Would I Go Back To The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways?
The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways is not a small system and if I was in the area again, I would certainly pay the railways a visit.
The trip I took from Nordhausen to Wernigerode between two Deutsche Bahn lines is possible on almost an hourly basis througthtout most of the year, although it would be a better trip in sunny weather.
I didn’t do the trip up the Brocken, which is a peak of over a thousand metres high. That is best accessed from Wernigerode, if you only have a short amount of time available.
Wernigerode Station
Wernigerode station is the Northern terminus and main depot of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways.
It has an interchange with the Deutsche Bahn, that runs between Goslar and Magdeburg.
This Google Map shows the layout of the station.
It appears to me that the station has a common layout for this part of Germany, where there is a loop that serves the platform closest to the station building.
Trains on Deutsche Bahn seem to be about every hour and although the local diesel services seem to link together fairly well, the information isn’t as good as it might be.
I certainly think that if the weather had been better, it would have been a more interesting town to visit.
Drei Annen Hohne Station
Drei Annen Hohne station is a junction station on the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways.
We stopped on our way to Wernigerode to change locomotives, so that our locomotive could be replenished with water.
By Steam Between Eisfielder Talmühle And Drei Annen Hohne Stations
At Eisfielder Talmühle station, we changed from the diesel rail-car to a steam-hauled train.
Note.
- I sensed that the train climbed quite a bit.
- There were a lot of level crossings.
It’s certainly a spectacularly railway.
By Diesel Rail-Car Between Nordhausen Nord And Eisfielder Talmühle Stations
I travelled between Nordhausen Nord And Eisfielder Talmühle stations in a vintage diesel rail-car.
I got the impression that this train was used by locals to come into town for work or shopping.
Note the rather unusual hybrid tram that duplicates part of the route.
Nordhausen
Nordhausen has two stations close together.
- Nordhausen is the main Deutche Bahn station.
- Nordhausen Nord is the Southern terminus of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways.
These pictures show the two stations, the Bahnhofsplatz that connects them, the trams and the town.
It’s certainly not difficult to get between the two stations.
I was hoping I’d find something to eat, but I couldn’t find a food shop, so had to be content with a good coffee and a banana. Although, since I’ve looked on the map and find that there is a Lidl in walking distance of the stations. I have struck lucky for gluten-free food in the former East Germany before, as I wrote about in Lunch In Chemnitz, but on this visit I wasn’t very lucky.
Why Aren’t More High Streets Like Liverpool?
These pictures were taken early on a sunny morning in Liverpool’s main shopping street.
No buses, cars and taxis, only a few deliveries and little street clutter.
Imagine Oxford Street like this. Except you can’t as it’s not wide enough!
Both my local High Streets; Angel and Dalston are even main routes for trucks.
Borders Railway Tourist Impact Revealed
The title of this post is the same as this article on the BBC web site.
This is said.
New data has shown a “significant improvement” in tourism levels after the opening of the Borders Railway.
The Scottish Tourism Economic Assessment Monitor (STEAM) statistics compared the first half of 2016 to the same period the year before.
It is the first time in 10 years that every category saw improvement.
The company which produces STEAM data said the most likely source for the rise in tourism activity in the Borders and Midlothian was the railway.
Perhaps now the Department of Transport and the Treasury will believe that funding well-designed schemes is very much worthwhile.
Westminster Council To Trial Diesel Parking Charge
The title of this post is the title of an article on the BBC web site.
There will be a lot of complaints, but just as the Congestion Charge was accepted, this charge will be too!
And if it works for Westminster, how long before other Boroughs in London introduce it?
I do think though, that cities that cut pollution will benefit from the good publicity, that could generate extra visitors and increased business activity.
Why Isn’t The Mall Traffic Free?
This article on the BBC is entitledPlans to block vehicles from the Mall brought forward after Berlin lorry attack.
I can’t understand, why the Mall isn’t traffic free from say nine in the morning until perhaps four or five in the afternoon.
This would create a large walking area from Trafalgar Square to Victoria, with the shops of Oxford, Bond and Regent Streets and Crossrail to the North-West and the Thames not far away in the East.
This Google Map shows the area around Buckingham Palace.
It would improve London for everyone, except prossibly taxi and Uber drivers.
But just as with the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, there would be protests.
The Anonymous Widower 