European Railroad Discussion > Harz Recomendations

I will be going to Germany on a business trip in October, and want to visit the HSB. Looking for recommendations for lodging and best (Scenic) areas to photograph the trains on line.

Thanks,
John

Do not stay in Nordhausen. I believe it only offers one steam departure per day and that part of the railway has been turned into a modern commuter service with new trams. I would recommend a day or two in Wernigerode with many hotel choices and perhaps a day or two in Alexisbad. Hotel Habichtstein is where we stayed on two trips there. Wernigerode is an old half timbered town still somewhat off the beaten tourist path with much to see other than the railway including a castle. And there are many departures to the Brocken from Wernigerode. The main steam shed is also there. If you have a car, there are plenty of locations where you can chase by road.

I recommend the Hotel Reservation Service: www.hrs.com is the English-language version, www.hrs.de for German-language. It was started by Deutsche Bahn (German Railways). You can sort hotel recommendations by distance from the railroad station, price, etc. I usually travel by train, not by rental car, so knowing I'll have a short walk (complete with map!) from station to hotel is a big help. You can reserve a room directly from the www.hrs.com website. It's worked very well for us, in Germany, France, and the USA.

- Doug Debs

Agree with Bruce. Would like to add that if you have a limited time, try taking the train to the Brocken. There will always be time for pictures but there never seems to be time for riding. You can stay in Drei Annen Hohne at the hotel right across the platform in town and catch the train for the Brocken right there. These trains leave from Wernigerode. You can drive down to Wernigerode and come into town on Friedrichstrase. When you come to the tracks make a left and follow 244 around until you pass over the tracks and on your left will be a car park for the loco shed. Following this same street around will take you to both Bahnhofs. The HSB has their own stub end terminal here. Have been here independently and was allowed in the shed area. Some places ask you buy a photolaudness (sp?) for permission to visit the railroad facilities. As a final comment on this area, I have stayed at the Hotel and Waldgasthaus a mile east of Drei Annen Hohne. Parking there allows a walk down grade to the big curve shot of the trains climbing out of the valley. Lower down, the tunnel shot also require a bit of walking in. Most of the area is pine forest. Google Drei Annen Hohne for the hotels and to become familiar with the area. I have never had a language problem and speak only English.

Other parts of the HSB offer more background that would give Fall colors, but there are far fewer trains. Of course you only need one to make it happen. Alexisbad, Stiege and Eisfelder Talmuhle are interesting junction points. Study the HSB fahrplan for frequency. Also, they have web cams. It is all on-line. In cool weather the best steam action is usually when the trains depart the station. Not normally a lot of black smoke. This is an involved system and invites return visits.

Hav a gute fahrt!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/14 08:55 by Labby.

I second the advice to stay in Wernigerode. A short distance south of Wernigerode is the station of Drei Annen Hohne. This is a junction point and a place where there are frequent train meets. The line to the Brocken summit and the line to Nordhausen separate just a short way south of the station. At certain times, there may even be three steam locomotive hauled trains occupying the three station tracks at the same time. Locomotives may also take on water here. There is a locomotive service area at the end of the line at the Wernigerode DB station but the shops are a short walk south. Just follow the tracks for a quarter mile or so from the end terminus to the shops. There are a number of photogenic spots at and near the summit of the Brocken. Make sure that the weather is going to be good before riding to the summit as the summit can be completely socked in with clouds and fog. When the train reaches the summit, the locomotive is quickly uncoupled and runs around the train on the parallel track so be sure to position yourself quickly for photos if you wish to record that move. I would advise an early start, a stay at the top for a few hours, catch a later train down to Drei Annen Hohne and get off, spend a while at the junction station, catch another train bcd to Wernigerode. There are a number of nice photographic locations with interesting buildings in the scene in the town of Wernigerode. I haven't been there for a few years and I don't know if the strange looking diesels are still running on certain trains. The diesels in question looked totally out of scale as they were standard gauge diesels mounted on meter gauge trucks. The diesels were running on the line to Nordhausen and not on the summit line when I was there a few years ago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/14 09:08 by birdman.

I also recommend staying in Wernigerode. If you want a view of the shop leads from your hotel room, consider the railway-themed Hotel Altora: http://www.hotel-wernigerode-altora.de/

They also have a restaurant with some G-scale trains servicing some tables.

HRS is ok, but use it with caution--there are a lot of mediocre listings on there (and contrary to the earlier poster's statements it was not started by DB, which only partners with it in offering some deals when jointly booking train tickets and hotels but is otherwise totally unaffiliated).

I agree that the line to the Brocken is the most spectacular, though if you have a chance, riding all the way out to Quedlinburg on the Selketalbahn is a real neat trip (and your best bet of catching one of the 0-4-4-0 mallets or the 99 6001 in action. It's possible to do a loop: standard gauge Harz Express from Wernigerode to Quedlinburg, narrow gauge to Eisfelder Talmühe, where you can connect to the Harzquerbahn back to Wernigerode. The timing is tricky but it can be done!

Also, it is very unlikely that you will see a diesel locomotive in passenger service. Locomotive-hauled trains are all steam with the other services operated as diesel railbusses. All marked accordingly in the schedules.

Here's an example of what you might see. However this is the vintage set used only on charters. However the Mallets are sometimes used in regular service but not on the Brocken line.

---

I agree with most of the others. Wernigerode is the best point for starting a trip along the HSB. You will found most of steamtrains outbound between 8 and 11 a.m. there. If using a car, its possible to catch them two times. In town and short before they arrive DreiAnnenHohne.
Have a safe and nice trip...

Phil from Berlin

---

---