Golden Harz Enthusiasts Festival

Repeating last year’s immensely enjoyable Heritage Steam visit to the Harz Mountains Railway at this golden time of year, to again enjoy some most unusual private steam workings with locomotives not normally used on scheduled passenger trains organised in conjunction with ourselves and the Friends of HSB.

We invite you to enjoy something different on the wonderful Harz as we combine unusual steam workings with passenger, freight and mixed trains. These plus the beautiful scenery and historic towns and villages will satisfy enthusiast and non-enthusiast partners alike.

DAY 1 Thursday October 21st From London St Pancras International circ 13.00 hrs to Wuppertal via Brussels for a welcoming evening meal at the 4 star Inter City Hotel. You can choose to take a late evening (or early morning) ride aboard the unique ‘Schwebebahn’ overhead ‘dingle-dangle’ railway at no additional cost. (D) DAY 2 Friday October 22nd Continuing by train to Wernigerode and the 4 star Hotel HKK. Enjoy a afternoon relaxing in the beautiful town centre or the opportunity to take a ride on the Harz with a return steam run behind one of the Brockenbahn 2-10-2’s to Drei Annen Hohne and Brocken summit (not included in tour fare, pay on the day). Tonight we take our first of three dinners at the Hotel HKK, enjoying their extensive buffet ‘eat as much as you like’ evening meals. Additionally, you have free use of the sauna, steam bath and infrared cabin. (B,D) DAY 3 Saturday October 23rd Over the weekend we have two full-day steam charters (organised in conjunction with ‘Friends of HSB’) utilising the heritage coaching set, saloon bar car, and various freight wagons. These will feature photo run-pasts, parallel departure, photographic freight, mixed passenger and freight, travel over Stiege loop etc. Basically, the whole weekend will feature workings not seen in the normal HSB operation! Today’s special is from Wernigerode with one of the hugely popular 100 year old Mallet locos 99 5901 with the heritage coaching set. Our journey takes us high into the hills at Drei Annen Hohne before continuing through the heart of the forest and its attractive villages to the junction with the Selkethal line at Eisfelder Talmühle. From Eisfelder Talmühle onwards to Quedlinburg the train will be double-headed with 99 5901 and 1914-built Henschel 99 6101, known as ‘Pfifi’. This loco was used initially by the military before coming into use on the Harz system; however, following numerous derailments in the 1980’s on the Selkethal it was withdrawn from operation and put in store. Thanks to one of the Harz support groups the loco is now back to working order. (B,D) DAY 4 Sunday October 24th Today we have another very special working that will take one of the mighty Brockenbahn 2-10-2T steam locos on the pastoral Selkethal lines. The loco anticipated is the unique 1931 Schwarzkopff built 99 222 which in its time was the most powerful narrow gauge locomotive in Germany. Commencing at Quedlinburg we travel through Gernrode and Alexisbad to Eisfelder Talmühle where following a run-round we climb to Drei Annen Hohne. After a further run-round in the station it’s time to storm the mighty Brocken mountain – one of the most exciting of rail journeys in Germany with a cacophony of steam exhaust. Returning from Brocken we continue through Drei Annen Hohne and down the valley to Wernigerode. (B,D) Our special workings offer a wonderful opportunity to not only enjoy travelling over the Harz system with unusual motive power, but also give the chance to photograph special charter trains travelling in both directions between Wernigerode and Quedlinburg - and vice versa. DAY 5 Monday October 25th Returning from Wernigerode via Hannover and Koln to Brussels and onwards to London St Pancras International arriving 19.03 hrs. (B)