(Top) The two narrow-gauge locomotives and stock on display at Hammerunterwiesenthal seen during a rare burst of sunshine on 21 July 1997. In the foreground is rebuilt Meyer tank No. 99 1562-0 (originally built by Hartman in 1909), while behind is one of the original 2-10-2 tanks, No. 99 1759-2, constructed by Schwartzkopff in 1933. (Lower) 2-10-2T No. 099 749-4 enters Neudorf station with the 10.17 from Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal on 24 July 1997. Bunting from the centenary celebrations is till on display.

(Photographs by the author)

next to standard-gauge Meyer tank No. 98 001. The whole cavalcade left at about midday. Equally hectic activity was taking place on the narrow-gauge lines to the north of the station. The two Pressnitztalbahn Meyers, Nos. 99 1542-2 and 99 1590-1, were still in steam and involved in the laborious process of loading the visiting 750mm gauge coaches on to standard-gauge transporters. Three other Meyers including No. 132, and 0-8-0T No. 99 4532-0 stood rather forlornly in a line, their fires dropped and their numbers removed. They were to remain at Cranzahl until the Tuesday when, in hazy sunshine, they too were loaded onto standard-gauge transporters. They departed at midday behind diesel-hydraulic No. 202 452-9. The two Pressnitztalbahn Meyers then worked with their preserved stock to Hammerunterwiesenthal, from where they were taken by road to Jööhstadt.

Ten years on

So ended the 100 years’ celebrations of the Cranzahl – Oberwiesenthal line. While it was frustrating to have travelled over 800 miles to have one’s plans thwarted by the weather, the weekend remains a memorable and enjoyable one. My sympathies lay with the local people and railway authorities, who had clearly worked for months to mount an exceptional celebration of a fascinating line. The event was particularly remarkable as at the time the line was operating at a substantial loss and the State and Federal Governments were arguing over who, if anyone, should pick up the bill. In the event the line passed to the private ownershipof the BVO Bahn GmbH, a local bus operator, on 1 June 1998. It now trades as the Fichtelbergbahn. Initially there were doubts about the intentions of the new company and these increased when it was announced that in October 1998 all trains would be replaced by buses. In fact the company, with the help of the local authority, has invested heavily in the line. The October 1998 closure involved extensive track replacements. Between 2002 and 2004 the engine sheds at Oberwiesenthal were replaced by new buildings, while in 2005 the famous Huettenbach viaduct east of Oberwiesenthal station was rebuilt. The line is still steam operated with five of the post-war

Babelsberg built 2-10-2 tanks based at Oberwiesenthal. The prospect of replacement diesels has arisen from time to time. In December 2000 it was reported that a Romanian class L45H (CFR class 87) diesel-hydraulic had arrived at Oberwiesenthal. Members of this class were built at the 23 August Locomotive Works in Bucharest and replaced steam on CFR narrow-gauge lines from the mid sixties. Before entering service on the Fichtelbergbahn the locomotive would have required re-gauging from 760mm to 750mm gauge. The Fichtelbergbahn website currently reports that in August 2006 two class L45H locomotives, Nos. 083 and 358, were tested on the line painted in the former GDR DR’s red livery. Unfortunately the railway did not respond to my enquiry regarding the future use of these locomotives. The present timetable, which commenced 2 April, involves five return workings each day. A sixth, the 17.17 from Oberwiesenthal and 18.37 return from Cranzahl, runs at weekends and daily from 1 June to 30 September. The first departure from Oberwiesenthal is at 08.25. Five of the up and six down workings connect with KBS

operated standard gauge trains to and from Chemnitz. This compares with nine trains each way on weekdays ten years ago. The first of these however left Oberwiesenthal at 04.02, Monday to Fridays. Since then car ownership in the former GDR has increased dramatically and a workers’ train is no longer needed. 04.02 is rather early for the tourists who now patronise the line! Freight on the line, previously transported in standard gaugewagons on narrow-gauge transporters, ceased in 1992. Further information about the railway can be obtained from its web site www.fichtelbergbahn.de, which includes an English language option. The site indicates that a special service will be run on 14 July 2007 to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the line but no further details were available at the time of writing this article in April 2007. Again the railway did not respond to my enquiry regarding a programme for the day. Both preserved ex Saxon railway class VI K 0-10-0T and IV K 0-4-4-0T have visited the line since privatisation, so a Saxon Meyer tank may again see operation. Hopefully the weather will be better than in 1997.

NARROW GAUGE WORLD – N0 52 ■15