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| The Harz Mountain Railway | ||
| by John Craft and Thomas Kreitmair | ||
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| Imagine standing on Cumbres Pass and watching ELEVEN trains work uphill in a single day. On that same day there are five turns from Antonito to Sublette, and another train running all the way across the railroad and back. Further, imagine that you could still see simultaneous departures from Antonito to Cumbres and Santa Fe on an occasional basis. | ||
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| That's the kind of action that you can find on the "Harzquer Schmalspur- und Brockenbahn," the Harz Mountains Railway (HSB) in central Germany. One of the most popular steam destinations in Europe, it's hard not to be impressed with this meter-gauge line: 3% grades in abundance, a huge stable of big steam power, and a network of branch lines that see daily steam service. | ||
Travel Tips On Line Resources Photo Locations Non-Rail Tips Personal Recommendations | ||
| The Trains | ||
| The HSB is actually the "merger" of two private railways built at the turn of the century: the "Nordhausen-Wernigerode Eisenbahn," comprising the Wernigerode-Nordhausen line and the Brocken line, and the "Gernrode-Harzgerode Eisenbahn," constructed from Gernrode to Eisfelder Talmuhle, with branches to Harzgerode (opened 1888) and Hasselfelde (opened 1892). On April 6, 1946, Soviet Troops began disassembling the Gernrode - Stiege portion of the line. The rails and rolling stock were sent to Russia in order to fulfill reparation demands. The Soviet Administration soon found out that this was a mistake, as raw material transports were almost impossible afterwards. They ordered relaying rails in late 1946. Traffic between Gernrode, Harzgerode and Strassberg started again in 1949 with rolling stock from the Harzquerbahn. The branch Eisfelder Talmuhle - Hasselfelde was assigned to the Harzquerbahn. It was not until 1983 when the 14 km "gap" Strassberg - Stiege was reconstructed. The Nordhausen-Wernigerode Eisenbahn (NWE) and Gernroder-Harzgeroder Eisenbahn (GHE) were nationalized in 1949 and incorporated in the GDR public railroad system "Deutsche Reichsbahn" (DR). During the Cold War and partition of Germany, the East-West border ran just west of the summit of the Brocken, the area's highest peak, where a Russian listening post was established. The Schierke - Brocken section was closed to passenger traffic in the years leading up to reunification. The first train to Brocken in many years operated on 30 April 1990, where a garrison of Russian soldiers looked out at the "Wessies" (west Germans) streaming off the train. After long discussions with environmentalists who wanted the Brocken to be "off-limits" for the public in order to preserve vulnerable flora, regular service to the Brocken resumed on July 1, 1992 - after replacing rotten rails and roadbed. The line was privatised in 1990 as part of preparing the Deutsches Reischebahn for merger with the Deutsche Bundesbahn. Service cutbacks and operating philosophy changes clouded the line's future for most of the decade as a more commercial mindset developed, different schedules were tried, threats of abandonment and the end of steam were staved off, and a stable operation slowly emerged. A visitor in the early 90s would have found far more service on the Gernrode-Eisfelder Talmuhle section than exists today, and many of the trains to Drei Annen Hohne would have been diesel-powered. In 1995, as subsidies began to disappear and tourism was increasing, the decision was made to run all Wernigerode-Drei Annen Hohne-Brocken trains with steam power, and at least one steam-powered train on most of the remaining sections of the railway. Trains where steam power is normally dispatched are shown as such in the railway's timetables. Sadly, the daily simultaneous departures from Eisfelder Talmuhle (one train to Benneckenstein, one to Stiege) are only performed for photo specials. One can still catch them at Alexisbad, but not normally with two steam-powered trains. Recently steam service out of Gernrode has increased, with additional turns to Alexisbad and a return of regular steam trains to Hasselfelde. Only the Eisfelder Talmuhle - Stiege section does not see a daily steam-powered train. The network's home is in Wernigerode, a small industrial town about 90 miles southeast of Hannover. The railway maintains an engine shed, a small yard, and a workshop here. Engines are also assigned to Nordhausen and Gernrode. Engine sheds still exist at Ilfeld, Benneckenstein, and Hasselfelde, and are used to store unneeded power. Most trains are powered by one of 12 2-10-2Ts built between 1954 and 1956. (Another six are in storage.) There's also a collection of eight older, historic locomotives used as backup power and for special trains. 99.5901 - 99.5903, 0-4-4-0Ts built as NWE 11-13 in 1897 and 1898 are complemented by 99.5906, a military-issue cousin built in 1918. Two military 0-6-0Ts from 1914, a 2-6-2T from 1939, and a Fairlie. (NWE 11 and 13, 99.5906, 99.6001, and 99.6102 are serviceable.) | ||
| Download an information packet including this page's text and timetables for German Narrow Gauge lines | ||
| Travel Tips | ||
