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HSB: Harz Narrow-Gauge Railroad

Page 3
Continued from page 2

More HSB train photos

HSB Dampfladen No. 6

You can buy HSB train tickets at the railroad's "Dampfladen No. 6" ("Steamshop No. 6") on the Marktplatz in Wernigerode or at any station along the line.


HSB steam locomotive

Trains on the Wernigerode-Brocken line are powered by coal-burning steam engines, such as this Neubaulocomotiv from the 1952-1954 period.

(The German Democratic Republic relied on steam much longer than Western European countries did, partly because it lacked money for infrastructure but also because domestic coal was cheaper than imported oil or electricity.)


Schierke station

During the trip from Wernigerode to the Brocken, HSB trains stop in Schierke for seven or eight minutes to take on water.


Brocken National Park

This photo was taken in early March, on a section of track above Schierke. The snow was deep, and the line was surrounded on both sides by pine forests in the Brocken National Park.


HSB baggage-passenger car

These hardy tourists braved the cold to enjoy a view from the platform of the baggage-passenger car behind the engine.


Brocken blizzard

At the Brocken summit station, passengers fought their way through a 70-km/h (44-mph) blizzard to reach the hotel-restaurant and the Brockenmuseum in a former Stasi (East German State Security) listening post.


HSB Neubaulokomotiv in winter

In the HSB's early days, snow made it impossible to reach the summit in winter, but today the trains connect the Brocken with Drei-Annen-Hohne and Wernigerode year-round. (This picture was taken at the summit station before an afternoon descent to civilization.)


Brocken HSB station

Carsten Madsen took this photo of the Brocken station during the summer months, when the weather is more benign and the views are better than they were during my early March visit.

Back to: HSB - Introduction


In this article:
HSB - Harz Narrow-Gauge Railroad
Practical information, HSB Web links
More HSB train photos

Related articles:
Brocken - Mountain and Museum
Wernigerode