Destination Dresden

March 12, 2026

Destination Dresden

After arriving at various London termini, last Wednesday lunchtime saw a group of us congregate at the Betjeman Arms on St Pancras station. From there we boarded the Eurostar for Brussels and then the Euro Sleeper overnight, arriving at our destination of Dresden in Eastern Germany on the Thursday morning.

The Night Sleeper snakes its way through the outskirts of Dresden.

Dresden, the capital of the State of Saxony sits astride the River Elbe will possibly be known as being severely damaged in air raids at the end of the Second World War. My single previous visit, on a school exchange visit in 1992, shortly after reunification found a city still with ruined buildings and piles of rubble.

Thirty plus years on, the city has just finished rebuilding and is frankly magnificent. The surviving buildings of the old town being carefully rebuilt alongside sympathetic new builds. These sitting alongside the brutalist blocks of the Soviet era.

Tram crossing the Elbe at sunset with the Cathedral St Trinitatis as backdrop.

The River Elbe with steam ships moored on the right.

The Soviet era architecture.

Frauenkirche. This was half destroyed in the bombing during the war, painstakingly rebuild since reunification with all the surrounding buildings being new.

For anyone visiting, the State Museum is well worth a visit, look out for the panoramic view of Dresden taken just after the rubble had been cleared from most of the city at the end of the war. The transformation to the city you find today is breathtaking.

Dresden has an extensive tram system, which makes exploring the city straight forward. There is also a fleet of paddle steamer ships that operate on the River Elbe, but sadly there were no cruises running that we could book during our stay.

The main reason for our visit was to travel on the region’s remaining 750mm gauge steam railways. With four days to experience the Loßnitzgrundbahn and the Weißeritztalbahn which start from the suburbs of Dresden and then the Fichtelbergbahn and the Zittau Schmalspurbahn that are further out.

In Saxony, the 750mm gauge lines were used to reach the outlying parts of the district, being more cost effective than building standard gauge lines. Freight was often moved using standard gauge wagons on transporter wagons in the same manner that Calthorp proposed in Britain and easy transfer between standard and narrow gauge was enjoyed with joint stations between the two.

The network of narrow gauge lines once stretched almost all the way between Dresden and the city of Leipzig with some surviving as freight carriers until the end of the DDR and the re-unification of Germany.

Transporter Wagon on the Fichtelbergbahn

Whilst we saw a few transporter wagons, presumably used for photo charters, the remaining lines are passenger only and survive with the support from the local State.

The narrow gauge railways of Saxony are renowned for their Meyer articulated locomotives. Sadly, none were in traffic during our visit, though some were glimpsed through shed windows and there is one in the Dresden Transport Museum.

Meyer 99 535 in the Dresden Transport Museum

All four lines were travelled on were using the more modern 2-10-2 locos built in batches between the 1920s and the 1950s. The pinnacle of locomotive development on these lines. They are machines that have all the features you would want in a steam loco should one be your office.

They were masters of the trains they hauled and I came away with an admiration for these beasts of the narrow gauge.

Giant at rest, taking on water at Radeburg on the Loßnitzgrundbahn

A mighty fine office. We all want chrome regulator handles now!

Having been travelling for nigh on 24 hours, for our first line we chose one of those closest to Dresden, the Loßnitzgrundbahn.

We took a suburban service out of Dresden and within twenty minutes we were alighting at Radebeul and making the short walk across to the Loßnitzgrundbahn station.

The Loßnitzgrundbahn runs to Radeburg, a distance of 16 1/2 km / 10 1/4 m. Some services run the full length of the line to Radeburg, whilst others run to the half way station of Moritzburg, where the Schloss hunting lodge is a significant tourist attraction.

DRG Class 99.73-76 2-10-2T number 99 747 built in 1933 was in service and we were soon on our way, smart run rounds being the order of the day with all these lines we were to learn. Have to admit to not having been able to get my head around the loco numbering system. Especially as our loco had 99 747 on the front, but also 99 1747-7 on the cab side, more research is required.

99 747 awaits departure time from Radebeul. The ease of transfer from the mainline railway is evident by the standard gauge platform to the right.

After running parallel to the mainline for a short distance, the line soon peeled away for some extensive street side running to the sound track of the steam bell in almost constant use. One notable feature being the unusual flat crossing with the Dresden tram network. Leaving the town behind we were out in open countryside making several stops before reaching the terminus at Radeburg.

Through the streets of Radebeul

Radeburg arrival.

Two more views of Radeburg

We had a good look over 99 747 whilst it was being serviced and got a peek at one of the Meyer locos through the window in the loco shed.

On our return we broke our journey at Moritzburg and walked through the town to see the Schloss, set on the edge of town on the edge of the lake. Sightseeing and lunch done, we returned to the station and caught one of the short workings to Moritzburg back to Radabeul and the end of the first day.