Harz Mountain Railway

[Masbroughlad]

I am in Germany for my annual jaunt to the Christmas markets. I always like to do something else while I'm there.

This year, I'd like a trip on the Harz Mountain steam trains. Either one or two nights from a start point, preferably somewhere en route between Hamburg and Leipzig.

I've done a bit of research and looked at Seat61, I'd just like some input from somebody who has done this before.

Thanks in advance.

 

[The exile]

I am in Germany for my annual jaunt to the Christmas markets. I always like to do something else while I'm there.

This year, I'd like a trip on the Harz Mountain steam trains. Either one or two nights from a start point, preferably somewhere en route between Hamburg and Leipzig.

I've done a bit of research and looked at Seat61, I'd just like some input from somebody who has done this before.

Thanks in advance.

Fantastic network - but my experience is from 1994, which probably won’t help much!

 

[SeanG]

We went in February so I can give an account

Ticketing wise, we each bought a Deutschlandticket and then a return up the Brocken - the cost came to roughly €100 per person for all travel.

Our itinerary was this:

Day 1
Flew to Berlin and spent the afternoon on the trams and ferries in the east. There is lots to do in Berlin if this doesn't float your boat, you could spend a week there on the transport alone.

Day 2
We got the train from Berlin to Magdeburg, and then the train from Magdeburg to Quedlingburg. The former was an ODEG Stadler KISS and the latter was an Alstom Coradia LINT operated by Start. We spent the rest of the day looking round the delightful town of Quedlingburg but I could easily leave Berlin early afternoon if you wished as the overall journey is roughly 3 hours.

Day 3
We got the first steam departure from Quedlingburg down to Alexisbad. From there we caught a lovely old railcar up the short beach to Harzgerode. A quick turn around there and back on the same unit to Alexisbad. We then reached our steps in a 90s railcar north to Gernrode where we broke for lunch at a cafe. There was a steam loco being serviced there and the folk were happy for us to wander around the yard and into the shed area for photos. We then caught the steam departure south to Hasselfelde where it ran round and then took us to Eisfelde Talmuhle where I terminated. A 15 minute wait in fading light for atmospheric photos of steam in cold weather ended with the steam train south to Nordhausen. The southern end of this line becomes more urban and is shared by diesel trams.
Nordhausen isn't perhaps the prettiest of places but it did the job for overnight digs and a pizza & beer.

Day 4
We got the first steam train up from Nordhausen to the Brocken. This train reversed and waited for a while at Eisfelsder Talmuhle where the HarzCamel diesel hydraulic was attached - so a tip here is to move to the rear of the train as approaching E-T for maximum thrash up the Brocken.
The train did fill up to capacity up the Brocken which was the only time we had a remotely busy train - often it was just us on.
At the top of the Brocken there is an overpriced cafe which smelled awful but good views. We walked down the mountain a little to get some shots of trains coming up. It was great to see the steam working hard against the backdrop of snow.

We then got the steam train down all the way to Wernigerode which is another lovely place.

Day 5
We started the morning by going to the sheds of the Harz and seeing off the first steam departure. Unfortunately we didn't have time for the railway museum and we got the train back to Magdeburg and then back to Berlin via Stendal to tick off some DB regio loco haulage. We spent the next few hours on Berlin before the evening EasyJet back to Manchester.

A really enjoyable trip with excellent value and something I would definitely do again. I think it would be possible to fly into/out of Hamburg, Hanover or Bremen and do the trip in similar time frames too

 

[Krokodil]

Check to see if the Rübelandbahn is running. It's very steeply graded so the sound from the loco is incredible.

Website here (in German):

https://arbeitsgemeinschaft-ruebelandbahn.de/

 

[30907]

The important point to note is that services are suspended for most of November and resume on 28th, except for limited service to the Brocken. The Harzgerode branch is closed UFN.

I recommend Quedlinburg as a place to stay though Wernigerode has more steam activity. Helberstadt is a lovely town and has an interesting little tram network.

 

[peteb]

Having stayed in Wernigerode I'd recommend that as a place to stay. The railway themed hotel by the station is actually very good, quirky restaurant well worth a try.

Certainly using the Deutschland ticket makes the network "free" apart from the spiral section up the Brocken itself which is well worth shelling out for (but fingers crossed for a clear day). We went in May 2023, and although it was warm we experienced a full gale at the summit!

Doing the "full circle" from Wernigerode to Quedlingburg is great fun (check timetables), with some railcar travel needed to link the steam services. (And DB required to complete the circle).

I didn't get to Nordhausen, however, but there's always next time!

