Railway Herald
Tuesday afternoon on 1st July 2014 at Eisfelder Talmuhle Station in the Harz Mountains of Germany finds 2-10-2T No. 99 7237-3 awaiting departure with the 1702 service to Nordhausen Nord. No. 99 7237-3 has departed Wernigerode, 44km to the north, at 14:55 and will arrive in Nordhausen Nord, 17km to the south, at 17:39 having stopped twice for water in the course of the journey, at Drei Annen Hohne and Eisfelder Talmuhle. Its the last leg of the journey for the footplate crew, seen chatting to the Station Master, who will earlier have worked with the same loco and stock on the morning 10:25 service from Nordhausen Nord to Wernigerode due 13:33. This daily return scheduled service which connects at Drei Annen Hohne with trains for The Brocken Summit in both directions tackles the steepest gradients on the entire 140km Harz Railway network of 1 in 22 as it twists its way through the Harz Mountains.
Bob Woolnough
