Harz Mountain Railway,Germany.

[morrisobrien]

Is this railway only seasonal? I cannot find any times after 26th October.

Wish to go to The Brocken in November if possible.

 

[matt]

It runs all year round. They have a winter timetable here https://www.hsb-wr.de/Fahrplan-Tarife/Fahrplaene/Winterfahrplan/ although this is for last winter.

 

[Adlington]

They have a winter timetable here https://www.hsb-wr.de/Fahrplan-Tarife/Fahrplaene/Winterfahrplan/ although this is for last winter.

More precisely: for one month of the last winter.

 

[duesselmartin]

I took it in Feb two years ago.
Regular steam from Wernigerode to the Brocken.
One Steam from Nordhausen.
If you so not want to travel the Brocken branch, regular regional tickets are valid even in steam services.

 

[Lemmy99uk]

Check the weather forecast!
I stayed in Wernigerode for 5 days earlier this year but the Brocken was closed the whole time because of snow.

 

[JonathanP]

November is the lowest part of the low season, before business picks up again for the Christmas Markets period.

If there is any time they will do engineering works or reduce services it will be then, but I would guess you can still go up the Brocken, it is the most popular route by far.

I visited Wernigerode in November once and was the sole guest in an enormous hostel, it was a weird experience.

 

[30907]

Last winter the whole system apart from Wernigerode-Brocken shut down from 5-30 November. As JonathanP says, November is dead - my first visit to the line was from Nordhausen in mid November 1996 and the train was virtually empty.

The Harz system hasn't uploaded its winter timetable yet, but that's pretty certain. The timetable linked by matt is a pretty good guide even though it is for different dates.

 

[morrisobrien]

Many thanks for all your replies.
Can you use an Interrail Global Pass on the Hartz system?

 

[eastwestdivide]

Many thanks for all your replies.
Can you use an Interrail Global Pass on the Hartz system?

No, they're not accepted by the HSB network, but they do have their own multi-day rover tickets.
(Harz with no 'T' by the way, even though it's pronounced as if there was a T there)

 

[30907]

(Harz with no 'T' by the way, even though it's pronounced as if there was a T there)

Totally OT but with a T it becomes the name of a social security reform, Hartz IV, which is not universally popular.

 

[duesselmartin]

Totally OT but with a T it becomes the name of a social security reform, Hartz IV, which is not universally popular.

Named after Peter Hartz, a Volkswagen unionist who drew up that social reform. He was later arrested for corruption. But that is totally OT.

 

[shredder1]

Named after Peter Hartz, a Volkswagen unionist who drew up that social reform. He was later arrested for corruption. But that is totally OT.

Surely its named after the Harz Mountains, to quote from Wiki "The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart (hill forest), "

Just a word of warning for the OP though, I did it a few years ago in February and it was freezing, a special train arrived at the top of Brocken and I went to take photographs of it, but was not allowed to travel back down the mountain on it, so returned to my own train just as it was leaving, I jumped on the last veranda coach only to find the door was locked, fortunately the guard saw me and unlocked the door for me to get inside the coaches, brrrrr

 

[Journeyman]

The trip up the Brocken is extremely memorable and probably one of Europe's finest rail journeys. I did it in February about six years ago - the snowy landscape and the locos working hard made it pretty unforgettable. Great trip up, some cool stuff to see at the top, and a very nice trip back down again, getting pleasantly off my face on hot punch in the buffet car.

 

[Mag_seven]

The trip up the Brocken is extremely memorable and probably one of Europe's finest rail journeys. I did it in February about six years ago - the snowy landscape and the locos working hard made it pretty unforgettable. Great trip up, some cool stuff to see at the top, and a very nice trip back down again, getting pleasantly off my face on hot punch in the buffet car.

When I travelled on it a few years ago I travelled in a completely open coach right behind the steam loco. And yes I consumed quite a bit of those "liqueurs" that they sell.

 

[shredder1]

When I travelled on it a few years ago I travelled in a completely open coach right behind the steam loco. And yes I consumed quite a bit of those "liqueurs" that they sell.

Yes had a couple of bottles of that stuff, is it Jägermeister ?

 

[Mag_seven]

Yes had a couple of bottles of that stuff, is it Jägermeister ?

I can't honestly remember!

 

[duesselmartin]

Surely its named after the Harz Mountains, to quote from Wiki "The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart (hill forest), "

Just a word of warning for the OP though, I did it a few years ago in February and it was freezing, a special train arrived at the top of Brocken and I went to take photographs of it, but was not allowed to travel back down the mountain on it, so returned to my own train just as it was leaving, I jumped on the last veranda coach only to find the door was locked, fortunately the guard saw me and unlocked the door for me to get inside the coaches, brrrrr

The railway yes, the social reform mentioned earlier No.

 

[shredder1]

I can't honestly remember!

Nether can I, strong stuff eh

 

[ChiefPlanner]

They run specials with vintage stock on Christmas Day !

Only ever done it in deepest winter , and have had the pleasure of failing in a blizzard east of Drei-Anna-Hohne and being rescued by a snowplough fitted diesel AND another tank engine. Superb efforts by the staff in terrible conditions. Conversely , a sunny day on the Brocken with lying snow is fabulous.

Take a small bottle of brandy with you , "for medicinal purposes".

 

[blackfive460]

Yes had a couple of bottles of that stuff, is it Jägermeister ?

It's Schierker Feuerstein.

Regarding a trip up the Brocken; if you go tomorrow or in the next few days, if you are really lucky (or unlucky, your choice) you may get a diesel.
One complete steam diagram is being replaced by diesel and that's becoming increasingly common.
It's not at all like the railway it used to be just a few years ago...

