Eisenbahnzug im Stadtmuseum

After the line to Brügge was completed in 1880, the connection to Altena was to be tackled. Emil Opderbeck, a bailiff from Lüdenscheid, proved to be the driving force behind this, as he was able to push through his plans against the resistance of individual factory owners who doubted the profitability of the venture. It was decided to build a narrow-gauge railroad, as the narrow valleys required smaller radii of curvature for the tracks. The Altena-Lüdenscheid line was inaugurated on September 30, 1887. The operator was the 'Kreis Altenaer Schmalspur-Eisenbahngeselischaft' (KAS), which changed its name to 'Kreis Altenaer Eisenbahn-Aktiengesellschaft' (KAE) in 1922. The total length of the Altena-Lüdenscheid line was 14.55 km, the railroad (popularly known as 'Schnurre') was responsible for both freight and passenger transport and in 1939 had an extensive fleet of vehicles, including fifteen steam locomotives and 200 freight wagons.

During the Second World War, the railroad suffered both from a lack of personnel and a shortage of spare parts and ultimately became a victim of the war: on March 28, 1945, an overcrowded passenger train on its way to Altena was attacked by enemy fighter bombers near Mühlenrahmede, resulting in 38 deaths and 100 injuries. On April 12, 1945, the KAE had to cease operations for the time being. Post-war developments were characterized by increasing competition from car and truck traffic, and

while passenger transport was initially switched to railcars in the 1950s and then completely to buses in 1961, freight transport was increasingly taken over by trucks. In the course of the 1960s, the tracks were finally demolished. The last freight train ran on February 14, 1961, and the last passenger train on the Altena-Lüdenscheid line on May 27 of the same year

.The train in the town museum consists of a locomotive and three carriages, all of which are accessible:

The Jung tender locomotive (1930), was used between Altena and Lüdenscheid and reached a maximum speed of 30 km/h. The

(1905), which was built in 1905, was used on the Altena-Lüdenscheid

line

.
The passenger coach (1905) was initially still equipped with kerosene lamps and a briquette stove, before steam heating and gas lighting were installed in 1921. There are seats for 1st and 2nd class, as well as standing room.
The passenger carriage is followed by a flat wagon from 1928. It was used to transport local industrial products such as wire coils and has a load weight of 10,000 kg.
The end of the train is formed by the goods wagon (1916), which also has a load weight of 10,000 kg. A 15-minute video film about the history of the 'Schnurre' can be viewed inside.