Germany from its start in Wernigerode. The GHE and NWE were subordinated to the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn in on 1 April 1949. The so-called Trans-Harz Railway (Harzquerbahn) from Wernigerode via Drei Annen Hohne to Nordhausen was fully opened to traffic on 27 March 1899. On a half-grey day in the Harz Mountains, the huge doors of a railway restoration workshop were flung open, letting in cold air. The Trans-Harz Railway also starts in Wernigerode and heads right through the Harz region to historic Nordhausen. The company was formed after the Second World War as a merger of two earlier companies. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways is a railway company that operates a 1,000 mm metre … In Quedlinburg the HSB stops at a platform with trains of the Harz-Elbe Express to Halberstadt. In 1896 a second railway company was entered into the commercial register that wanted to build a narrow gauge railway through the Harz. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways. ... Harz Narrow Gauge Railway. According to the legend, the national park is also the focal point for the Brocken witches. Building work continued until shortly before Christmas 2009 and was mainly carried out during the overnight pause so as not to interfere with services. The network is notable for its significant use of steam locomotives. The Brocken railroad belongs to the Harz-Vacation. The Harz Mountains in Northern Germany, formerly East Germany, is home to the largest steam powered meter gauge system in Europe. For decades, the narrow gauge railways of Germany's Harz mountains were locked away behind the Iron Curtain, a minor part of the East German State Railway, the Deutsche Reichsbahn, Starved of investment, these lines were never fully modernised with diesels. 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. Chunky 2-10-2 tank engines are the mainstay of the three line system (Harzquerbahn, Brockenbahn and Selketalbahn) and power all … Sorry this tour is no longer available. Another pet name was the Anhalt Harz Railway (Anhaltische Harzbahn). The GHE network included the railway lines from Gernrode to Harzgerode, Hasselfelde and Eisfelder Talmühle. 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. For railway travellers, this is truly one of the best lines in the world. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Among railway buffs the Harz is famous for having Europe’s largest narrow-gauge railway network: the Harzer Schmalspurbahn (03943 55 80, hsb-wr.de). 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. You can get on at the main train station, but the best spot is the Westentor stop, just outside the old city gate on the western edge of the old town. After the Second World War the entire network fell within the Soviet Zone of Occupation, later East Germany. Regional services between Nordhausen and Ilfeld, on the other hand were transferred to diesel railbuses and (since 1 May 2004) trams, apart from one steam train pair. On 30 November 2009 construction was started in Nordhausen on a new halt (Schurzfell). The Harz gives travellers the chance to step back in time on some of the best steam trains in the world and enjoy a journey (or two) to some of Germany’s most picturesque locations. The Harz Mountains has a network of nostalgic narrow-gauge railways. It owns about 140 kilometres of track, connecting the principal towns of Wernigerode, Nordhausen and Quedlinburg and several smaller settlements in the area. And you should definitely drive from Wernigerode, because there you can see the extraordinary passages through the city, through the public road traffic, before you enter the scenic nature park. It’s … On 22 December 1898 the Nordhausen-Wernigerode Railway Company (Nordhausen-Wernigeroder Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) or NWE opened special services on the line from Wernigerode to the Brocken (the Brocken Railway). (see also South Harz Railway). This initiative was shelved on 29 April 2010 due to the unacceptably high costs that were predicted.[3]. 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. This is not something we did personally but … Vacation in the Harz Mountains Pure Culture, Nature & Fun. The mainstay of the steam locomotive fleet is a fleet of 17 2-10-2 tank locomotives, built during the 1950s (apart from the prototype), although several older types do remain, including four 0-4-4-0 T mallet compound articulated locomotives. Brocken Railway, Germany The Brocken Railroad chugs through fairytale villages located in the snow-capped peaks of northern Germany's Harz Mountain range. First, the Gernrode terminus was converted into a through station. 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. The company was formed after the Second World War as a merger of two earlier companies. Historic towns, mountains and the Harz Railway. 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 Mountains Nature Park, located in Germany’s northernmost highlands, is a landscape of great diversity comprising broad upland plains and meadows, and wild and romantic wooded valleys. Prices from: €44 (valid for three days on the route)Departing from: Various stationsJourney length: 86 miles or less. Your email address will not be published. On board, passengers get the chance to step outside on to the open verandas between the carriages to breathe in the air and enjoy the stunning views. In 2009, with the support of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the standard-gauge steam engine no. GERMANY The Harz Mountains are known for their scenic beauty and a varied landscape of soft, sloping hillsides enriched with steeper ascents and sporadic rock formations. Harz Steam Trains The Harzquerbahn (one branch of the steam train) goes through the old town. 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. In addition the HSB still operates regular goods trains from Hartsteinwerk Unterberg (on the Selke Valley Railway) to Nordhausen Übergabebahnhof (on the Trans-Harz Railway) using diesel locomotives of Class 199.8 and piggy-backed standard-gauge wagons. On 4 March 2006, the first narrow gauge train Quedlinburg station and, since 26 June 2006, there have been scheduled services by the Harz narrow gauge railways to Quedlinburg with at least two pairs of steam trains per day. One of the world's most thrilling vintage steam train rides, it takes an hour and 40 minutes to reach Brocken's summit, which, at 3,743 feet, is the Harz mountain's tallest peak and home to Brockenbahnhof, Germany's highest narrow gauge railway station. 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