The sound of the engine's whistle, smoke drifting past the window and the smell of a real steam train evoke memories of a bygone age. Settle back, relax in the comfortable historic carriages and enjoy train travel as it should be done.
The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (Harzer Schmalspurbahnen) have the largest network of narrow gauge railways in Germany and been classified as historical monuments since 1972. With a fleet of 25 steam trains, the oldest dating from 1897, 16 diesel engines and over 140km of tracks they connect the towns of Wernigerode, Nordhausen and Quedlinburg. The network can be divided into three principal railways; the Harz Railway, which connects Wernigerode to Nordhausen, the Selke Valley Railway, which branches of the Harz Railway to arrive in Quedlinburg, and the very popular Brocken Railway, which also branches off the Harz Railway and runs to one of the highest train stations in Germany, the summit of the Brocken.