| ZITTAU Zittau is a city in the south-east of Saxony close to the borders of Poland and the Czech Republic. It too has a 750mm steam-operated railway linking the town of Zittau with the nearby resorts of Oybin and Jonsdorf and was originally part of the DR system but is now privately operated by the Saxon Oberlausitz Railway Company. During the high season there are five trains a day from Zittau to Bertsdoft with further services from Bertsdorf to Kurort Jonsdorf and from Bertsdorf to Kurort Oybin. One of the highlights of this system is the simultaneous departure of trains from Bertsdorf to the two Kurorts. In practice this is something of a hit-and-miss affair with one train frequently departing before the other but as can be seen below, with patience and goodwill it is possible to succeed and the results certainly justify the frustrations. All of the pictures on this page were taken over two days in August 2000 but an examination of the railway's website shows that little has changed except for fares which have risen considerably as the former East Germany has prospered following re-unification |
| The map on the wall of the station building at Zittau gives a clear overview of the line as it leaves the city and heads through the three suburban stations at Zittau Halteplunkt, Zittau Sud and Zittau Vorstadt and then through the two Olbersdorfs before reaching Bertsdorf. At Bertsdorf the line splits into two branches, one going to Kurort Jonsdorf and the other going to Kurort Oybin. Kurort is the German word meaning 'health resort' and explains the original purpose of this line |
| Early morning at Zittau engine shed and 2-10-2T No.99-787, built in 1955 by Lokomotivbau Karl Marx (LKM) pokes its nose out of the door. The locomotive was originally numbered 99 1787 when the line was operated by the DR. |
| The start of another working day as Nos.99-749 and 99-758 bring the empty coaching stock from the yard at Zittau ready for the first train of the day to Bertsdorf (27 August 2000) |
| Locomotive No. 99-758 is a 2-10-2T built in 1933 by Schwartzkoft and was one of the two llocomotives working during my visit. On the right it can be seen in the yard at Zittau and later the same day it is seen bringing a morning train through Zittau Haltepunk (below) which is the first station on the line. This small but functional station was originally much used by workers coming into the town but is now much more lightly used as more and more of the line's traffic is of a touristic nature. |
| Locomotives No.99-749 and 99-758 passing through Zittau Vorstadt station with the first train of the day from Zittau to Bertsdorf. Once arrived at Bertsdorf the locomotives and coaching stock will be formed into two separate trains with one train workking forward to Kurort Oybin and the other to Kurort Jonsdorf. This should be the first of five simultaneous departures from Bertsdorf |
| No.99-758 between Olbersdorf Niederdorf and Olbersdorf Oberdorf stations with an afternoon train from Zittau to Bertsdorf on 27 August 2000. |
| No.99-749 running into Olbersdorf Oberdorf station. |
| No.99-758 crosses the viaduct near Olbersdorf with an afternoon train bound for Bertsdorf. All return workings to Zittau are made with the engine running bunker first. |
| No.99-758 running into the attractive station at Zittau Sud with a train to Bertsdorf. The line runs parallel to the main road through Zittau making for extremely easy access. (above) No.99-749 brings a train into Zittau Sud station on the afternoon of 27 August 2000. At this time the line retained a few semaphore signals although most train control was achieved through colour light signalling (left) |
| Trying to obtain a shot of a simultaneous departure from Bertsdorf can be an extremely frustrating process. Firstly there are only five departures a day and the direction of the light means that afternoon shots are by far the best. More difficult still is the fact that despite the timetable, many of the departures are far from simultaneous with a gap of anything up to five minutes or more. Steve Nakoneczny, my travelling companion, and I had spent the whole day trying to develop good relations with the crews in order to obtain our master shot and took up our positions in good time. To our dismay the Kurort Oybin train (on the right of the picture) set off well before the train to Jonsdorf but immediately slowed again and crawled forward waiting for the Kurort Jonsdorf train to leave. We still ran the risk of the Oybin train 'smoking out' the other engine but as No.99-787 drew level so the crew of No.99-749 opened the regulator and began to move forward. This was a clearly orchestrated manoeuvre for our benefit (as can be seen below with the driver of No.99-749 directing operations) and our patience was finally rewarded with what must be one of THE most photographic moments on any narrow gauge railway in the world. |
| No.99-749 leaving Olbersdorf station. Although this was a warm summer's afternoon the locomotive is still making plenty of dark black smoke as a result of being an oil burner rather than using coal. |
| The same station but taken from the other side of the line during a morning photography session. The station clock is right twice a day! |
| The arrival of the first train of the day at Bertsdorf station. This is the double-headed train from Zittau. Bertsdorf is a charming spot and has the character of a country junction, sleepy for much of the day but disturbed from time to time by the hustle and bustle of arriving and departing trains. |
| No.99-749 sets off with its train to Kurort Jonsdorf whilst the shadow of the exhaust from No.99-758 can be seen as it stands at the head of the train to Kurort Oybin. So much for simulataneous departures! |
| No.99-758 pulls away from Jonsdorf Haltestelle which is the only through station on the branch line to Kurort Jonsdorf |
| No.99-749 arrives at the somewhat unprepossessing station at Kurort Jonsdorf. This appears to be the sleepier of the two lines with relatively few passengers making the journey here. The run round loop can be seen on the right of the picture |
| On the Kurort Oybin line, No.99-758 drifts gently through Teufelsmuhle station in late afternoon sunshine |
| "Stands the clock at ten to three .........?" Well actually it stands at twenty-five past twelve as No.99-758 arrives at the delightful Kurort Oybin station. This is a delightful and somewhat timeless scene and seems to perfectly capture the essence of a steam operated country railway ....... hard to believe that this was taken in the first year of the twenty-first century. |