News

19.12.2024: Christmas wishes

Dear friends of our museum, the year 2024 is fast approaching its end. In any case, we are already looking forward to next year with many exciting stories, some of which are already emerging today.
Work continues on the boiler of our steam locomotive 50 3570. Using the ‘hot spanner’ or cutting torch, we have completely cleared the boiler's smoke box of pipes so that the new heating pipes can soon be installed in the boiler.


We also removed the valves from the steam cylinders to inspect them for cracks and wear, particularly in the piston rings. Incidentally, they have the same function as a camshaft and the valves in your car engine. They open and close the inlet and outlet ducts of the steam cylinders to allow fresh steam to flow in and exhaust steam to flow out, depending on the piston position.

We also continued to look after our little steam locomotive Emma. The water tanks in the locomotive's frame had to be cleaned to prevent limescale and dirt from being sucked into the locomotive's feed pumps and clogging them up. This is quite a strenuous and dirty job because you have to open the hatches under the locomotive and then scrape the dirt out of the tanks.

The biggest Christmas present for us is the operational refurbishment of diesel locomotive 118 748-3, which - as already reported - has been taken to a workshop in Klostermannsfeld for a general overhaul. The work here is making great progress. Some time ago, the locomotive was manoeuvred into the workshop in order to lift the locomotive body off the bogies. First of all, the bogies, including the axles and brake parts installed in them, will undergo a thorough inspection and refurbishment so that they can run smoothly in the coming years. You can already look forward with us to the moment when the locomotive is running under its own power again and can be used on the German railway network!



Unseen by the public, but nevertheless important for the preservation of the building fabric, we have decided to contribute to the preservation of the large water tower on the museum grounds. This is not currently a direct part of our museum. Nevertheless, we believe it makes sense to preserve its structure so that it can be used in the future. To this end, we have installed new drainage pipes for the rain gutters. This now ensures that the rainwater drains away in a controlled manner and no longer flows over large areas of the outer walls and washes out the bricks and motar.


So much for our article on the latest developments in our museum and its collection. We hope that you enjoyed our reporting in 2024 and that you are already looking forward to 2025 with us. If you have any special requests for reporting, e.g. on a topic that has always interested you, we will try to fulfil them. Feel free to write to us via our Facebook or Instagram page or by email to info@dampflok-wittenberge.de.
Thank you very much for your interest and support and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2025. Stay with us!

vehicles: 50 3570-4, Emma, 118 748-3

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25.11.2024: News from the locomotive shed

Over the last two weekends, we have once again completed a large programme. Let's start our overview with the work on our steam locomotive 50 3570, where the refurbishment of the tender was completed after a long time. The last opening of the water tank has been welded shut and the inside has been covered with protective paint. Now the exterior paintwork is still missing, which we will probably carry out next spring. In the meantime, it is already too cold to apply the paint.


Work also continued on the boiler of the locomotive. Here, the so-called inlet pipes were removed, through which the steam is channelled from the boiler into the cylinders when the locomotive is under steam. However, they are now in the way when new pipes are installed in the boiler.

Other boiler attachments are also being refurbished, here the colleague is cleaning a few wash hatches.

Our steam locomotive Emma also needs maintenance. Here the firebox, ash pan, smoke chamber and boiler tubes have been thoroughly cleaned.



The locomotive's two injector pumps were also refurbished so that they can continue to pump water from the locomotive's reservoir into its boiler without any problems during next year's operations.

Further progress is also being made on coach 197 805, where our hard-working colleagues have rewired the ceiling lighting and installed the lamps. The ventilation grilles are also back in their usual place.

The next step is to install the handles used to open and close the ventilation. They have already been cleaned.

Our type G10 goods wagon is now also entering the final phase of completion. Our colleagues have thoroughly refurbished it in painstaking detail. The axles and suspension were removed and overhauled and most of the wooden parts were rebuilt. Finally, the metal frame of the second side door was straightened and repainted so that the wooden panelling can now be fitted. Once the door has been fitted and the car has been labelled, it will be ready for display.


As you can see, we have reported on some of the construction sites that are being worked on today. There are many more places where something needs to be done and which require less physical labour. These include, for example, the design and furnishing of our new exhibition space, the inventory of our stock and the organisation of our archive. If you would like to support us in preserving valuable parts of German railway history, please contact us. Of course, this also applies if you would like to support us with donations. Every euro helps. Incidentally, donations are tax-deductible, as we are classified as a non-profit charity.
Now it remains for us to wish you a wonderful Advent season. We will probably be in touch for the last time this year shortly before Christmas. However, we promise to keep you up to date next year as well.
vehicles: 50 3570-4, Emma, 197 805-5, G 10

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11.11.2024: The winter work begins

Our 2024 season ended at the end of October with the last day the museum was open, when many visitors came to the engine shed to get a last whiff of the steam locomotive smell. After that, we began the part of the year in which we traditionally dedicate ourselves to the work that requires more effort.
In particular, this includes work on our steam locomotive 50 3570, which we would like to present in working order again next year. To do this, we have to complete a number of tasks that are quite time-consuming. This includes in particular the boiler repair, which is now being prepared. Last Saturday, we joined forces to wash out the boiler. To do this, all the wash hatches were removed. These are mushroom-shaped closures that seal small oval openings in the boiler wall, through which impurities and limescale residues can be flushed out of the boiler with a strong jet of water. As the nuts holding the plugs are sometimes extremely tight, they have to be heated red-hot with a flame so that they expand slightly and can be loosened.



