Steam, Soot and Childhood

Two Hours as a Child Again – Riding the Fichtelbergbahn

During our holiday in the Ore Mountains, a ride on the historic Fichtelbergbahn was an absolute must. A steam locomotive, green passenger coaches and a railway line running through the beautiful mountain landscape – I did not need much convincing.

The fascination began before we even boarded the train. The hissing steam, the rhythmic sound of the locomotive and the huge cloud of smoke above the train created an atmosphere that no modern railway can offer.

We chose seats in an open coach. This brought us very close to the action. We felt the wind, heard the locomotive working and watched the smoke drift over the train. In the curves, we could repeatedly see the steam locomotive pulling the green coaches through the forest.

The journey lasted around two hours, but the time passed incredibly quickly. We travelled through forests, past small villages, meadows and old railway stations. From the open coach, we had a wonderful view of the landscape and the railway line.

Of course, travelling in an open coach directly behind a steam locomotive has one small disadvantage: the soot also travels with you.

By the end of the journey, some of it had landed on our skin and clothes. Back at the hotel, the first thing we needed was a shower to wash it all off. But that was simply part of the experience. We had chosen the open coach because we wanted to experience the full steam train journey – and that is exactly what we got.

We would choose the same seats again without hesitation.

Two steam locomotives can be seen in our photos: 99 1785-7 and 99 1786-5 . They were built one after the other and belong to the same class, making them true sister locomotives.

The 99 1785-7 was under steam and pulled our train through the Ore Mountains. We also saw its sister, the 99 1786-5 , standing in the station area. It is currently not used in regular service.

Both locomotives were built in the 1950s for the Saxon narrow-gauge railways. The Fichtelbergbahn uses a track gauge of only 750 millimetres. Despite the narrow gauge, these locomotives certainly do not appear small when they begin moving and pull the coaches uphill.

There is also an interesting connection to our home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. More sister locomotives of the same class are operated by the Rasender Roland railway on the island of Rügen:

- 99 1781-6 - 99 1782-4 - 99 1783-2 - 99 1784-0

These are the four locomotive numbers immediately before the two machines we saw in the Ore Mountains.

The 99 1781-6 even worked on the railway line between Cranzahl and Oberwiesenthal in the past. Today, it runs on Rügen. This locomotive family therefore creates a small connection between the Ore Mountains and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

You do not have to be a dedicated railway enthusiast to be fascinated by a steam locomotive. These machines seem almost alive. You can hear, see, smell and feel them working.

For two hours, I could simply watch, listen and feel like a child again. The journey could easily have lasted much longer.

Even the soot that had to be washed off afterwards is now part of the memory of this fantastic ride.

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Our photos from the Fichtelbergbahn

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Zwei Stunden wieder Kind sein – mit der Fichtelbergbahn

Während unseres Urlaubs im Erzgebirge durfte eine Fahrt mit der Fichtelbergbahn natürlich nicht fehlen. Schon das Zischen, Stampfen und die große Rauchwolke der Dampflok waren faszinierend.

Wir saßen in einem offenen Wagen und waren dadurch ganz nah am Geschehen. Wir spürten den Fahrtwind, hörten die Lok arbeiten und konnten in den Kurven immer wieder sehen, wie sie die grünen Wagen durch die Landschaft zog. Die ungefähr zweistündige Fahrt verging dabei viel zu schnell.

Ganz sauber blieben wir allerdings nicht. Der Rauch und der Ruß zogen auch in unseren offenen Wagen. Danach mussten wir erst einmal unter die Dusche, um den Ruß wieder herunterzubekommen. Aber genau das gehörte zu diesem Erlebnis dazu. Wir wollten eine richtige Fahrt mit einer Dampflok – und die haben wir bekommen.

Auf unseren Bildern sind die beiden Schwesterlokomotiven 99 1785-7 und 99 1786-5 zu sehen. Die 99 1785-7 zog unseren Zug, während ihre Schwester im Bahnhofsbereich stand.

Weitere Schwestern dieser Baureihe fahren sogar bei uns in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Beim Rasenden Roland auf Rügen sind die Lokomotiven 99 1781-6 bis 99 1784-0 zu Hause. Die 99 1781-6 war früher sogar selbst auf der Strecke zwischen Cranzahl und Oberwiesenthal im Einsatz.

Man muss kein großer Eisenbahnfan sein, um sich von einer Dampflok begeistern zu lassen. Für mich waren diese zwei Stunden jedenfalls ein ganz besonderes Urlaubserlebnis. Ich konnte einfach nur staunen und für kurze Zeit wieder Kind sein.

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