 

[SeanG]

I have to say that I would reccomend Quedlingburg & Wernigerode as places to stay. Nordhausen isn't as nice but may be needed for convenience

 

[E94]

I‘ve had two trips on the network, first was pre Deutschland ticket, Wernigerode to Brocken to Nordhausen. At that time a return up the Brocken was automatically valid to any other station on the network.
Second was a simple one way trip from Quedlingburg to Nordhausen. All were steam trains.
Quedlinburg and Wernigerode are both worth a visit irrespective of the railway. I found Nordhausen a bit dead, both times I‘d arrived early evening off the steam train with a good while till my connection out on DB, but struggled to find anywhere open to get food apart from the odd kebab place.
I don’t know if Brocken is worth it if the weather is bad. On the plus side you get a good thrash up the mountain, and despite being narrow gauge, those tank engines have more guts than most UK standard gauge tank engines. On the negative side if it’s cloudy you can’t even see the building at the summit, let alone any scenery.
I found it very easy to lose track of time; standing on the open balcony at the rear of a southbound train as evening set in I realised nearly 2 hours had passed without me noticing.

 

[peteb]

I‘ve had two trips on the network, first was pre Deutschland ticket, Wernigerode to Brocken to Nordhausen. At that time a return up the Brocken was automatically valid to any other station on the network.
Second was a simple one way trip from Quedlingburg to Nordhausen. All were steam trains.
Quedlinburg and Wernigerode are both worth a visit irrespective of the railway. I found Nordhausen a bit dead, both times I‘d arrived early evening off the steam train with a good while till my connection out on DB, but struggled to find anywhere open to get food apart from the odd kebab place.
I don’t know if Brocken is worth it if the weather is bad. On the plus side you get a good thrash up the mountain, and despite being narrow gauge, those tank engines have more guts than most UK standard gauge tank engines. On the negative side if it’s cloudy you can’t even see the building at the summit, let alone any scenery.
I found it very easy to lose track of time; standing on the open balcony at the rear of a southbound train as evening set in I realised nearly 2 hours had passed without me noticing.

I'd say the trip up the Brocken is worth the journey for the loud steam thrash but I wasn't over impressed with the summit etc. When I travelled back down we were shunted into a siding to allow an uphill train past. That was a spectacular run-past, well worth a photo or filming.

 

[E94]

I'd say the trip up the Brocken is worth the journey for the loud steam thrash but I wasn't over impressed with the summit etc. When I travelled back down we were shunted into a siding to allow an uphill train past. That was a spectacular run-past, well worth a photo or filming.

Like this (if the link works):

 

[Gordon]

I am in Germany for my annual jaunt to the Christmas markets. I always like to do something else while I'm there.

This year, I'd like a trip on the Harz Mountain steam trains. Either one or two nights from a start point, preferably somewhere en route between Hamburg and Leipzig.

I've done a bit of research and looked at Seat61, I'd just like some input from somebody who has done this before.

Thanks in advance.

I recommend you just take the direct route Hamburg - Wernigerode, which is 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 hours: normal pattern is ICE Hamburg - Hannover, RE Hannover - Goslar, RE Goslar - Wernigerode.

Always best to go to Wernigerode as that is the main hub of the network

Then make your way out of the Harz towards Leipzig depending on what HSB trains are running


.

 

[eastwestdivide]

My Harz (and other stuff) trip report from 2019 over on rmweb at

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/148256-w-to-e-or-a-to-z-aachen-to-harz-viaducts-and-brown-coal/?do=findComment&comment=3699312

 

[gordonthemoron]

North of Nordhausen, near the railway line, is the remains of the Nordhausen V2 missile factory, which can be visited, its size is astonishing

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

I didn't find the Brocken particularly impressive, the Selketalbahn to Quedlinburg is much nicer, quieter and cheaper

 

[Krokodil]

I didn't find the Brocken particularly impressive, the Selketalbahn to Quedlinburg is much nicer, quieter and cheaper

The scenery isn't particularly impressive, the main attraction is the thrash. In the right conditions however it can be spectacular:

Photo of a snowman on the Brocken

Photo of low winter sun shining through frosty trees

 

[LittleRedTrain]

I was in the Harz last week. It was an organised trip by Railway Touring Company, so didn't have to worry about my own travel and tickets as we were provided with 3-day rovers and accommodation in Wernigarode.

From my experience:

The Brocken was worth doing for the experience, but definitely worth getting an early or later train up to avoid the crowds. It's quite an experience sitting in the siding on the way down watching another steam train thrashing its way up past you at speed.
There's some interesting bits and pieces at the top as well.

There were a lot of steam loco substitutions with diesels. At least one diagram was substituted every day we were there, and two on some days.
At one point, the entire line between Nordhausen and Eisfelder Talmühle was completely shut for an entire day, with no explanation other than 'Operational Reasons'.
Also on several days, the Brocken line was closed due to high winds with services terminating at Schierke.
The timetable changes are listed daily at https://www.hsb-wr.de/Aktuelles/Aktuelle-Fahrplanaenderungen/ and it's worth checking last thing at night if you plan an early start the next day.

