Beautiful Model Steam Train Layout of the Saxon Narrow Gauge Railways with Transporter Wagon

Published on September 24, 2023

Jens Petermann and Jochen Klinger are two model railroaders who have focused on the absolutely authentic replica of the Pressnitz Valley Railway (“Preßnitztalbahn”). The Pressnitz Valley Railway was a narrow gauge railway line in Saxony, Germany. It used to climb from Wolkenstein through the valley of river Preßnitz to Jöhstadt on the border with Bohemia.

A special feature of the Pressnitz Valley Railway was that it had to be operated with tracks of different gauges, namely the Bohemian standard gauge and the Saxon narrow gauge railway system. Therefore, freight was carried using transporter trailers or transporter wagons. Those transporter wagons are railroad cars designed to carry other railway equipment. A transporter trailer is used to ship equipment of a different rail gauge - similar to rollbocks which are narrow gauge railway trucks or bogies that allow a standard gauge wagon to piggyback on a narrow gauge line.

Transporter wagons were quite common in Germany where they are called “Rollwagen”. In Austria and Switzerland they are called “Rollschemel”. Transporter wagons were uncommon in North America, where the practice of exchanging trucks (rollbocks) was more common.

However, the two model railway enthusiast Jens Petermann and Jochen Klinger wanted to show the special feature of the different gauge of the Pressnitz Valley Railway on their model railway layout. Therefore, they rebuilt the station of the community of Steinbach on two 1.25 x 0.6 meter railway modules in order to depict the historical railroad operations. To build the model railroad layout, they have used old sketches and historical drawings of the buildings of the Steinbach community.

Construction of the original Pressnitz Valley Railway started in 1891 and was opened in June 1892. In May 1893, the Pressnitz Valley Railway was extended to the border with Bohemia. The Pressnitz Valley Railway was the last Saxon narrow gauge railway to be closed by the East German government. Passenger services were terminated in 1984 and transportation of freight was ceased in 1986. The process of gradually dismantling the line took several years, from January 1984 until the summer 1989. Locomotives and wagons were transferred to other Saxon narrow gauge railways or decommissioned.

After the fall of communism in East Germany, the section between the station of Steinbach and Jöhstadt was rebuilt as a museum railway. The museum railway operates every weekend from May to October, as well as on public holidays and around Christmas and New Year’s Day.

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