European Railroad Discussion > Germany: Some Narrow Gauge Steam in Winter

In the fall of 1985, I made my first-ever trip to then-Deutsche Demokratische Republic (East Germany) to photograph steam locomotives in regular service. On that visit, I met two young brothers, Olaf and Steffen Buhler, both railway enthusiasts, with whom I have since kept in touch.

Today, Steffen Buhler is a "Dampflokführer" (steam locomotive engineer) at both Fichtelbergbahn (Fichtel Mountain Railway) and Preßnitztalbahn (Preßnitz Valley Railway). Both Fichtelbergbahn and Preßnitztalbahn are 750mm gauge railways located in eastern Germany, in the German State of Sachsen (Saxony), which includes the cities of Leipzig and Dresden. Fichtelbergbahn operates steam-powered passenger (tourist) trains 365 days each year, between the towns Cranzahl and Kurort Oberwiesenthal, a distance of 17.4 km. Preßnitztalbahn operates fewer days: weekends-only during mid-winter months and daily between late May and early October.

On the afternoon of Friday, February 6, 2015, Fichtelbergbahn train P 1005, powered by Deutsche Reichsbahn 99 1773-3, 2-10-2T (Lokomotivbau "Karl Marx" (LKM) / Babelsberg 32012 / 1952), was photographed departing Neudorf at 13:39. (LKM later became Orenstein & Koppel.)

Preßnitztalbahn was built in 1892 to connect the town of Wolkenstein, with a connection to the German standard gauge railway system, with town of Jöhstadt, 24.3 km up the Preßnitz River valley. This railway was operated with steam until its closure in 1986, just three years prior to Germany's reunification. Beginning in 1990, German railway enthusiasts rebuilt the line from Jöhstadt to Steinbach, a distance of 7.8 km.

On Saturday, February 7, 2015, German railway enthusiast Markus Behrla organized a charter event at Preßnitztalbahn. Our charter train was mixed, and included several "Rollwagen" cars: small flat cars designed to transport standard-gauge freight cars on narrow gauge railways.

Power for the charter train was Deutsche Reichsbahn 99 1590-1, 0-4-4-0T, (Sächsische Maschinenfabrik Chemnitz 3670 / 1913), Sächsische type IV K, Meyer. Power for the regular service passenger trains was Deutsche Reichsbahn 99 1715-4, 0-10-0T (Richard Hartmann, Chemnitz 4627 / 1927), Sächsische type VI K.

Fichtelbergbahn: http://www.fichtelbergbahn.de/
Preßnitztalbahn: http://www.pressnitztalbahn.de/press/johstadt.php

Image details:

Image 1: Fichtelbergbahn: DR 99 1773-3 Departing Neudorf
Image 2: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Steffen Buhler Dampflokführer
Image 3: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Schmalzgrübe departure 1 (with lights on)

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Image 4: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Schmalzgrübe departure 2 (with lights off)
Image 5: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Schmalzgrübe departure 3 (with lights off)
Image 6: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Schmalzgrübe Bahnhof

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Image 7: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Schmalzgrübe departure with truck 1
Image 8: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Schmalzgrübe departure with truck 2
Image 9: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Schmalzgrübe Bahnhof scene

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Image 10: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Forellenhof departure 1
Image 11: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Forellenhof departure 2
Image 12: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1715-4 + DR 99 1590-1 Schmalzgrübe meet

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Image 13: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Steinbach with horses
Image 14: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1715-4 + DR 99 1590-1 Steinbach meet
Image 15: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Forellenhof field 1

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Image 16: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Forellenhof field 2
Image 17: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Wildbach 1
Image 18: Preßnitztalbahn: DR 99 1590-1 Wildbach 2

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Very nice, love the old DDR truck and car

Excellent. I hope to be able to join a U.K. group planning to run several charters on these two lines as well as the line at Zittau in 2016.

Great pictures and they take me back to that time the late 80's early 90's when it was a different world out there.
Keith G, London, UK

Beautiful images....

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

Classic steam and a Trabi to boot. Great stuff.

Hi milepost130,

what for a great series. Thank you. It feed my remembering to this time in the former GDR. Imagine this pics in b/w, they could origins from this time.
Was there for two times, at last 2010.
At first in early 80ies without an camera :-( . . .
Look my pics from a an evening in February 2010. It was also a day with two engines on the track.
The work of the day is done and the engines are restored and is entering the house.

Phil from Berlin, Germany

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Very nice Phil, thanks.

Awesome shots, awesome scenery! Poster-like quality of the photos. It was a great feast for the steam enthusiasts, no doubts.

Thank you for sharing with us.

Stas