If you want to do steam in/out of Quedlinburg, you need to start or finish at that end as there's no steam diagram the other way. We ended up taking the bus from Wernigerode in the morning, having a look round the town, then doing the loop back via Eisfelder Talmühle and Drei Annen Hohne (including the balloon loop at Stiege).
It's definitely worth doing, especially as the Selketalbahn section is going to be closed from next year for 5 years.

Also, at 1414 there is (theoretically) a parallel steam loco departure from Eisfelder Talmühle, but all the time we were there, the train to Drei Annen Hohne was a Harzkamel diesel instead.

The same issue applies if you want to do steam into/out of Nordhausen, steam only runs out of there in the morning, back in the evening, with only railcars in the opposite directions. There aren't any suitable rail connections to get there in time if you want to start from further north than Ifeld.
It did look like it was possible to get the bus from Wernigerode to Nordhausen early in the morning in time to catch the steam train back north at 10:33.
However, the connection between the two buses in Benneckenstein (265 to 23) is currently broken due to road construction work in the town, and the latter truncated to a temporary stop to the south.

We never managed to do the Stiege-Hasselfelde section.

Hope this is useful.

 

[Krokodil]

There were a lot of steam loco substitutions with diesels

We never had that pleasure. Did see one out with a snowblower though

 

[The Pelican]

I did a large part of the Harz network in December 2021. The railways are really impressive, and the scenery is reasonably attractive, with towns nestled around large hills. When I was there, the Brocken was the only part with snow on it, so, like Snowdon often does in Wales, it looked particularly impressive perched above the snowless hills and mountains around it. The locomotives are really interesting- if British Narrow gauge has a quarry hunslet category, a branch line loco sized category (like the Vale Of Rhiedol or Lynton and Baenstaple tank engines), and a large locomotive category (mainly the Garatt locos at the moment, possibly one of the Brecon newbuilds?), the neubaudampfsloks are firmly in the latter category. Really good fun to watch passing by.
I went from Wernigrode up to the Brocken, then down again, changing at Drei Annen Hohne and Eisfelder Talmule, spending a break in the day looking at the Steige loop, then heading on a train for Quedlinburg. It provdided an intetesting contrast between the well patronised Brocken train and the less busy diesel railcars on the eastern part of the system, which I really enjoyed- it was like being on a Colonel Stephens light railway on the day on a busy steam hauled train on the day it opened in Edwardian times, and then on a diesel railcar in the 1920s and 1930s. The carriages on the loco hauled trains generally seemed slightly more comfortable than the railcars, especially since the carriages have steam heat pipes visible on the outside!
All in all, a really impressive network!

 

[philthetube]

If you have a chance, though you probably wont this model village which includes a 400m track layout covering the Hartz is well worth a couple o hours, accessible by bus from the town centre.

Miniature Park Wernigerode

Explore Miniature Park Wernigerode – detailed models, charming landscapes, and fun for the whole family in a unique miniature world.

www.buerger-und-miniaturenpark-wr.de

Oops, closed until April, sorry

 

[BavarianTrain]

Those who want to experience the Harz narrow-gauge railways with the currently relatively extensive steam train offerings should consider doing so in the next few years.

The HSB is undergoing a period of change. The reason for this is a large financial gap, partly due to mismanagement, poor infrastructure, and escalating costs. Additionally, the state of Saxony-Anhalt ties future subsidies to clear plans. In an expert report on the rehabilitation of the Harz narrow-gauge railways, there was also talk of a possible closure of the Selketalbahn (the route from Eisfelder Talmühle to Quedlinburg). However, the operator apparently wants to avoid this.

According to a report published today by the local press, subsidies amounting to 600,000 euros were approved by the shareholders today. In addition, a future plan was adopted. According to this, a partial electrification of the network or a switch to battery trains is apparently being considered.

The Selketalbahn is to be preserved and converted to new vehicles (electric or battery). Furthermore, they want to compete with buses and become more attractive.

In addition, the central workshop is to be expanded.

Steam operation is to be maintained, presumably on a smaller scale than before.

What will ultimately be implemented and with what resources remains an open question.

(Written with Microsoft Translate)

 

[Krokodil]

Steam operation is to be maintained, presumably on a smaller scale than before.

Presumably restricted to the 99.22-24s on the Brocken.

 

[Djgr]

Nothing much to add but to say that I stayed over in Nordhausen (for timetabling reasons)

Remarkably little in the town although I found a supermarket! The hotel I stayed at:

www.nordhaeuser-fuerstenhof.de

was fine and two minutes from the station

 

[DelW]

Those who want to experience the Harz narrow-gauge railways with the currently relatively extensive steam train offerings should consider doing so in the next few years.