| When To Go: Most photographers tend to visit in January and early February, when the chance for snow is greatest. Accumulations of 6 feet at the higher elevations are not unheard of. October is also a good time to visit. The line will be busiest in July and August, when most Germans take their holidays. Extra trains from Wernigerode are common on weekends, and steam substitutes on several ex-Gernrode schedules on Friday and Saturday. The volunteer support organizations for the line often schedule special runs, including freights, in mid-October, the first weekend in February, and holiday weekends during the summer. | ||
| The Language: Knowing some German helps. German is a very common second language for Europeans, so outside the places frequented by Americans, English is not common. | ||
| The Weather: Moderate. Temperatures tend to hover in the low 30s during the day in winter, dipping below freezing at night. | ||
| Maps: The essential map is Kompass map company's "Wanderkarte" no. 1019, "Ostharz" ("Eastern Harz Mountains"). The entire system, minus downtown Nordhausen and a tiny stretch of the Brocken line, is shown on one 1:50,000 map that also shows paved roads, footpaths, and topographic contours. It should be available at any petrol station convenience store in the area, and you can probably find them in other places as well. (If you happen to be in London, Stanford's (on Long Acre near St. Martin's Lane in the West End) stocks several Kompass titles.) | ||
| Getting There: You're most likely to fly into Frankfurt (about 300km via Gottingen and Braunlage) or Berlin (about 225km via Magdeburg). You can also fly into Hannover (120km via Braunschweig and Bad Harzburg). There is regular train service to Wernigerode and Gernrode from Goslar and Halberstadt, and to Nordhausen from Halle, Gottingen, and Kassel. Coming in from another European country? There are convenient car-rentals located in the train stations at Hannover, Braunschweig, and Magdeburg. | ||
| Lodging: There are plenty of options all over this much-visited area, and the accomodations have quickly matched western expectations. You will find guesthouses and/or hotels in practically any community in the area. For accomodation, it is useful to contact the local "Fremdenverkehrsamt" (Tourist office). Braunlage, just west of Elend in the former West, was a tourist destination for years and features many hotels and restaurants. A few others are mentioned specifically below: Wernigerode: a full range of hotels in all price ranges. I've always stayed at the "Weisser Hirsch" ("White Hart") on the town square, facing the beautifully-preserved Rathaus (town hall). I've also received recommendations for the following from past vistors: Hotel "Schloss Blick" ("Castle View"), Burgstrasse 58. Hotel Garni "Median", Highway 6 east of Wernigerode. Drei Annen Hohne: in the days before the fall of the Wall, one of the few places in the area that would take Western visitors was the Hotel Drei Annen, about 1.5 km east of the Drei Annen Hohne station. It was notorious then for being completely closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The "Parkhotel am Hohnekopf" is a recently-refurbished half-timbered hotel directly in front of the Drei Annen Hohne station. Alexisbad: the resort hotel across from the station was often closed to Western visitors due to the nearby munitions plant, but accomodations can now be obtained easily. | ||
| Food: Again, lots of options in this tourist destination. "Foreign" (ie non-German) choices can be found in Wernigerode and Braunlage. Roadside stands serving Wurst for lunch are common, and you can also find lunch stands at the Drei Annen Hohne, Schierke, and Brocken stations. | ||
| Money & Prices: Forget the traveller's checks or large wads of cash; only banks (and some better hotels) will cash Traveller's checks in foreign denominations or change foreign money. BY FAR the safest, simplest and least expensive way to get cash overseas is your plain old ATM card. You'll find ATMs in Wernigerode, Benneckenstein, Ilfeld, Nordhausen, and Gernrode, in addition to Braunlage in the west. | ||
| Hotels tend to run about $60-$100 for a business hotel. Petrol (gasoline) is $4-5 per gallon. Food is moderatly priced. | ||
| Timetables: German timetables use the 24-hour system. 12.00 is noon, 13.00 1 PM, 14.00 2 PM, etc. Midnight is 0.00. Dates written in digits have the format DD.MM.Year. On timetables, it is usual to write months in Roman numbers. | ||
| Online Resources | ||
| Use the following links to plan your trip to the Harz Mountains area: | ||
| http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin/translate? - If you don't read German, you're going to need this excellent translation site. Simply copy text off one of the pages listed below, or put the URL into the box. Set the command to "German to English" and you're all set. | ||
| Harz Mountains Railway - the official site for the railway, partially in English. | ||
| http://www.schmalspurbahn.de - the Narrow Gauge Dictionary - this should be your first stop. Ralf Muller has information on every narrow gauge line built in Germany here, including lines now gone. Links to pages where more can be learned are included. In German. | ||
