When the Wall came down - English • Great Railways

A Time Of Change On Saxony’s Narrow Gauge Railways, 1990-3
In the top rank of Nick Lera’s acclaimed documentaries on world steam, this high quality film was made as soon as the communist regime in East Germany ended, revealing a fascinating 45 year time warp. The local economy around Oschatz still depended on Saxon-Meyer locomotives hauling china clay through cobbled streets filled with the thick sulphurous smoke of brown coal sourced from 950mm opencast railways. Repeat visits in 1991-3 show rapid change as Germany’s western economy took hold. Orange safety suits and bright blue diesels failed to save the freight traffic, but Zittau’s two steam lines on the Czech border survive for tourism, and the film ends in the former Harz border zone with the ceremonial breach of the Brocken mountain’s own Berlin-type Wall by the first train to steam to the summit in 30 years.
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[@patricknoveski6409]

I am amazed at how these Railroads run so well and are beautiful even in the drab East block. Those engines sound so tight. Must be good mechanics there. Thank you for window behind iron curtain. One last comment , That brown coal is nasty stuff. Hope they have changed their ways. ❤

[@peterwhyte-zl1kv]

Nice! Real trains with real people.

[@RUOKH]

Brings back memories for me, travelling on those trains in the days of the GDR. In fact, I entered the GDR from Czechoslovakia at Zittau, the day before unification. I had an East German entry visa but never got an exit visa when I departed for Frankfurt and London! So technically, I am still in the GDR!

[@MartinBrenner]

Luckily, all three narrow gauge railways still exist today and operate steam trains.

[@almeggs3247]

Thank you Tomasito. This was supercalifragilistically awesome!

[@wismuthennecke1808]

Nice to see this old pictures. 👍 I was born in the GDR. The one and only little mistake I found is at 19:48. It was al Lada, not a polski Fiat. 😊 Both were build under licence by italian Fiat.

[@mrowl-the-dsm1304]

Thats was superb, I really enjoyed that Thank You for uploading

[@jameelhussain3718]

It's early morning 🌄 and I have just watched Indian steam engines. Now the current one is East Germany train. Good. I had been a goods train guard from 1971 to 1975 in Pakistan Railways. I have love 💕 for steam engines.

[@patricknoveski6409]

They are wonderful, with running gear blazing away. Many are being re built in America , thankfully.

[@schienenlaufer697]

What great a movie did you make! With a lot of information and wonderful pictures, thank you!

[@bassjunki]

What a great Channel👍 👌 👏 🙌

[@trainrover]

oof! nothing the slightest bit "bleak" about that snow squall filmed o'er Kurort Jonsdorf though --- the lighting became exceptionally dynamic during that MOMENTARY blusteriness there..!

[@Turitea]

This was most enjoyable. Well done.

[@laurenceskinnerton73]

Interesting.

[@100gpdriver]

How many times did that same car drive past lol