Freight train steam with
58 1111-2 in Thuringia
Three days of steam through the Thuringian basin and the Thuringian forest in glorious weather.
In early March 2026, a special photo train hauled by locomotive 58 1111-2—operated by Dampfnostalgie Karlsruhe—traversed the Thuringian Basin on the line between Erfurt and Nordhausen. The journey continued through the Thuringian Forest, crossing the Rennsteig ridge and passing through the Werra Valley to reach the potash mining region around Vacha.
The locomotive hauled a beautiful freight train made up of rolling stock from PRESS, creating authentic scenes and providing ideal conditions for striking photographs. The trip enjoyed perfect weather throughout all three days. Particularly in the early morning hours, the freezing temperatures produced impressive, far-reaching plumes of steam that dramatically showcased the train.
A big thank you goes to the organizers, the locomotive crews, the dispatchers, and everyone involved in making this multi-day steam operation a reality in 2026. Here’s hoping that it will be possible to experience such memorable days in the future as well.
Friday, 06.03.2026
Our photo run begins in Nordhausen around 8:00 a.m., following the early-morning positioning move. We start by taking our freight train to Straußfurt, making several stops along the way for photographs. Throughout the day, we make shuttle runs along the line to capture the remaining semaphore signals from various perspectives.
On the final leg, we make an extended stop at Kühnhausen, specifically scheduled for atmospheric evening shots. The line-side photography concludes as we continue on to Erfurt. The day wraps up in the evening with a photo session at the Arnstadt locomotive depot, accompanied by cold drinks and Thuringian bratwurst!
Saturday, 07.03.2026
There are numerous climbing sections on the program on this day. The journey takes you at full speed in the early morning in freezing temperatures over the heights of the Rennsteig from Arnstadt up to Oberhof. Water is collected there from the water crane that is still there.
We continue to Zella-Mehlis, where we turn off towards Schmalkalden and drive to Wernshausen. Then we continue on the Werrabahn at full speed to Marksuhl.
At the end of the day we drive on the private route from Bad Salzungen to Vacha and experience the uphill section to Unterbreizbach over several shuttle rides, a highlight for all participants!
Sunday, 08.03.2026
On our final day, we head from Meiningen to Oberhof at sunrise. There, the locomotive takes on water again via the water crane. Afterward, we travel tender-first back to Wernshausen. Two shuttle runs to Zella-Mehlis follow during the day, after which we continue in the evening to Arnstadt, where the event concludes.