We also removed the drain valves and safety valves from the drive cylinders. One is used to drain condensation in the steam cylinders. The others are for emergency draining if too much condensation has collected in the cylinders and the movement of the pistons presses so hard against the cylinder covers that they could burst. It is well known that water cannot be compressed.

Work on the tender also continues. Now that all the metal work on the inside of the tender has been completed, we can turn our attention to coating the water tank. It has a capacity of 26 cubic metres. We applied a special paint to prevent or at least slow down further corrosion.
Below is a picture of the inside of the tender. Here you can see that it has partition walls with a number of more or less large openings. These walls are intended to prevent the water inside from sloshing around too much when the locomotive accelerates or brakes.

Work is also being done on the exterior appearance of the tender. The remaining paint has been sanded or completely removed so that a primer coat can be applied soon. We hope that the outside temperatures will remain in the double-digit range for a little longer so that we can apply the final coat of black paint before the winter cold sets in.

Work also continued on our coach 197 805. Now that all the ceiling panels and ceiling mouldings have been installed, the ceiling can be painted. We hope that we will soon be able to lay a new linoleum covering on the floor.

We are delighted to see the finished works of the pupils from the Marie Curie Grammar School in Wittenberge, who - as we reported in our last newsletter - designed the walls of our new exhibition space in the south gable of the engine shed. Thank you again, you have painted some great things.


vehicles: 50 3570-4, 197 805-5

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16.10.2024: Autumn steam at the historic locomotive shed in Wittenberge

Last weekend, we heralded the coming end of the season for our museum with an event at which everything that can run under its own power in our museum was on the move. This included our diesel locomotives 320 001, 118 748, the steam locomotive Emma, our diesel shunters and - brand new in operation - our locomotive engine from Breuer. However, the star of the event was certainly the Press Group's steam locomotive 86 1744, which was available for cab rides in top condition. In addition, the company Lok OST kindly provided us with a V100 diesel locomotive, which could be admired as an exhibit and during the parade rides at around 14:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Thanks again to both companies for enriching our festival with their participation.
Fortunately, the weather was mostly fine and we were able to welcome around 1,400 visitors to our event. The fact that vintage car enthusiasts from the Altmark region visited us with their more than 20 historic vehicles certainly contributed to this, bringing additional life to the museum grounds. Thank you very much for your visit! Of course, the fire brigade once again gave their all with their famous pea soup, which was a real treat for the palate.
Here is a small selection of pictures from our event.













But even after the event, there is still plenty going on in the museum: a group of pupils from the Marie Curie Gymnasium are giving us a very special treat by designing some of the walls in our future exhibition space as part of an art project. They are painting railway motifs from Wittenberge on the walls based on photographs. We are thrilled and would like to say thank you for the fantastic motifs.

At this point we can also reveal a secret: The diesel locomotive 118 754, which was previously kept in our museum as an exhibit, was towed to Mansfelder Land at the beginning of the week. In a workshop in Klostermannsfeld, the locomotive will undergo a major overhaul over the next few months. Once this work has been completed, it will hopefully be available again for journeys throughout Germany. We are extremely pleased about this and will report on the progress of the work here from time to time. The following pictures show the train before departure in Wittenberge and near Förderstedt south of Magdeburg.


vehicles: Emma, 118 748-3, V 320 001-1, Breuer Lokomotor

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12.10.2024: Autumn steam in the historic locomotive shed in Wittenberge

On 12 and 13 October 2024, steam locomotive enthusiasts will be celebrating their traditional Autumn Steam Days at the Historic Engine Shed in Wittenberge. There will once again be plenty to marvel at and experience, as the Brandenburg's largest railway museum will once again be steaming and dieselising. The railway enthusiasts are particularly looking forward to a visit from the Press Group's steam locomotive 86 1744, which some visitors to the Baltic Sea may remember from their last visit to Rügen or Usedom last summer.
It and the museum's vehicles are available for viewing and for cab rides. Those who prefer a more leisurely pace can take a ride in an old passenger coach from the beginning of the last century on a circuit through the museum grounds, take a ride on the turntable or drive a muscle-driven trolley. Of course, there will also be plenty of refreshments on offer. The volunteer fire brigade will once again be providing support with its home-made pea soup.
The museum is open from 10:00 a.m. on both days and closes its doors at 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and 4:00 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are available online via the museum's website (www.dampflok-wittenberge.de) and on site for €8 (adults) and €4 (children aged between 5 and 14). A family ticket for € 20 is available for families.
Photo enthusiasts will have the opportunity to capture some staged scenes from everyday operations on film or chip after the end of the public visiting hours on Saturday 12 October 24. During the blue hour at dusk from 5.30 pm, locomotives and staff will strike a pose. However, a separate admission ticket is sold for this at a price of € 40, which is available at the entrance to the museum.

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