On a recent escape to foreign shores, we found ourselves (not by accident, I should confess!) staying for a week in Wernigerode, Lower Saxony, Germany. Whilst this is a beatiful town in its own right, located as it is on the edge of the Harz Mountains, it is perhaps best known as the headquarters of the 140km metre gauge ‘HSB’ (Harzer Schmalspurbahn) system. Once a vital part of the local transport infrastructure, largely hidden from interested eyes until the reunification of Germany, it now plays a major role in the local tourist economy.
The system is divided into three ‘brands’ – the Selketalbahn (Selke Valley Railway), Harzerbahn (Harz Railway) and Brockenbahn (Brocken Railway), with the main steam focus being on the Brockenbahn (a two hour trip from Wernigerode up to the summit of the Brocken mountain). Steam also features on the other lines, though most services are operated by diesel railcars, connecting at key junctions. Our itinerary focused our attentions on the Brockenbahn, though observation of other services were also made and frequent (twice daily!) trips were made to the shed complex at Wernigerode to observe as many as 11 locomotives in steam (a mix of service, spares and specials).
This is very much still a working railway, not a heritage line, and there is a real sense of this when using the railway, despite its obvious tourist focus nowadays. Crews are paid staff and it is interesting to see how well organised the shed area is, to minimise effort (and dirt!) for those whose primary activity there is work.
Here is a selection (from many hundreds taken!) of views showing a week around Wernigerode…
Below: Two of the gigantic LKM 2-10-2Ts are seen at rest at Wernigerode. The distinctive cabin behind is a focal point, with the sanding tower to the right hand side. The standard gauge line runs from Hannover to Halle on the left, the metre gauge station is to the right.
Below: An interesting evening shot (it was very easy just to sit and watch the engines coming on shed, being serviced then parked for the night – I’m not sure my wife enjoyed it quite so much!). On the left is the prototype LKM 2-10-2T No.99 222 (which has a different front end arrangement, circular water heater above the smokebox and dates from 1930). In the middle is a production LKM 2-10-2T, one of 17 built between 1954 and 1956 but based on the earlier 1930 design. These have the square water heater on the smokebox. The air pump and feed water pumps sit either side of the smokebox and considerably ‘fatten’ up the front end of these brutish but impressive locomotives. On the right is a Mallet type loco, No.105, which I have yet to identify.
Below: Engines on-shed.
Below: On the way the summit of the Brocken. Trains for the summit follow the Wernigerode to Nordhausen route as far as Drei Annen Hohne, where the junction for the 19km line is located. Water is taken, other trains met or crossed, before the battle up the almost constant 1:30 gradient begins. This line, reopened in 1991 following many years of closure (the Brocken summit being the location for a Soviet listening station during the Cold War and therefore an area very much out of bounds) and is now probably one of the best photographed sections of the system, particularly in winter snow.
Below: One of the LKMs crosses the road as it departs Wernigerode. These engines are coal (and hand) fired, though have been oil fired in the past. The boiler is a standard gauge type and the ten coupled wheels are allowed a degree of articulation, with the centre driving wheels being flangeless. The line is not only steep, but also curved.
Below: We saw numerous special/private trains during the week, with the favoured motive power being two of the original 1890s Mallets, one in green and one in black, as seen here, and hauling a train of green liveried stock. The pair are seen here arriving at the summit of the Brocken, in pouring rain!
I have only given a flavour of this wonderful railway system, and urge anyone thinking of going, to go! Alternatively, there are lots of films on Youtube and also a very good book titled ‘North east German Narrow Gauge’ by John Organ and published by Middleton Press. It is the system’s 125th birthday this year, and I purchased a number of special publications, but am still working on translating these!
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