Taking the Slow Train Through the Harz Mountains
Not far away from Braunschweig in the Eastern part of the Harz Mountains lies a large narrow-gauge railway network where steam engines still operate on most services. In order to tour almost the entire network, my colleague and I started our tour in Quedlinburg, which is easily reached by a regional train from Magdeburg. From there, a steam train took us on the Selke Valley Railway to Alexisbad.
![Selketalbahn](/photos/P2174608.jpg)
After switching to a diesel car in Alexisbad, we arrived at Eisfelder Talmühle where another steam train took us on the Trans-Harz Railway all the way to Drei Annen Hohne, where we changed to the famous Brocken Railway.
![Eisfelder Talmühle](/photos/P2174661.jpg)
![Harzquerbahn](/photos/P2174689.jpg)
Unfortunately, soon after starting the ascent to the Brocken mountain, we entered the clouds so that I could not enjoy the superb view from the mountain over Northern Germany.
![Brockenbahn](/photos/P2174737.jpg)
![Brockenbahnhof](/photos/P2174748.jpg)
After a water stop in Drei Annen Hohne, our steam train took us on the remaining part of the Trans-Harz Railway to its terminal at Wernigerode, another interchange point with Deutsche Bahn’s regional network.
![Drei Annen Hohne](/photos/P2174751.jpg)