Harz photo locations

Leaving Sorge Zenfolio | Paul Simpson | Harz Winter Steam | Photo 5

Between Benneckenstein and Sophienhof Zenfolio | Paul Simpson | Harz Winter Steam | Photo 5 and Zenfolio | Paul Simpson | Harz Winter Steam | Photo 5.

Tiefenbachmuhle Zenfolio | Paul Simpson | Harz Winter Steam | Photo 5

Horse shoe curve 2013 Zenfolio | Paul Simpson | Harz Winter Steam | Photo 5

 

How that location has changed since I went there in DDR days. Was completely open then.

 

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Eisfelder Talmühle, it's a lovely spot and if you pick the right train (certainly on last summer's timetable) you can get there with two steam engines in. The whole line from there to Drei Annen Hohne is lovely, very under-rated.

 

I think it attracts much less attention than Wernigerode - Brocken because of the limited steam service. All things being equal weather wise, you'd need to spend a lot longer covering the various locations than you would undertaking a similar exercise on the northern half of the line.

 

Another problem is there's a driver who prefers the loco to face south, towards Nordhausen, whereas all the other drivers prefer the loco facing north. I've been caught out a few times now. Find a nice spot and the loco arrives bunker first!

 

It's a nice spot but - as noted - there are few occasions when there is enough to make photography worthwhile - especially when most people have limited time and tend to cover the Drei Annen Hohne - Brocken stretch for quantity. That said there are a couple of scenes in my book noted at view-online-photo-book, including a rare double departure organised by the charter operator, and some scenes taken on the less frequently visited Drei Annen Hohne - Eisfelder Tahlmuehle stretch.

The opportunity to gain some photo runpasts on this middle section is yet another reason to support the Freinds of the Harz who organise a number of similar charters throughout the year; the pity is that they couldn't organise a clear day at Brocken Summit at the beginning of February but I can forgive them for the other sequences they helped photographers to gain during the 3 days of charter.

 

Really? I've rarely seen a loco face north in all the time I've been going there since 1990, in fact I think it's only once when we rode from Nordhausen to Gernrode via Stiege. Got caught out with a Doppelausfahrt at Alexisbad though in 1995. Was the only time I've seen one bunker first to Hasselfelde.

 

It might be the other way round, normally facing south but 1 prefers loco facing north out of Norhausen. All I know is I keep getting caught out with the Nordhausen loco being the wrong way round when I go to phot it!

 

Now that makes much more sense going by my past experience. Perhaps you need to bribe the "wrong way round" Lokführer.

 

I think you'll find that the problem arises from the 1 in 30 gradient of the Brocken between Schierke and the summit and locos are operationally set to face south in order to be facing the right way up the hill. When on the Railtrail tour I was surprised to see 99-7245 was turned for the double departure from Eisfelder Tahlmuhle (noting that it had been correctly facing south the previous day) as was 99-7238 but IIRC 99-7245 worked back to Wernigerode therefore wasn't required for the Brocken and was subsequently re-turned at Wernigerode that night and 99-7238 would work the Wernigerode - Nordhausen service and would be turned to face south at Nordhausen.

It seems that the Railtrail Group was lucky to capture both locos facing north on the day but in the belief that these changes were geared to the charter requirements I presume that both reverted to the normal south-facing at the end of the day.

 

South of Drei Annen Hohne there is as much up as down so I doubt it matters which way a loco faces on that section but from Wernigerode to Drei Annen Hohne and then again to the summit of the Brocken is, as you say, a bit steep so having the firebox on the downhill side on those sections is understandable. Having said that, I did see a Mallet facing down the hill on a special back in 2006.

 

My last visit to The Harz was in 2003. I took lots of pictures, but, so far, only a few of them are on Flickr. However, if anyone would like to see them, they are here :

Germany 2003 - 1 : The Harz - a set on Flickr

More will be added as time permits. (Unless I go there again and take a lot more!)