Full Steam Ahead
Over 50 years ago, rail enthusiasts fulfilled their dream: on 2 July 1966, Germany’s first museum railway ran between Bruchhausen-Vilsen and Asendorf in Lower Saxony. The steam-operated narrow-gauge railway still attracts young and old today. By Sigrid Riewe-Scholz
The German railway society called Deutscher Eisenbahnverein e. V. (DEV) had humble beginnings: it started off with just one timeworn steam locomotive and one single passenger carriage which only ran a few kilometres on disused tracks. As financing was on a weak footing, a friendly restaurateur donated the coal for the first run. The goal was to preserve the 100-year-old and over eight-kilometer ”Kleinbahn" or branch line with all its facilities as a living open-air museum for posterity.
A unique vehicle collection
Today there are over 100 vehicles in the collection: in the metre-gauge category there are seven steam locomotives, five diesel locomotives, six motor bogies, 31 passenger carriages, six mail wagons as well as numerous freight wagons and rail-service vehicles. There are also some normal-gauge vehicles. All were gradually restored and reactivated by countless active members, and most of the vehicles are fully operational today. They run regularly on the picturesque stretch – 35 kilometres south of Bremen – stopping at eight stations and stops on the way. On weekends from May until September and in December, society members provide a scheduled service predominantly with steam trains, showing visitors a historical branch line in operation.
Children are welcome
The museum railway also offers runs for young and old on St. Nicholas Day, 6 December, and many other special events especially for children. These include Teddy Bears’ Day and the “Historic Weekend”. For its commitment, Bruchhausen-Vilsen museum railway was once again recognized as particularly child and family-friendly by the state marketing organisation Tourismus-Marketing Niedersachsen GmBH in 2022, and awarded the “Children‘s Holiday Land of Lower Saxony” seal of approval.
Simply join in
“Preparing the passenger trains, selling and inspecting tickets, looking after passengers – we cordially invite everyone over the age of twelve interested to work together with us”, says Jens Böcker, who has been an active member of the society for over 40 years, wooing new members. Beyond that, the members (almost exclusively volunteers) also see to the restoration and upkeep of vehicles of historical value, track maintenance and the running of the museum railway. ”New members are instructed in all the necessary knowledge and skills in the museum‘s workshop“, emphasizes Böcker. This way, DEV helps to preserve dying skills, such as the riveting of steam locomotive boilers. “Civil-engineering students even come from Hochschule Bremen and the Technische Universität Hamburg twice a year to do hands-on work at Bruchhausen-Vilsen museum railway“, he reports.
Securing the future with donations
Of course this all costs money. Fare revenue, which also shrank sharply during the COVID pandemic, is not enough to finance driving operations. For restoration of the historic vehicles and maintenance of the railway facilities, the museum railway relies on membership fees and donations, which DEV happily accepts at any time, in order to be able to drive full steam ahead into the future.
Bulletin board
The German Railway Association (DEV e.V.) publishes „Die Museums-Eisenbahn - Zeitschrift für Kleinbahn-Geschichte“ four times a year. The official organ of DEV is the forum for research and documentation of small-railway history in Germany as well as for reporting on its present-day preservation by museum railways and railway museums. The magazine can be obtained from specialized dealers or directly from the publisher (DEV station office).