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Saxon Railroad Museum
Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf
Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum
ABOVE: Visitors gawk at steam locomotive 38
205, the "Sächsischen Rollwagen," which was in
service from 1928 until 1968. INSET BELOW: The museum's official beer, and a
high-speed train from the German Democratic Republic.
by Durant Imboden
 For
sheer "wow factor," the Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum in the Hilbersdorf
district of Chemnitz is hard to
beat. To begin with, the place is huge: Two brick roundhouses accommodate 26
locomotives, and the late 19th Century marshalling yards (which lie directly
next to the Deutsche Bahn's tracks) include historic structures such as a coal
bunker, water cranes, and maintenance shops where steam locomotives can be
overhauled at a cost of half a million euros each.
 But
that's just the infrastructure. The real excitement comes from a huge collection
of historic steam, diesel, and electric locomotives from Eastern Germany, along
with a fleet of freight cars, passenger carriages, and other rolling stock.
Visit in late August, during the Boiler House Festival, and you can see a
"steam engine parade" of 10 coal-fired locomotives. (The annual exhibit draws
some 15,000 visitors, many of whom vie for seats on excursion trains between the
museum and Leipzig. The museum also has 20 to 30 other steam excursions during
the year.)
If you're visiting
Saxony and you're interested in railroading, the Saxon Railroad Museum is a
"must see" destination. It's easy to reach from downtown Chemnitz by train, car,
or CVAG city bus. For more information, including hours of operation and
directions, visit the museum's Web site at
www.sem-chemnitz.de.
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& Cheryl Imboden's