Open Monuments Day: ‘NetzWERKE: Monuments & Infrastructure’
In 2026, Open Monuments Day will take place at the former marshalling yard and railway depot at Darmstadt-Kranichstein station, which were decommissioned in 2002. Together with staff from the Darmstadt Heritage Protection Authority, members of Bahnwelt will be presenting this extensive heritage site on Sunday 13 September 2026 from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.
As part of the free guided tours on Heritage Day, the history of the railway site, the conservation of the heritage sites and their current and future use will be the focus of the tours.
Due to the limited number of places, free online pre-registration (from 30 August 2026) is required!
Tour 1: The whole site
In 1897, the Hessian Ludwig Railway and the Prussian-Hessian State Railway were merged, and a major track expansion programme began. There was no room for the necessary marshalling yard on the station site in the west of the town, which had been established in 1846. Consequently, Kranichstein station – which had opened in 1859 on the Mainz–Aschaffenburg line – was converted into a marshalling yard, complete with a locomotive depot and carriage repair facilities. The guided tour covers the main site and offers a glimpse inside the locomotive shed.
Tour 2: Signalbox tower R1
The Kranichstein marshalling yard served as a supra-regional freight yard from 1898 to 2002. Incoming freight trains were uncoupled individually, pushed over the hump by a shunting locomotive and rolled from there onto various destination tracks in a large track network, where they were re-sorted and distributed regionally as local freight trains. The guided tour explains how the hump operates and allows visitors to climb the signal box tower (60 steps). A vintage bus (DB O 307) will take you to the site.
Tour 3: Roundhouse and Workshop
The railway depot housed the technical facilities required to ensure the smooth running of day and night operations for the steam locomotives arriving and departing. Minor repairs could be carried out thanks to the on-site axle pits and the adjoining metalworking workshop. The guided tour explains how a railway depot works and describes the operational procedures. It provides an insight into the maintenance and repair of steam locomotives and introduces the roundhouse as a listed building.
Tour 4: Culemeyer trailers
In competition with lorry transport, J. Culemeyer developed the transport system named after him for the Deutsche Reichsbahn. Freight wagons were loaded onto a road-going low-loader with a built-in crane and, using tractor units, transported by road without transhipment to customers who did not have their own railway siding. The prefabricated components for the high-rise housing estate designed by Ernst May were delivered from the Kranichstein distribution station. The tour showcases heavy-duty tractors and road rollers.
The one-hour guided tours take place four times at each of the following times:
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10.15 am to 11.15 am
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11.45 am to 12.45 pm
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1.30 pm to 2.30 pm
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3.00 pm to 4.00 pm
You start at the information stand in the courtyard of the Railway Museum.
You can spend the time before and after the guided tour in the museum café, which is open, enjoying a coffee and cake or a light snack, or on the lawn in front of the visitor centre, where you can find out more at two information stands about the work of the historic preservation authority and the Museumsbahn e. V., the organisation that runs the railway museum.
As this event focuses on heritage conservation, it is only suitable for adults and young people aged 14 and over. Would you like to introduce your children or grandchildren to the world of railways? Then why not come along a week later, on 19–20 September, to the big Steam Locomotive Festival!
The event is free of charge! However, as the number of participants per guided tour is limited, advance booking via the Bahnwelt online shop is required. Bookings will open on 30 August 2026. As an exception, regular guided tours of the rolling stock collection will not take place on this day.
