Forthcoming steam weekends:
10-11 October 2020 08-09 May 2021 03-04 July 2021 09-10 October 2021
Opening hours at other times:
from 09 May 2020 to 17 October 2020 every saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Further information is available here.Forthcoming steam weekends are available here.

News

19.09.2020: New large exhibit in the Historical Engine Shed

During the night of September 18 to 19, 2020, a new exhibit reached the museum. It is the largest diesel locomotive built in Germany since the war. It was manufactured by Henschel of Kassel and put into operation by the German Federal Railways in 1962. Originally with an installed power of 3,200 hp, ot was uprated to 3,800 hp, and worked heavy trains initially from Hamm in Westphalia and later on over the Bavarian Allgäu line.
The locomotive remained a singleton and was returned to the manufacturer in 1974. From there it was sold to the Hersfelder Kreisbahn and in 1989 on to the Teutoburger Waldeisenbahn. From 1994 to 1998 it gave a guest performance in Italy and then returned to Germany, where she was acquired by track construction company Wiebe, which used her until 2015, when she suffered axle bearing damage. From 2017 to 2020 she returned to her place of origin and was parked behind closed doors at Bombardier, the successor to Henschel. Now that the locomotive has been returned to the owner, the latter decided to make it available to the Historic Locomotive Shed Wittenberge as an exhibit.
The following pictures show the locomotive immediately after its arrival in Wittenberge.

If you want to experience the locomotive yourself, you should make a note of October 10 or 11, 2020. On the occasion of the museum's autumn festival, the locomotive will be presented out in the open-air in a position that is suitable for photography.

vehicle: V 320 001-1

13.09.2020: "Tag des offenen Denkmals"

On Sunday, September 13, 2020, the nationwide “Listed Buildings Open Day” should actually have taken place. Unfortunately, the organizers had decided to celebrate the day only virtually. Not so our museum. Since we believe that our museum lives from first-hand experience and we have a sustainable hygiene concept, we opened our doors.
We had already used our short museum train consisting of locomotive 0604 of the OHE and a two-axle passenger car on the previous day as a shuttle to Wittenberg station.

Meanwhile, steam locomotive Emma was waiting for her big moment on Sunday, when she was greeted by a whole fleet of Schwalben (swallows) whose owners had made a trip from Dessau near Arendsee to our place

In front of the engine shed: our diesel locomotive 114 774 and steam locomotive 50 3682

On sunday Emma got out and hauled the shuttle train to the station

If you want to see Emma and her other operational sisters, which are powered by steam or diesel, in action, we warmly recommend the weekend 10-11 October 2020. Then the action Autumn Steam 2020 will take place in Historic Locomotive Shed Wittenberge. Then everything that can move by itself will be rolling. And we also expect guests from Magdeburg and Neumünster. More about this soon on our events page.

vehicles: 50 3682-7, Emma, 114 774-3, OHE 0604

Stichwörter: Veranstaltung

15.08.2020: New telephone hut

In the past few days, some members have taken advantage of the good weather to salvage a lineside telephone hut, which used to stand in Brunau-Packebusch on the Salzwedel - Stendal line. First the pictures of the sweaty action. The hut was first dismantled so that it could be safely carried and loaded onto the car trailer provided. After about an hour's drive, colleagues reached the locomotive shed in Wittenberge and put the hut in the workshop, where it was cleaned a little. Let's see, maybe the interior can be reconstructed.

Now, some will ask themselves what actually happened in such a hut, officially called "a telephone hut made of corrugated iron with inner wood panelling". This is a little-known chapter in railway history, but a rather interesting one:
For more than 100 years the German railways operated their own telephone network. Until 2010, the railways used their own telephone lines throughout the country, usually following existing railway lines and either underground or in the form of overhead lines laid over the typical telegraph poles.
At regular intervals, there were telephones in such huts from which one could make contact with the nearest operating station (and in some cases can still do so today). The corresponding telephones were housed along with other things in such huts, which were standardised in design and furnishings in the 1930s. The following drawing is taken from the corresponding guideline of 1.9.1933 and shows the interior.

The telephone set on the back wall of the hut dominates. This was usually a device equipped with a hand crank. By turning the crank, a magneto generated a small electric current in the telephone line. This current excited the telephone to ring in the station being called. The following picture shows such a telephone. It was published on the internet site https://www.motor-talk.de/bilder/toms-diskusions-ecke-g79846963/kapsch-kurbeltelefon-streckenfernsprecher-telephon-telefon-bahn-db-post-i209331312.html.

