Stumpfwald Railway

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Stumpfwald Railway

The Stumpfwald Railway is a 3.5 km long, 600 mm narrow‑gauge heritage railway in Stumpfwald, a forest area in the Palatine Forest near Ramsen. It has been running since 1996.

Where to ride
- The western end is Eiswoog station, next to a lake.
- Eiswoog halt on the nearby Eis Valley Railway serves most trains on Sundays and holidays. On weekdays, the Eis Valley line ends in Ramsen.
- The eastern end was moved in 2007. The old Bockbachtal station became a passing loop about halfway to Ramsen.
- Before Ramsen there are Kleehof station and Schützenhaus halt. At Ramsen West there is a small engine shed and depot.

History and layout
- In the late 1980s, a group formed to build and run a Feldbahn museum railway in the Stumpfwald.
- A timber-framed station by the Eiswoog car park and the Kleehof marshalling yard were built.
- The line opened on 9 September 1996.
- The extension to Ramsen opened on 1 September 2007; the gap between the old and new sections closed on 20 May 2007.
- In October 2008, the railway hosted the International Feldbahn Gathering.

Operations and rolling stock
- Most work on the railway is done on the line itself, including moving materials and maintenance, mainly on weekends outside the main season.
- Regular passenger services use three large covered carriages that can carry about 50 passengers. In peak times, two smaller wagons help form an extra train. Additional carriages are sometimes used for steam services or big events.
- The trains run on the full length from Ramsen to Eiswoog. The travel time is just under 20 minutes.
- Locomotives include three steam engines and about twelve diesel engines. Some locomotives need renovation, and there is limited space until a new engine shed is built.

Special events
- Since 1998, the railway has hosted a night-time torch ride (Fackelfahrt). It began as an annual event and, since 2009, has been held every two years.