HIghlights of German Railways
A good-sized audience was entertained by a set of 3 videos from Colin Kennngton’s 2025 trip to various railways in Germany.
The 1st video covered railways in Prague including the tram system. On show were several shots of these colourful vehicles around the 85-mile network, many having their own names. In addition, we were shown operations on the main railway with class 362 locos the mainstay for haulage. CD Ceske are also a major operator running one of the top 5 cargo operations in Europe. Further pictures showing Leo express as an open access operator showed the wide range of their railway operation. There are even open access freight operators one being IVS cargo. Of particular interest was a steam loco 475111 called the Noble on a steam special at Domazlice.
The second video outlined the Chemnitz steam festival covering steam, diesel and electric traction including a narrow gauge for good measure. This large steam locomotive gathering at Chemnitz Hilbersdorf is based at one of the most impressive steam yards in Germany with two giant, semi-circular roundhouses, large coaling towers and vast tracks giving attractive engine displays. The Chemnitz steam gathering brought large main line steam locomotives from all around Germany to Hilbersdorf, offering over a dozen engines in steam, locomotive parades, turntable shows, foot-plate rides and main line excursions on the lines towards Dresden or Zwickau. Some individual shots were shown where 4 steam engines ran together as a photoshoot run past giving a very impressive display. The Big Parade was particularly impressive covering a huge range of locomotives including a 2 -10 -2 of immense power.
Our 3rd video took us to Southern Saxony to visit the narrow-gauge railway from Fichtelberg to the ski resort of Oberwiesenthal on 2 feet 5 ½ inch gauge operating steam only power with 6 train pairs daily. This railway was opened in 1872 and was hugely successful and also ran considerable freight (up to 30 freight cars daily) as it linked to the local iron ore mine. We were shown many onboard shots of this delightful railway which starts at 2142 feet and after some considerable undulations reaches Oberwiesenthal at a height of 2930 feet on such sharp gradients as 1 in 33 at a maximum speed of 19 mph.
So many thanks to Colin and John Owen, who presented the show, for a superb evening in an area not normally seen by our audiences.
Alan Sattenstall 6th Mar 2026