Rügen is Germany’s largest island. It is directly connected to the main German rail network and is also the home of the famous "Rasender Roland” narrow gauge steam operation. This magazine special recounts the history of railways on the island, which is a popular holiday destination.
Eisenbahn auf Rügen begins the island’s railway history with the first standard gauge railway from Altefähr to Bergen, which opened in 1883 at the same time as the Stralsund-Altefähr railway ferry. It describes how the network of narrow-gauge railways grew to a length of almost 100 km between 1895 and 1899, and examines the Putbus–Göhren section, on which steam trains still operate today.
Also looks at the development of local and express trains to the island of Rügen and the railway ferries that have been working on the "Königslinie" between Saßnitz and the Swedish port of Trelleborg since 1909. Other topics covered include the milestone opening of the Rügendamm in 1936, and the railway ferry port at Mukran, built by the GDR in the 1980s for trade with the Soviet Union. A chapter looks at famous international express trains to and from Rügen, and another at the very varied use of locomotives on both standard and narrow gauge tracks.
In addition to fascinating colour photos of the current steam operation and modern traction, Eisenbahn auf Rügen also includes archive black-and-white photos from earlier years, including historical postcards, as well as some selected track plans. 116 pages. German text.
Special Note: A bonus DVD "Rasender Roland: Putbus–Göhren" (running time 56 minutes) from the RioGrande video library is included free with this publication. German commentary.
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