Hi Russo,
I do not have any up to date info on operations, but I did follow John's advice, and based my operations out of Drei Annen Hohne.
I drove from Hamburg, having visited Minature Wunderland first, and that is about a 3 hour drive, or you can do it by train in about 3.5 hours.
While in Wernigerode I stayed at a very nice hotel in the old town area, which has plenty of dining and pubs. [
www.hotel-weisser-hirsch.de]
If you are planning a longer stay, you may consider this apartment lodge, which is track side! [
www.amgruenenquell.de] [
www.google.com]
John