On the past long Ascension Day weekend (with the exception of Friday), the Bahnwelt Darmstadt-Kranichstein traditionally invited visitors to the Kranichsteiner Bahnwelttage. With an extensive program on the museum grounds and the extensive area of the former marshalling yard, our visitors were offered railroad experiences in many respects.
The highlight was of course the moving railroad, which was demonstrated by our operational fleet. Among others, various small locomotives such as the Jung rail tractor, Köf 6748 or Kö 1002 could be shown. The rail master trolley Klv 12 and the Wismar rail bus were also demonstrated. In addition, some larger locomotives were in operation, such as the diesel locomotive V62 for the first time after its extensive overhaul. Our “firecracker” 141 228-7 also delighted the visitors with its characteristic switching sound.
However, 23 042 attracted the most attention, as it was used for cab rides and our shuttle train to the Ablaufberg. With a part of our operable passenger cars, the passengers were driven to the Ablaufberg, in order to convey to the visitors not only the driving experience in the blunderbusses, but also the technology and history of the marshalling yard as well as the plans for the future storage facility of DB Fernverkehr. 141 228-7, 52 4867, V100 1357 and 23 042 and the V62 provided for alternating crews.
To the delight of the visitors, some guest vehicles enriched the event again this year. Thus, the steam locomotive 52 4867 of the Historische Eisenbahn Frankfurt arrived on Thursday. A real Darmstadt classic was also represented: A diesel locomotive of the class V100, more precisely V100 1357 of the company EFM. On Friday, the exhibition was joined by 114 016 of DB Regio Mitte, a locomotive produced in the former GDR and, despite its advanced age, still in service today on regional trains around Frankfurt. We would like to thank the Historische Eisenbahn Frankfurt e.V., EFM GmbH and DB Regio AG for the visit and the provision of the vehicles!
There was also a lot on offer away from the big railroad. Among other things, there were various guided tours through our exhibitions and the grounds, visitors could get an idea of railroad uniforms, function and process around a signal box and various model railroads. Also the rail-road transport with the Culemeyer road scooter was presented, the driver’s cabs of 44 404, 194 051 and 103 101 could be visited. Our little guests were also catered for thanks to Kinderland and a 5-inch railroad to ride on. The locomotive shed grill and the cafeteria also provided for the physical well-being of our guests. At the end of an eventful day in the railroad museum, the visitors could take home a lasting memory with souvenirs.
We would like to thank all satisfied visitors and guests and hope to see you again soon.
A big thank you also goes to all the active people and helpers of the Railway Museum Darmstadt-Kranichstein and the guest clubs!
