Sauerland Light Railway (Märkische Museum Railway)

Current Notice: Please check the facility’s website to see if visits are permitted and under what current conditions.

These include the Altena District Railway (KAE), the Plettenberg Light Railway (PKB), the Hohenlimburg Light Railway (HKB), the Haspe-Voerde-Breckerfeld Light Railway (HVB), the Iserlohn District Railway (IKB), and the Ruhr-Lippe Light Railways (RLK). All of these railways shared a track gauge of 1,000 mm.

With the increasing motorization of road traffic, the railroads gradually lost their importance in the 1950s and 1960s, so that by the mid-1960s, all but the HKB had been shut down and dismantled. When the Juist Island Railway—to which various KAE and PKB vehicles had found their way—was shut down in 1982, a group of railroad enthusiasts decided to create a living memorial to these narrow-gauge local railways.

A suitable site was found along the route of the Plettenberg-Herscheid railway line—which had been shut down in 1969—near the Hüinghausen station, which the association was able to acquire from the Deutsche Bundesbahn in 1984. An adjacent section of track approximately two and a half kilometers long was made available by the city of Plettenberg, which had since become the owner. Parallel to the restoration of the reception building—which had been designated a historic landmark—and the reconstruction of the track layout, the association built up as comprehensive a collection of rolling stock as possible.

Operating Days: Between May and October, the trains of the “Sauerland Kleinbahn” chug leisurely back and forth through the countryside of the Else Valley between Hüinghausen and Köbbinghauser Hamm. They give visitors a sense of what travel was like in past decades. The Sauerländer Kleinbahn, pulled by a steam or historic diesel locomotive, was once an important means of transport for industry and agriculture in the mountainous Sauerland region. ►View the schedule

Children: The lantern rides in November and the St. Nicholas rides in December are especially popular—St. Martin and St. Nicholas make special appearances during these events.

Special Trips: Outside the listed operating hours, you can also book a special trip by steam or diesel. From a birthday party on the rails to a company party or even a wedding—virtually anything is possible. ►More Information

Museum Café: The “Kleinbahncafé” is open on all operating days, and the gift shop at the station offers an interesting selection of books on local railway history and other narrow-gauge railroads in Germany.

The Märkische Museum Railroad is an attraction of >WasserEisenLand – Industrial Culture in Südwestfalen

For further (price) information, please refer to the website provided.

Text source © Märkische Museumseisenbahn

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