The HSB is undergoing a period of change. The reason for this is a large financial gap, partly due to mismanagement, poor infrastructure, and escalating costs. Additionally, the state of Saxony-Anhalt ties future subsidies to clear plans. In an expert report on the rehabilitation of the Harz narrow-gauge railways, there was also talk of a possible closure of the Selketalbahn (the route from Eisfelder Talmühle to Quedlinburg). However, the operator apparently wants to avoid this.

According to a report published today by the local press, subsidies amounting to 600,000 euros were approved by the shareholders today. In addition, a future plan was adopted. According to this, a partial electrification of the network or a switch to battery trains is apparently being considered.

The Selketalbahn is to be preserved and converted to new vehicles (electric or battery). Furthermore, they want to compete with buses and become more attractive.

In addition, the central workshop is to be expanded.

Steam operation is to be maintained, presumably on a smaller scale than before.

What will ultimately be implemented and with what resources remains an open question.

(Written with Microsoft Translate)

Sehr interessant, vielen Dank.

Nothing much to add but to say that I stayed over in Nordhausen.

Remarkably little in the town although I found a supermarket! The hotel I stayed at:

www.nordhaeuser-fuerstenhof.de

was fine and two minutes from the station

Our experience was that Nordhausen was a much less pleasant and historic town than either Quedlinburg or Wernigerode, but (using the then timetable) staying there made it easier to cover the whole network in a couple of days.

 

[Trainman40083]

I stayed in Wernigerode. Great place. I remember my trip up the Harz. Lunch was pea soup with a sausage floating in it...Well something like that. Local delicacy

 

[Krokodil]

I stayed in Wernigerode. Wonderful Christmas markets both there and in Quedlinburg.

 

[blimmo]

I didn't go up the Brocken and instead just went from Wernigerode to Drei Annen Hohne since that is covered by the D-Ticket. Walking back down to Wernigerode was very pleasant even in the rain. Many good opportunities to see steam trains going past as the walking route down is often very close to the line. I found Wernigerode castle very disappointing: look at it from outside and don't bother going inside (you're not even allowed to take pictures inside!)

 

[Trainman40083]

I stayed in Wernigerode. Wonderful Christmas markets both there and in Quedlinburg.

I wonder if that steam engine is still painted at Quedlinburg? I remember many years ago, I was playing a game with my young German nieces. In turn, we had to name a German town starting with A working up to Z. I had no issues with J, Q or Z. If only they had learnt about places in the former East Germany

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Dec 2025 ==

I wonder if that steam engine is still painted at Quedlinburg? I remember many years ago, I was playing a game with my young German nieces. In turn, we had to name a German town starting with A working up to Z. I had no issues with J, Q or Z. If only they had learnt about places in the former East Germany

Correction plinthed

 

[blimmo]

I remember many years ago, I was playing a game with my young German nieces. In turn, we had to name a German town starting with A working up to Z.

The standard German spelling alphabet is actually based on this. Much cooler than what we have but perhaps less optimised for good communication.

 

[eastwestdivide]

For staying in Wernigerode, I went for the Hotel Altora, with a view of the station area from the restaurant which has beer and food delivered on a large-scale model train. The menu items were rail-themed too.

 

[BahrainLad]

I took my daughter (nearly 7 at the time) on a trip to the Brocken in February 2024.

We flew on the Friday of half term from Heathrow to Hannover arriving pretty late and then stayed for one night at the Maritim hotel which is connected to the terminal. The following morning it was an easy walk back to the S Bahn station underneath said terminal and we headed off to the Hbf, then on to Wernigerode. We got there late morning and went straight up to the Brocken which was great fun. Despite a very mild day at Wernigerode itself by the time we got up to the top there was quite a lot of snow on the ground which my daughter was happy with. There's not much to do at the top, a hotel and a canteen-style restaurant with pretty basic food - sausage and chips kind of stuff.

After getting back down to Wernigerode we had dinner at the Lowenbrau place https://maps.app.goo.gl/rSRMPMeWLz5NFzXTA and then had a night at the HKK Hotel https://maps.app.goo.gl/y3y7bUxSE7XaRUsL9 which was very pleasant and did a very good breakfast.

We wandered up to the castle the next morning (didn't go in, but the views were nice) and then got the train to Halle and on to Berlin. The views from the train on the way to Halle were fascinating, so much crumbling railway and industrial infrastructure, mainly factories, that I presume hadn't been rebuilt after the war and just left to rot by the DDR. Lots of very small villages too. Really intriguing.

All in all it was a great trip and thoroughly recommended!