The “Deutsche Reichsbahn” Returns to the Harz Mountains

The Harz Mountain/HSB narrow gauge in Germany occasionally gets mentioned here, and is one of my favorite lines. While now a local passenger and tourist line, before the fall of the Berlin Wall it was a busy freight hauling line, much as the DRGW before 1968. "Deutsche Reichsbahn" is the name of the old East German railway system that included the HSB.

Bernd Seiler is running a charter on the HSB the end of next March in which he will recreate as much of the old days of the DR/HSB as a freight carrier as remaining equipment allows. Bernd was an East German railfan and rode and photographed the HSB back in those days. He is eminently qualified to recreate "the way it was". Due to high cost and the slow disappearance of remaining freight equipment, this may be a last chance for this kind of photo charter. While many charters are run on the HSB, this is the only one I am aware of that will try to recreate the heavy duty freight hauling days of the HSB under the DDR.

In many respects the HSB is like the C&TS, in that its transition from being a work-a-day freight hauler to tourist line inevitably results in fundamental change. It becomes harder and harder every day to recreate historically accurate trains for photo specials.

I have known Bernd for several years and gone with him Romania. He is a well known and respected tour operator running steam tours all over the world. His tours include both German and English speaking clients.

If nothing else his website provides some nice photographs of the HSB the way it was. Click on Upcoming Tours in the English column of his home page, and then on "Deutsche Reichsbahn” Returns to the Harz Mountains."


Farrail Tours





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2008 09:26AM by John West.