1 result matching: Selketal Railway
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This romantic railway track runs through the very heart of
verdant forests - one of the region's best-kept secrets (an open
secret among nature lovers, for whom it is a favourite
route).
The line was dismantled for scrap by the Soviet Army at the end of
World War II, in spring 1946. By autumn it was being rebuilt as a
means to transport Fluorospar, a mineral used in the iron smelting
process.
The Selketal Railway follows the course of the Selke Valley, which carries the River Selke - a river which is prone to flooding and now features a number of dams along its course.
The railway line is highly regarded by railway enthusiasts as well as nature lovers; as well as passing through some of the most dramatic natural scenery of the middle Harz, it also uses one-off steam engines. The engines, part of a collection of 17 which were built (each different) traverse the steepest climbs in the Harz railway system - with gradients of up to 4% in places.
The line was most recently extended in 2006 to reach Quedlinburg, a project which involved re-gauging an existing stretch of track from Gernrode to Quedlinburg.