| http://www.ringhotels.de/englisch/indexE.htm - Ringhotels - a German hotel chain worth considering for your visit. There is a location in Wernigerode (highly recommended). | ||
| http://mercurio.iet.unipi.it/home.html#TIME - the European Railway Server - you'll find lots about German steam scattered throughout this site, including in the links section. There's lots of good background in English on Phillippe Quiot's Harz pages, though the schedules and news are out of date. | ||
| http://www.mapquest.com - MapQuest - order maps online. | ||
| http://www.omnimap.com - Omnimap - order maps online. A word on ordering Kompass Wanderkartes: while searching for these maps, it became apparent that OmniMap's web site leaves a bit to be desired. When looking for the Kompass maps, the direct link to the Kompass page from the Germany page did not work. Believe it or not, the only way to order these maps online that I found was as follows: from the "International Maps" page, click on "Italy" in the Country and Regional Listings, then "Itemized Listing of Kompass Hiking maps." | ||
| http://www.xe.net/currency - Universal Currency Convertor - self-explanatory. | ||
| http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/db.s98/detect.exe/bin/db.s98/query.exe/e? - Deutsche Bahn (German State Railways) - Look up schedules for trains all over Europe. This is the English-language page. | ||
| http://www.mastercard.com/cgi-bin/atm - MasterCard ATM Locator - Find a MasterCard or Cirrus ATM. | ||
| (Links are provided as a convenience and do not imply any endorsement of products or services offered on the linked sites.) | ||
| Photo Locations | |
| Most photographers focus on the Wernigerode - Drei Annen Hohne - Brocken line, with its streetcar-frequency service and guarantee of steam power running chimney first uphill. But the rest of the lines are scenic as well, and there are enough grades to ensure that you get good photos on every stretch of railroad. | |
| Wernigerode - Drei Annen Hohne: between Wernigerode and Steinerne Renne, trains are best photographed in the afternoon. | |
 | Best views are of the train leaving the Westerntor station, with the Westerntor (the "western gate") in the background; street running leaving the Kirchstrasse halt; and departing the Hasserode station. |
 | At Steinerne Renne the line begins its climb in earnest, and 3%+ grades are steady until reaching the Hotel Drei Annen about 1.5km from the Drei Annen Hohne station. There are nice views at Thumkuhlental curve (follow the dirt road to the right, marked by a stone cairn), where the train makes a horshoe curve and passes through a tunnel. Further up the line, another horseshoe curve through the Schliekstal offers a number of photo angles through the day, but is best morning and evening. (It's reached by walking down the forest path from the Hotel Drei Annen - it looks like a logging road and starts at the paid parking area - a bit more than 1km.) |
 | At Drei Annen Hohne station you'll find a constant parade of meets and shunting throughout the day as trains take water, run round their consists, and meet other trains. Trains departing to Brocken and Eisfelder Talmuhle can be photographed at the junction just west of the station; there is the POSSIBILITY of a simultaneous departure at 1230. |
| Drei Annen Hohne - Brocken: this line is in the National Park for its entire length, and there are many footpaths on the mountain, some of which of which parallel the railway. While the line is in the trees for part of its distance, it breaks into the open toward the summit. The only view available from the road is visible shortly after leaving Drei Annen Hohne. | |
| Drei Annen Hohne - Eisfelder Talmuhle: While the train frequency on this line can't compare to the Brocken line, don't ignore this section. | |
 | Drei Annen Hohne to Elend is largely forested, but the departure from Elend is uphill for about 1km. The road between Elend and Sorge, off-limits during the cold war (the East-West border was only 1.6 km to the west), crosses the line twice. Sorge lies in a river valley, and steep climbs in either direction from the station make for exciting photos. For my money, there's not a more dramatic scene on the line than the northbound climb out of Sorge. Leaving the station, the line crosses the Warme Bode, passes the bridge abutments of the abandoned Sud-Harz Eisenbahn between Tanne and Braunlage, and climbs through a picturesque defile towards Elend. (Get there well in advance - you'll need to hike in along a dirt road. In the Summer 1999 timetable, the steam-powered train departs Sorge at 1136.) |
 | The Northbound approach to Benneckenstein station is through a broad, photogenic curve. |
From Benneckenstein to Eisfelder Talmuhle the line is generally downhill through the forest, and road access is minimal to Tiefenbachmuhle. | |
| Eisfelder Talmuhle - Nordhausen: From Eisfelder Talmuhle, the line drops down slowly through Ilfeld to Nordhausen. A footpath follows the railroad between Eisfelder Talmuhle and Netzkater; from Netzkater to Nordhausen the line is very close to the road. The Ilfeld station and shed area is attractive, as are the facilities at Nordhausen. | |
