Steam back to Brocken after seven-month gap
Steam returned to the famed Brocken mountain section of the Eat German Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH (HSB) on 9th June after a pandemic-induced break of more than seven months.
HSB management also reported that passenger trains are now operating across the entire 140.4km metre-gauge network but until further notice levels of service will remain limited.
The first scheduled steam train since 1st November arrived at the Brockenbahnhof at 10:36am, hauled by DR class 2-10-2T 997245 built in 1956. Services since November had been operated by railcars and only between Wernigerode and Schierke and in the southern Harz region of Thuringia, between Nordhausen and Ilfeld.
From the HSB headquarters at Wernigerode four steam services are working to the highest Harz summit, with two more starting in Drei Annen Hohne. Tickets can be purchased in advance online or on the day of travel at the stations, but remain limited in number.
Services are now running continuously on the entire Harzquerbahn as well as on the Selketalbahn, after a 219-day interruption. Currently, however, only railcars are operating to a restricted timetable on both routes. Steam services from Nordhausen to the Brocken will not run for the time being.
HSB management hopes to gradually re-introduce the regular summer timetable with steam operation on all routes in early July, so long as Covid restrictions continue to ease. General hygiene rules and the wearing of face masks still apply on all HSB trains, in the reopened ticket offices and steam shops. Information on current travel times is available at www.hsb-wr.de and by phone at (+49) 03943 5580.