Special departure for Dresden
Steam trains were a whole new traveling experience for a city boy like me. Having only seen them in “Thomas and Friends” and in museums, the chance to get to travel on one for two 4-hour journeys tickled me. It wasn’t cheap, second class tickets set me back €95, and this was without electricity, WiFi, or meal service. But the chance to get on the iconic Einheitsdampflok (train enthusiasts can correct me if I’m wrong) and one of the first electric locomotives in Germany is too good of an opportunity to pass up. On the train, the conductors dressed in period uniform and there was even a Mitropa buffet car.
Historic Mitropa buffet car
It was Christmas and the steam locomotive got us as far as Dresden. Then, the steam locomotive left (probably to a yard to fill up with coal and water) and the electric locomotive was coupled with the rest of the train. The passengers got back on the train and we continued our journey to Chemnitz – to see one of the most charming Christmas markets in the country. Chemnitz felt as if it was stuck in time with a Karl Marx Monument, Cyrillic, text and plattenbäu along the streets.
Historic electric locomotive
On the way back to Berlin, it got a little boring, being on a steam train is only exciting for so long. The heating was uneven, the steam was seeping into the compartment through the windows and the only entertainment was counting the number telegraph poles along the tracks. The toilet didn’t smell though, since the human waste just flows into the toilet bowl, through a hole in the floorboards and onto the tracks.
Interior of the train