| Gernrode - Alexisbad: After departing the Gernrode station and passing the Osterteich halt, the line follows the river Wellbach through the "Ostergrund" ("eastern gorge") to a summit at the Sternhaus-Ramberg halt. Grades are steep through here, although I have never seen any photos taken in this section. | |
 | Between Sternhaus-Ramberg and Alexisbad, the line is generally downhill to Magdesprung, with a slight climb from there to Alexisbad. |
 | At Alexisbad, the branch to Harzgerode climbs off to the south, and simultaneous departures used to be common here. The current schedule (summer 99) lists one at 0835, but with railcars on both services. (It may be possible to find steam substituting on one or both services, however,and simultaneous departures are often staged with special trains.) The steeply-graded Harzgerode branch is open for the last half of the climb. |
| Alexisbad - Stiege: The line generally climbs to Stiege. | |
 | At Silberhutte the line passes through the remains of a closed munitions factory. |
| There are other nice photos entering Strassberg, along the lake at Guntersberge, and at the Albrechthaus halt. The return from Stiege is usually bunker-first, but there is a turning loop that can be used. | |
| Non-Rail Tips | |
| The Harz Mountains National Park is a beautiful area, and the entire area is sparkling with new investment since reunification. In addition to its 17th-century architecture, Wernigerode is a shopper's dream. All over the Harz you'll find hiking trails and picturesque villages. Quedlinburg, 7km from Gernrode, is filled with half-timbered buildings dating back as far as the 16th century. On my first visit much of the old city was completely neglected in favor of the ubiquitous Communist towers; no doubt this city is well on its way to complete restoration now. It's also a very historic area. Nordhausen was a major industrial center for Hitler's Germany, and both a salt mine and underground munitions factory were located here. Traces of the Iron Curtain are growing fainter - on my first visit in 1995, a 2km stretch of fresh paving in the badly-maintained road from Braunlage to Elend was a graphic introduction to the reality of "no-man's land." On my last visit in 1997, the only reminders were the signs at bridges that gave weight and speed restrictions for tanks passing. | |
| Personal Recommendations | |
| First, let me explain how I travel, so you can adjust my recommendations as you need to. I don't often travel alone - either my wife comes with me, or I join forces with one or two friends. I'm not willing to suffer to conserve money, so I'm not looking for the cheapest hotel or restaurant. Nor do I seek out American touchstones like McDonalds and Holiday Inn; being in a non-English-speaking environment doesn't intimidate me at all. Finally, I don't exclude a little tourism once a few nice photos are in the bag. | |
| Cars & Hotels: There's really not much to say about cars. You'll find picking one up almost identical to getting a car in the US. The only caveat I would offer would be to take the Kompass map with a grain of salt if you go in snow season. Many of the smaller roads shown on the map (in white instead of yellow on my 1995 copy) aren't plowed. (I've had some unwelcome adrenalin rushes at Thumkuhlental and between Sophienhof and Eisfelder Talmuhle, and I didn't even try to drive the side roads between Sorge and Elend.) For hotels, I've always stayed at the "Weisser Hirsch" ("White Hart") in Wernigerode, and recommend it highly. NOTE: In the winter, bedcovers tend to be a heavy comforter exactly the width of the mattress - period. If you have to have wool blankets that fall over the side, or flannel sheets, better bring 'em yourself. | |
| Food: Breakfast is typically a cold buffet at the hotel, where you can get the standard pastries as well as sliced meats, cereal and yogurt. Hot breakfasts aren't typically German. Lunch is usually a "wurst" with a roll, mustard, and beer gotten at a roadside stand. (You can go into town and eat at a restaurant, of course.) There are lots of options for dinner, and even non-German restaurants in Wernigerode and Braunlage. | |
| Trip Strategy: Give yourself several days, preferably a full week, if you want to thoroughly photograph the line. Here are a few possible single-day itineraries: Park at Drei Annen Hohne, take the first train to Brocken and return to Schierke on foot shooting the trains. Finish the day shooting the last train from Wernigerode to Drei Annen at Westerntor, Kirchstrasse, and Hasserode. Spend the day between Drei Annen and Wernigerode. Park at the Hotel Drei Annen and Shoot the 1129 ex-Wernigerode at the tunnel at Thumkuhlental, and catch the afternoon trains at Westerntor and Kirkstrasse. Chase the first train from Wernigerode to Schierke, then catch the Nordhausen train at Eisfelder Talmuhle, Benneckenstein, Sorge, Elend, and Drei Annen Hohne. Spend the rest of the day at the horseshoe curve downhill from the Hotel Drei Annen. Spend a Friday or Saturday on the Gernrode - Stiege line, when six separate steam movements depart Gernode. The station areas at Eisfelder Talmuhle and Alexisbad are very atmospheric. | |
| Download an information packet including this page's text and timetables for German Narrow Gauge lines | |
| Enjoy Your Trip! Add your comments to this page | |
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