1 and 2 August: Festival Weekend at the Museum-Railway
60 Years of the Museum-Railway - and we want to mark this occasion together with the residents of Bruchhausen-Vilsen and the railway enthusiasts. The programme described below is varied and should have something for everyone: an increased number of services in narrow-gauge and standard-gauge on both lines, a variety of train formations, guest rolling stock, vintage cars, model railways and a colourful programme of events!
Increased service on narrow-gauge between Bruchhausen-Vilsen and Asendorf
This weekend the Museum-Railway’s tracks won’t be lying idle. Trains are running roughly every hour. The varying train formations will feature (almost) all operational DEV rolling stock and the guest rolling stock. The prototype for the LGB Museum Car 2026, the covered DEV Anniversary Car 129, will also be on the move bearing the special livery.
Enhanced timetable on the standard-gauge line with steam services
Between Syke and Eystrup, the Class 86 steam locomotive from PRESS and the familiar beige-and-blue DEV railcars are in service.
Please refer to the Festival Week brochure for the timetables for the narrow-gauge and standard-gauge lines.
Brochure Celebration Week (in german language)" (Acrobat-Reader File, 8.7 MB).
Town tours on the historic Neoplan N 4021 bus, formerly of BSAG
On the second weekend of the festival, the Neoplan N 4021 bus, owned by the "Freunde der Bremer Straßenbahn e.V.", will be making its rounds in Bruchhausen-Vilsen. This vintage bus will operate a circular route through the historic centre of Bruchhausen-Vilsen, via Heiligenberg railway station and the forester’s lodge. The tour will be accompanied by a guide who will tell you more about the town and its history.
A varied programme of events at Bruchhausen-Vilsen station
- Visit the reconstructed historic locomotive shed, complete with workshop and staff facilities. There you will also find an exhibition on the Hoya-Syke-Asendorf Railway, as well as Rolf Weinert’s model railway layout "Bruchhausen-Vilsen Station 1956";
- an exhibition of historic road vehicles;
- LGB live-steam model railway in the maintenance workshop;
- The LGB company stand and two large LGB display layouts by the "LGB-Freunde Niederrhein e.V." are on show in the marquee in front of the Raiffeisen-Markt. On display is the "NordseeLive" layout, featuring a typical North German coastal landscape and a narrow-gauge island railway running through the wadden sea, complete with a transfer station to the standard-gauge line on the mainland. Extensive shunting operations are being demonstrated here. In contrast, you can see long trains on the 24 x 5-metre layout "Amarillo Mountain Rail Road (AMRR)", featuring typical scenes from the 1950s in the USA;
- Mini-Railway (track gauge 5" and 7 1/2") - To the delight of steam enthusiasts of all ages, the mini railway runs alongside the locomotive depot in Bruchhausen-Vilsen along Kindermannweg;
- Volunteer section - local clubs showcase their works;
- every Saturday, between 2 pm and 4 pm, the Vilsen Fire Brigade’s Marching Band will be playing (in the car park next to the bookshop);
- DEV-Sponsors will be introducing themselves;
- Food and drink.
Supporting programme at Heiligenberg station
- The Kölln-Reisiek Railway Enthusiasts’ Association ("Eisenbahnfreunde Kölln-Reisiek e.V.") will be presenting their large Gauge 0 layout there Spur Null-Anlage.
Supporting programme at Asendorf station
- Historic ship-shaped swing;
- Model railway layout of Asendorf station as it appeared in the 1950s;
- Modular layout of Quakenbrück station on the Lingen-Berge-Quakenbrück narrow-gauge railway in H0e scale, in the former restaurant at Asendorf station.
