The VL 11 and 12 are three-axle locomotives without running wheels, which were built by the MaK company under the designation 240 C in the 1950s and 1960s for private and industrial railways. The locomotives were built by Mak from 1954/55 together with their two-axle sister (240 B).
Our locomotives were delivered in 1958 as VL 11 and 12 to the Gelnhäuser Kreisbahnen in Wächtersbach and later transferred to the Kreiswerke Gelnhausen GmbH, Verkehrsbetrieb Bad Orb and the Bad Orber Kleinbahn. There they commuted from Wächtersbach to Bad Orb with the reversible train carriages 19 and 20 (type B4fyl). In 1997, the carriages were transferred to our museum.
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Hop on the steam train, hauled by 23 042, at Darmstadt or Bensheim, and experience the German Grape Harvest Festival with Palatinate wine, local specialities and live music. Alternatively, railway enthusiasts can take the iconic ‘Kuckucksbähnel’ and the ‘Sissi’ steam locomotive through the idyllic Elmstein Valley – a special outing for connoisseurs and lovers of railway nostalgia!
On 7 and 8 November 2026, take a historic steam train from Darmstadt Central Station to the Dieburg St Martin’s Market!
The St Martin’s Market awaits you with the season’s first mulled wine and a wide range of other culinary and craft delights. The special train runs three times a day, there and back.
On the 3rd Sunday of Advent, 13 December 2026: Special steam train journey to the Heidelberg Christmas markets!
From Darmstadt or Bensheim, we’ll take you to the enchanting Christmas markets in the various squares along the Hauptstraße, with views of the illuminated Heidelberg Castle.
Mit unserem Jubiläumskalender feiern wir 50 Jahre Eisenbahnmuseum Darmstadt-Kranichstein – eines der bedeutendsten Eisenbahnmuseen Deutschlands. Die zwölf eindrucksvollen Motive zeigen dabei verschiedene Exponate im Kontext unvergesslicher historischer Meilensteine aus fünf Jahrzehnten gelebter Eisenbahnkultur.
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