Historic steam locomotives gather for Easter train festival

More than 200 historic trains from various eras will be travelling the rails along scenic routes in southwestern Germany over the Easter holiday, in what organisers are calling the biggest gathering of steam locomotives in more than 30 years.

Published: 31 March 2010 15:57 CEST

Historic steam locomotives gather for Easter train festival

Photo: DPA

The Dampfspektakel 2010 is part of Germany’s celebration of 175th anniversary of rail travel in the country, event organiser Jörg Petry said.

Meticulously restored steam engines are travelling from all corners of Germany on loan from museums and railway associations. From Friday on the trains will host trips from three cities: Gerolstein, Trier and Koblenz.

Trips include tours through the winding Mosel River wine growing region, the fascinating volcanic landscape of the Eifel region and the romantic Rhine River valley.

More than 250 tonnes of coal and €40,000 in fuel oil have been delivered to power the trains at a former depot in Gerolstein, which Petry said offered an excellent infrastructure for the care of the antiques.

Some 700 train fans from England have already registered for event tickets, in addition to others coming from as far as Pakistan and Australia.

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.