Historic comeback in NRW: An express train steam locomotive is back on the road after almost 50 years of standstill. Information on the route, timetable and tickets at a glance.
Krefeld/Aachen – It is a relic from the past that many people only know from films and museums these days – the steam locomotive. With their characteristic red wheels, loud wheezing and clouds of smoke visible from afar, these trains caused a revolution in transport around the world in the early 19th century.
Since the late 1970s, however, steam locomotives have largely disappeared from the rails in Germany (they ran in the GDR until 1988). Since then, only a few nostalgia trips have been offered. And one of these will also take place in NRW in June – with an express steam locomotive.
Express train steam locomotive was shut down for almost 50 years – and will be driving through NRW in June
On June 10, a steam locomotive travels around 200 kilometers through NRW. The route runs from Krefeld via Duisburg, Düsseldorf and Mönchengladbach to Aachen and back again. The locomotive used is the express train steam locomotive 01 1104, which has been overhauled by the “Faszination Dampf eV” association in recent years and made fit for rail again.
Because: The steam locomotive has not been used for almost 50 years, as the organizers of the “NostalgieZugReisen” tour explain. “The machine should finally go into operation in May 2023 and we are very confident that we will be able to use it publicly for the first time on June 10th,” it says.
Steam locomotive drives through NRW – information about the route
It’s supposed to start on June 10th at 10 a.m. at Krefeld Hbf. From there, however, the journey begins with an electric locomotive that travels to Düsseldorf via Duisburg-Rheinhausen and Duisburg Hbf. “Here we cross the Rhine and reach further ascents in Neuss and Mönchengladbach,” announce the organizers. Because: You don’t have to get on board in Krefeld. Boarding is also possible at the next stops up to and including Erkelenz (Heinsberg district).
Express steam locomotive 01 1104
The express train steam locomotive 01 1104 was built in Berlin-Wildau in 1940 and belongs to the steam locomotive series 01.10. The corresponding locomotives were important trains for the express train service of the Deutsche Bundesbahn, founded in 1949, the predecessor organization of today’s Deutsche Bahn, especially after the end of the Second World War. The locomotive reached speeds of up to 150 km/h under full steam. In 1974 the steam locomotive 01 1104 was retired.
An English doctor saved the locomotive from being scrapped and brought it to England, where it was exhibited in a railway museum. In 1996 the locomotive came back to Germany and first ended up in the Bavarian railway museum in Nördlingen and then from 2001 in the southern German railway museum in Heilbronn. In 2010, the founders of the “Faszinazion Dampf” project began work on putting the steam locomotive back into service.
In Mönchengladbach, the express steam locomotive then takes over the special train. There will also be a photo opportunity for passengers when the locomotive is changed. Then the steam locomotive drives via Erkelenz and Geilenkirchen in the direction of Aachen. “After passing through Aachen’s main station, we continue in the direction of Düren and Horrem,” the organizers continue.
In Horrem, the route continues along the non-electrified “Erftbahn”, past Bedburg and Grevenbroich. The steam locomotive then takes you back to Krefeld via Neuss. The journey with the express train steam locomotive ends there and the electric locomotive takes over again to continue the journey to the exit stations. During the journey with the steam locomotive, a stop is planned to fill up the water tank of the steam-powered train. There should also be one or two more photo stops along the way.
Express train steam locomotive drives through NRW – the timetable at a glance
- 10:00 a.m.: Departure from Krefeld Hbf with an electric locomotive (boarding possible on the outward journey)
- 10:15 a.m.: Duisburg-Rheinhausen (boarding possible on the outward journey)
- 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Duisburg main station (Access possible on the outward journey) with a change of direction
- 11:05 a.m.: Düsseldorf main station (boarding possible on the outward journey)
- 11:20 a.m.: Neuss main station (boarding possible on the outward journey)
- 11:40 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.: Mönchengladbach main stationwith Change to the steam locomotive (boarding possible on the outward journey)
- 12:35 p.m.: Erkelenz (boarding possible on the outward journey)
- Geilenkirchen
- Aachen
- long woe
- Duren
- horrible
- Bedburg
- Grevenbroich
- 3:00 p.m.: Neuss main station (possible to exit on the way back)
- 3:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Krefeld main stationwith Switch back to the electric locomotive (possible to exit on the way back)
- 3:45 p.m.: Duisburg-Rheinhausen (possible to exit on the way back)
- 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.: Duisburg main stationwith change of direction (possible exit on the return journey)
- 4:35 p.m.: Düsseldorf main station (possible to exit on the way back)
- 4:50 p.m.: Neuss main station (possible to exit on the way back)
- 5:05 p.m.: Mönchengladbach main station (possible to exit on the way back)
- Return to Erkelenz only by public transport from Mönchengladbach
- Note: The travel times are estimated by the organizer and may still change due to construction work, route closures, increased train traffic or other events. Source: NostalgieZugReisen.de
With the express train steam locomotive through NRW: How much do the tickets cost?
Tickets for the steam locomotive tour through NRW can be purchased online or by telephone (02041 -34 84 668) get booked. Adult tickets cost 85 euros per person. Children between the ages of 6 and 14 pay 59 euros per ticket. If you board in Erkelenz, the tickets are six euros cheaper.
The organizers are hoping for a lot of interest. Because: “The special trip only takes place when the minimum number of participants of 250 people is reached.” Incidentally, there are steam locomotive fans all over the world. In Slovakia, a steam locomotive even regularly runs right through the middle of a football stadium. (bs) Fair and independent information about what is happening in NRW – subscribe to our free 24RHEIN newsletter here.
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