Eisenbahnmuseum Bochum

Signal box, water tower, turntable, roundhouse, coaling crane, plus around 180 mostly operational historic locomotives, wagons and other rail vehicles: the railroad museum on the site of the former Bochum-Dahlhausen depot takes visitors back to a time when steam trains made the Ruhr Valley railroad in the Ruhr and Sauerland regions a fast route for coal, iron, steel, lime and ores ...

Infotext read more: … Peek over the train driver's shoulder? Or go on a merry-go-round with the engine turntable? It's all possible! Pure nostalgia is provided by the lovely museum train that runs regularly between Bochum-Dahlhausen and Wengern-Ost near Hagen. All this is the work of volunteer railway enthusiasts who have been caring for one of the last completely preserved steam engine depots for over 50 years.

Professional railway workers such as train drivers or locksmiths account for only a small part of the active members. Together with judges, teachers, students and other supporters, they contribute countless hours of work to the maintenance and repair of the extensive rolling stock, making it a dynamic feature of the museum's operation. The fact that there are experts at work is evident from the high quality of the restored rolling stock which even meets the strict safety requirements of the railway authorities. That's why the museum is authorised to offer special trips in the Ruhr District and sometimes beyond. For this purpose, the passengers take their seats in commuter coaches of the type that were common throughout the country between 1920 and 1950. At the head of the museum train is steam locomotive 38 2267, built in 1918 by Henschel in Kassel. With its 100 kilometres per hour, it is still able to keep up with ICEs and suburban trains on main lines.

At the beginning of the 20th century, however, the engines based in Bochum-Dahlhausen are mainly used for coal and steel transport. The enormous demand by ten large coal mines, linked to the Ruhr valley railway by branches, and the supply of raw materials to the nearby Henrichshütte in Hattingen are precisely the reasons why the Bochum railway depot is built in 1918. Its shutdown 50 years later – a consequence of the colliery's demise and the substitution of steam technology by electric and diesel engines – is likewise the kick-off for the railway museum, inaugurated in 1977. The collection of featured rail cars – one of the largest in the whole of Germany – covers the entire grounds of the historic depot.

Steel Time Travel Destinations Nearby

Mining trail Dahlhausen

Bochum

Museum unter Tage

Bochum

The "steel time travelers" Luise & Alfred: Eisenbahnmuseum Bochum

Lu:

Idyllic, this Ruhr valley! The towpaths along the banks make a ride on horseback an exquisite experience. How far is it to your home? ...

Full dialog text: Lu: Idyllic, this Ruhr valley! The towpaths along the banks make a ride on horseback an exquisite experience. How far is it to your home?

Al: You don't say! A home for horses - that would be extraordinary. Here in the Ruhrbogen at Dahlhausen, one could wonderfully build a large roundhouse ...

Lu: Are you complaining about these steam horses again? Just now I almost lost my temper with the roar of the loud train!

Al: That's all right. But the steam horses need fresh water and a dry stable just as much as the horses in the flesh. And here, close to the Ruhr Valley railroad, there's plenty of water, coal and space.

Lu: ... and best of all a rotating thingy, so that you can look at the hissing, dirty beasts from all sides. Pffff!

Al: Turntable! Good idea - noted down!

Visitor information

Address:
Dr.-C.-Otto-Str. 191
44879 Bochum
Phone: 0234/492516
info@eisenbahnmuseum-bochum.de
www.eisenbahnmuseum-bochum.de

Opening hours:
Tue - Sun/holidays: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Steam locomotive in the Ruhr valley (1990)

Short description (film without sound)

The film excerpts show a nostalgic journey by steam train through the middle Ruhr valley between Hattingen and Wetter-Wengern. On the basis of such special trips offered by the Bochum Railway Museum, it is possible to explore, among other things, important anchor points of industrial culture in the Ruhr region.