Burgsittensen Moor Railway on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Burgsittensen Moor Railway (german: Moorbahn Burgsittensen) is a {{RailGauge, 600mm, lk=on
Official site of the Moor Railway
Railway lines in Lower Saxony Rotenburg (district) Lüneburg Heath 600 mm gauge railways in Germany 1931 establishments in Germany
The Burgsittensen Moor Railway (german: Moorbahn Burgsittensen) is a {{RailGauge, 600mm, lk=on narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
light railway or ''Feldbahn
A , or , is the German term for a narrow-gauge field railway, usually not open to the public, which in its simplest form provides for the transportation of agricultural, forestry () and industrial raw materials such as wood, peat, stone, earth an ...
'', which is based on an old peat line near Tiste
Tiste is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Tiste belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ...
on the Lüneburg Heath
Lüneburg Heath (german: Lüneburger Heide) is a large area of heath, geest, and woodland in the northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen a ...
in North Germany.
It worked from 1931 to the end of 1999, when the last peat-cutting licence in Tiste
Tiste is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Tiste belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ...
ran out. The licence permitted the cutting of peat which was then used ''inter alia'' for fuel. Because, by then, the Moor Railway had become very much part of the village's history, a society was formed, the ''Moorbahn Burgsittensen'', in order to preserve this piece of technical history for posterity. Today the little, narrow gauge line has become a magnet for tourists. Led by expert guides, groups are taken by rail to an observation tower with an overview of the boggy terrain known as the Tiste Bauernmoor. There is also a footpath to the hide, but there are no guided tours on foot.
External links
Official site of the Moor Railway
Railway lines in Lower Saxony Rotenburg (district) Lüneburg Heath 600 mm gauge railways in Germany 1931 establishments in Germany