You could use Morse code to address the required station. For this purpose, three ring tones were defined, the length of which was determined by turning the crank on the phone: One turn produced a short ring tone at all connected paging stations, three turns produced a medium-length ring tone and ten turns of the crank produced a long ring tone. Each station in the immediate vicinity had its own Morse code, which was a combination of short, medium and long ring tones

Even today the system is still in operation on some routes. It has the advantage that you can fix up a phone at any place on the line. This is important, for example, when a work site is set up and you want to contact the adjoining signalling centres. For this reason, the current DB AG guideline 481.0101 "Instructions for wired telephone connections" still contains corresponding regulations on this.

Last weekend, we also carried out a major work assignment on our operational steam locomotives "Emma" and 50 3570 with a strong and well-rehearsed team in midsummer temperatures. After our last event in July, some minor repairs and maintenance work had become necessary and were carried out.

vehicles: 50 3570-4, Emma

Stichwörter: Infrastruktur

25.07.2020: New parts for the bodywork

After sevoting recent weekends to recovery and cleaning up after the successful summer party, members once again looked ahead this weekend. First of all, it was observed that our museum grounds were being used as a storage depot for the construction work being carried out on the platforms of ittenberg station. Here, in the twilight hours and late into the evening, building materials were loaded onto railway wagons and pulled to the construction site at the station using a road-rail excavator.

Work is also continuing on the museum's infrastructure. To give you some background, the level crossing at our signal box Wm on the former Magdeburg station side was formerly secured with barriers operated from the signal box. We therefore plan to erect barriers again at the crossing of our museum track to the station. We have recently been able to recover the four barrier mounting blocks required in Mecklenburg, which used to stand on a railway line that had already been dismantled.

The next two pictures show a mounting block containing the electric motor for a barrier and some of the red and white painted barriers in our workshop.

The barrier system also includes St Andrew's crosses, which have a flashing light in the middle. These are being refurbished at his home by a diligent club member.

Under what conditions we will be allowed to put the barrier system back into regular operation in order to secure road access to the museum when the railway is in operation will be the result of the upcoming discussions with the road traffic authority and the state railway inspectorate.
On a rather more southerly course were other members, who picked up some steam locomotive spare parts from a friendly association. We thank the Magdeburg railway friends very much for this. On the load bed of the transporter you can see some fire bricks for our steam locomotive 50 3570 and many brake pads. By the way, the so-called fire screen – correctly, a brick arch - is made of refractory bricks (artificial fireproof bricks), which deflects the flames of the fire in the firebox of the locomotive in such a way that the heat is circulated and the most intense heat is deflected away from the ends of the boiler tubes, to avoid damaging them.

Some of the members remaining in Wittenberge were occupied with the further restoration of our G10 freight car from the first quarter of the last century. Its metal frame parts and struts are still riveted. As it had become apparent during the last steps of the restoration that some riveted joints had become weak due to rust, they had to be replaced. The following photos show the work when inserting new rivets:
Preheat the rivet until red hot:

compress rivets

Done:

vehicle: 50 3570-4

Stichwörter: Infrastruktur

05.07.2020: A summer festival in corona times

Last weekend we held our first public event since the relaxation of corona protection measures. Granted, we didn't know if it was going to be a flop, because maybe nobody dared to go to such an event. Fortunately, the opposite was the case and over 1,200 guests came to visit the museum. We are very happy that so many visitors came, and behaved in so disciplined a manner and everyone had a lot of fun at the event. Thanks for that!
But one thing at a time: On the Friday before the event, the vehicles were arranged as usual, the steam locomotives were fired up and this time the necessary ground markings and guidance systems were also installed in order to organize a regulated visitor traffic with sodial distancing. In addition, 50 3570 was sent to the port of Wittenberge for a trial run to see if the work we had carried out on the runnung gear recently had been successful. The trip was completed without incident and the following photo shows the locomotive on its way to the harbour

On Saturday the public part of the event started, where the visitors behaved in an exemplary manner and kept the required distances

The cake buffet was of course also prepared accordingly and ensured smooth visitor traffic through a guidance system.

Outside there were many vehicles to be admired. For example, the Potsdam railway company had provided two class 142 electric locomotives for the exhibition.

A colourful formation was also provided by the passenger train for the branch lines of the Prignitz, consisting of a class 102 diesel locomotive and the diesel railcar trailer VB 197 805.

Of course, steam operation was not neglected. Here, 50 3570 is presented on the turntable, while the locomotive Pritzwalk waits alongside for her turn to appear.

For the first time in the history of our museum we also offered trips on the museum grounds with a short museum train. The idea was actually born of necessity, in that we could not offer cab rides with our small steam locomotives due to the distancing requirement. So we coupled a historic passenger coach from 1900 between the two small locomotives, in which our visitors could experience travelling on "wood class" seating or could have a look into the driver's cabs of the locomotives from the end platforms. The car offered enough space and good ventilation.