 

[duesselmartin]

If that diesel situation is a long term thing, it might destroy there business case.
So you know why they lack steam locos?

 

[morrisobrien]

It's Schierker Feuerstein.

Regarding a trip up the Brocken; if you go tomorrow or in the next few days, if you are really lucky (or unlucky, your choice) you may get a diesel.
One complete steam diagram is being replaced by diesel and that's becoming increasingly common.
It's not at all like the railway it used to be just a few years ago...

All very interesting, but as stated in my OP I am hoping to go in November.....just trying to fathom out the timetable for that period.

 

[blackfive460]

If that diesel situation is a long term thing, it might destroy their business case.
So you know why they lack steam locos?

It seems to be a regular thing at the moment with two diesels supposed to be working today on Brocken trains. Perhaps they are just doing it to annoy me and things will return to normal when I leave on Tuesday!

I think the problem is quite complicated.
As well as shortages of locos they also have a shortage of steam crews and there may also be problems with maintenance. Perhaps they need to pay staff a bit more money to improve recruitment?

However, whether steam or diesel, trains to the Brocken were very busy yesterday and I expect will be the same today so I don't think they need worry too much at the moment.

 

[Calthrop]

I think the problem is quite complicated.
As well as shortages of locos they also have a shortage of steam crews and there may also be problems with maintenance. Perhaps they need to pay staff a bit more money to improve recruitment?

On a brief visit to the system about eighteen months ago; I noticed on stations, a poster advertising a job vacancy on the system, for a steam-loco "fireperson" (the German was highly-properly phrased to cover both male and female applicants). One would like to think that at least they've been trying...

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

It's Schierker Feuerstein.

Regarding a trip up the Brocken; if you go tomorrow or in the next few days, if you are really lucky (or unlucky, your choice) you may get a diesel.
One complete steam diagram is being replaced by diesel and that's becoming increasingly common.
It's not at all like the railway it used to be just a few years ago...

That's a shame. I have been on the Harz Network a few times and always really enjoyed it. Hope things get better soon.

 

[52290]

I first visited the Harzquerbahn in 1973 when it was 100% steam.

Before I went I had to pre book hotel accommodation in the towns I wished to visit through an East German travel agency in London called Berolina Travel.

Normally westerners were put up in large Inter-hotels in big cities but I managed to get in what was basically a pub in Wernigerode. The main attraction today, the Brockenbahn, was then severed by the border and trains ran only as far as Schierke on the border.

They wouldn't sell me ticket to there though because I hadn't got the right papers. I did travel to Nordhausen and back keeping my camera well out of sight when we passed close to the barbed wire south of Drei Annan Hohne.

I also visited the Selketalbahn which then had not yet been reconnected to the Harzbahn. It also started at Gernrode not Quedlingburg as it does today. Traffic here was largely in the hands of the six 0-4-4-0 mallets 99.5901-5906 which were more interesting than the large 2-10-2 tanks on the Harz.

I did return to the GDR in 1985 when the line had been extended to Stiege and have visited it several times since the Berlin Wall collapsed.

The extension to Stiege, by the way, was built to facilitate the running of coal trains from Nordhausen to a newly built power station at Silberhutte. Doubleheaded 2-10-2 tanks could be seen on these.

During my 1973 trip to the GDR I visited a number of other narrow gauge lines, most, but not all, of which still exist today. When I returned home my parents were pleased to see me as they thought I was going to get arrested and/or shot over there.

I never had any problems photographing trains in the GDR, except in the border areas, unlike when I was in Czechoslovakia.

 

[30907]

I first visited the Harzquerbahn in 1973 when it was 100% steam.

Before I went I had to pre book hotel accommodation in the towns I wished to visit through an East German travel agency in London called Berolina Travel.

Normally westerners were put up in large Inter-hotels in big cities but I managed to get in what was basically a pub in Wernigerode. The main attraction today, the Brockenbahn, was then severed by the border and trains ran only as far as Schierke on the border.

They wouldn't sell me ticket to there though because I hadn't got the right papers. I did travel to Nordhausen and back keeping my camera well out of sight when we passed close to the barbed wire south of Drei Annan Hohne.

I also visited the Selketalbahn which then had not yet been reconnected to the Harzbahn. It also started at Gernrode not Quedlingburg as it does today. Traffic here was largely in the hands of the six 0-4-4-0 mallets 99.5901-5906 which were more interesting than the large 2-10-2 tanks on the Harz.

I did return to the GDR in 1985 when the line had been extended to Stiege and have visited it several times since the Berlin Wall collapsed.

The extension to Stiege, by the way, was built to facilitate the running of coal trains from Nordhausen to a newly built power station at Silberhutte. Doubleheaded 2-10-2 tanks could be seen on these.

During my 1973 trip to the GDR I visited a number of other narrow gauge lines, most, but not all, of which still exist today. When I returned home my parents were pleased to see me as they thought I was going to get arrested and/or shot over there.

I never had any problems photographing trains in the GDR, except in the border areas, unlike when I was in Czechoslovakia.

Fascinating, thanks.

 

[yorkie]

I was reading about this railway just the other day, as it happens.

I'd be interested in going there at some point, probably next year, so if anyone has any tips for visiting this railway, that would be great to hear.

 

[Cowley]

I was reading about this railway just the other day, as it happens.

I'd be interested in going there at some point, probably next year, so if anyone has any tips for visiting this railway, that would be great to hear.

I’ve also been planning on visiting this railway for a long time, and maybe I might actually manage to do it next year, so I’ll be keeping an eye on this thread too.

 

[matt]

It's on my list of places to visit. From my brief research the 3 day rover ticket looked reasonable.