A Very European Christmas

With the Christmas festive season well and truly on our doorstep, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for subscribing to A Railway Life, and starting this journey with me.

Way back in April 2009, friends from the UK were back in Melbourne for their wedding. At one of the pre, or post wedding catch-ups, the idea of German Christmas the following year was discussed over a few drinks, as there was a couple of notable birthdays coming up.

Despite these sort of enthusiastic discussions usually ending in little more than conversation, as a group of three couples (plus our then 13 year old), some effort was put in, and we actually made it happen!

The location chosen was the Harz Mountains in Central Germany, an area with a rich history of folklore and fairytales.

With Silver mines that had been in production for over a thousand years, and a fantastic metre gauge steam operated railway in regular service, what more could you ask for?

We ended up staying in the Unesco heritage listed town of Goslar, in one of the towers that once formed part of the town’s defensive walls.

Goslar town square and its wonderful Christmas Market.

It had been snowing heavily for the weeks leading up to Christmas, so the half timber, half slate clad houses were certainly something out of a fairytale, and the Christmas market was fantastic!

The Harz Mountain Railways

The Harzer Schmalspurbahnen, or HSB, is the grouping of interconnected metre gauge railways forming a 140km network. The line features regular steam hauled trains on most sections, with the exception of the line between Eisfelder Talmühle and Stiege, which is operated by railmotors. With 25 steam locomotives, the HSB is no tourist railway, it’s the real deal in the 21st century!

We travelled twice, firstly as a whole group we had an outing to The Brocken, and a day or two later, we left the ladies and our son to explore Goslar, while three of us headed to Eisfelder Talmühle for a day on the trains. Both journeys commenced from Wernigerode, where there are major locomotive facilities, and an interchange with the DB main line, an easy connection from Goslar.

The Brocken

In Goethe’s ‘Faust’, and other popular literary references, the peak of The Brocken is the site of revelry for witches on Walpurgisnacht (Walpurgis eve, April 30).

The Brockenbahn was constructed south west into the mountains as far as Drei Annen Hohne, before heading for the highest peak in this, Germany’s northernmost mountain range. Popular with hikers, even in the 1890s when the line was built, the main reason for its existence was for tourism. 

Post world war II, the mountaintop was the site of GDR and Stasi radio surveillance facilities until reunification in 1989.

The day of our trip, it wasn’t snowing, but as is often the case, the mountain (and much of the surrounding country) was shrouded in thick cloud.  

Fortunately, the trains are all steam heated, so cosy and warm, but with end platforms on the carriages offering a great viewing platform, a fair bit of time was spent braving the cold.

Drei Annen Hohne is a major junction station on the line, with the Trans Harz line continuing south to another junction at Eisfelder Talmühle, and onto Nordhausen.

After the steep climb from Wernigerode, our train stopped to take on water, before branching off to Schierke, and the climb to the Brocken.

Arriving at Schierke, we had a pleasant surprise, with Santa joining the train! For our mostly Aussie group, it was something to behold, and changed Christmas for us forever. Shopping centre Santas on a blistering summers day just don’t seem right anymore.

Santa in an appropriate Christmas Card setting at Schierke

Continuing on, we were passing through pine covered hillsides, the trees heavy with snow giving the impression of witches hunched over against the cold, to my imagination anyway.

After we arrived at the peak, we didn’t wander very far, the snow was as high as the train, and with virtually no visibility, we caught the returning train to Wernigerode, and visited the Christmas market.

Eisfelder Talmühle

Oiling round one of the locomotives in steam ready for its day’s work

This was more of a boys day out, we arrived in Wernigerode in plenty of time to wander around the loco depot and get some photos, before boarding our 11:55 train to Eisfelder.

Our train also required servicing before continuing its journey, which gave time to photograph a Brocken service departing in fine style, before rejoining our train. 

A train bound for the Brocken departs, as our Eisfelder train takes on water.

With only a handful of passengers aside from ourselves, we had our choice of windows and end platforms to enjoy the ride. The Conductor occasionally passed through the train with snacks and drinks for sale, the local Schnapps was well appreciated!

Eisfelder has a fairly large station building including a bar / cafe as is common in parts of Germany, and is the junction with the line to Stiege, which has a regular rail motor service to Nordhausen. The south bound rail motor was at the station when we arrived, and shortly after, the Stiege service arrived, giving the opportunity to capture the three services in photos. 

Three trains at Eisfelder.

Once the Nordhausen train left, our steam loco ran around the other end of the train, ready for the return to Wernigerode.
This meant that the funnel of the loco, and warm smokebox was up against the front of the first carriage, so guess where we set up!

The two lines are parallel for some distance leaving the station, and with both services timetabled to leave at the same time, it was great to be passed by, and then repass the rail motor a couple of times before both trains swung of on their separate ways. Arriving back in Drei Annen Hohne, we left the train and had a couple of beers in the station bar and watched trains arrive and depart, before catching one back to Wernigerode, and then Goslar.

Two Wernigerode trains sitting at Drei Annen Hohne, the one on the left is our train from Eisfelder.

It was an amazing trip, one I’d love to do again in winter!

Thanks again for subscribing, I hope you and your loved ones have a merry Christmas, and a safe and Happy New Year!

Regards,

Scott