Popular as always were our vehicle parades at around two o'clock on each day at the event. The next picture shows 50 3570 passing some enthusiastic spectators

After a longer period of idleness, diesel locomotive 118 748 was allowed to show once again that it's not dead yet. The new owner of the locomotive had agreed and a railway inspector had previously certified the orderly condition of the machine. So it was put into service for the parades.

vehicles: 50 3570-4, 118 748-3, 197 805-5

Stichwörter: Veranstaltung

20.06.2020: preparations under way

As it is now slowly becoming clear that our summer party can take place on the first weekend in July (4/5.7.2020) (more detailed information will be available at the beginning of next week), the museum's ... zum Artikel

13.06.2020: Steam up!

Now almost half the season has passed without a steam locomotive moving under its own power on our premises and the active members decided that this has to change. And because “Pritzwalk” had to pass ... zum Artikel

30.05.2020: Construction progress and a test

At the end of last week, the roof renovation of the fragment of engine shed 1 was completed. All scaffolding has now been removed and all masonry work has also been completed. Slowly one can imagine the ... zum Artikel

23.05.2020: Latest News

After the station building in Wittenberge was acquired by the Städtische Wohnungsgesellschaft some time ago and the rooms are now to be renovated and put to a different use, the question arose as to the ... zum Artikel

16.05.2020: Work on vehicles continues

Unfortunately, there are no immediate commitments for 50 3570 but during the winter break we have worked on her left-hand driving wheel connecting rod bearing and re-installed it on 16.05.2020. This is ... zum Artikel

09.05.2020: "Karlsruhe" on the road to recovery

At the beginning of April, we reported that the steam locomotive originally built by Orenstein & Koppel for Karlsruhe gasworks has found its way into our museum. The following pictures show it after being ... zum Artikel

08.05.2020: Rolling stock repairs and gardening

As we were able to open the museum for visitors again on May 9, we had to tidy up the premises before that. We do like flowers and plants, but only where they belong. One of the places where they definitely ... zum Artikel

02.05.2020: Woodwork

Although work is progressing very slowly due to the pandemic, we are nevertheless pleased to be able to present some interim results that are worth seeing. Firstly, the roof work on the remains of engine ... zum Artikel

13.04.2020: May event cancelled

Dear railway friends, ladies and gentlemen,

The Coronavirus pandemic is a stress test for all of us.

The situation demands a high degree of discipline, consideration and understanding ... zum Artikel

08.04.2020: New guest in Wittenberge

At short notice and rather unexpectedly a new exhibit reached us today, which will probably stay in the museum for some time. It is a small Orenstein & Koppel shunting locomotive, originally constructed ... zum Artikel

07.04.2020: Construction work in full swing

We are pleased to be able to announce some good news in view of the generally tense situation: The roofing of Engine shed number one is in full swing. The roofers are happy about the nice weather and are ... zum Artikel

21.03.2020: Construction work continues

In spite of Corona, work continues in the museum, but of course only as far as circumstances permit. Because the members do not want to endanger themselves or others. After all, a construction site is ... zum Artikel

17.03.2020: Season opening postponed

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the season opening which was planned for 04.04.2020 has to be postponed indefinitely. We will inform you on our homepage when the museum will again be open on Saturday ... zum Artikel

29.02.2020: Preparations for the new season: Part 2

Last Saturday was devoted entirely to our steam engine 50 3570. Here too some maintenance work had to be done. The colleagues removed the piston valves in the two steam chests in order to clean them and ... zum Artikel

22.02.2020: Maintenance work in full swing

Preparations for the next season are in full swing. Firsta the vehicles: Emma's new coal box has been primed and we're now waiting for the air temperature to rise to a level that allows the green final ... zum Artikel

01.02.2020: Emma and others in the beauty salon

Only Emma knows how much coal was poured into her coal bunker and shovelled out from there by the countless firemen she has met in her life. So the ravages of time slowly gnawed away at her coal bunker, ... zum Artikel

25.01.2020: Latest news

The work on the Breuer tractor, about whose field of use and mode of operation we reported on last time, is continuing. For the first time, the transmission has been opened to see how far corrosion has ... zum Artikel

12.01.2020: The Breuer tractor

Many of our visitors will have stopped in front of a very special contraption. Since it looks a bit shapeless, you can't see its purpose right away. All that is clear is that it runs on rails.
We have ... zum Artikel

News

19.09.2020: New large exhibit in the Historical Engine Shed

13.09.2020: "Tag des offenen Denkmals"

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15.08.2020: New telephone hut

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