Achertalbahn Historic steam trains

The 10,4 kilometer branch line to Ottenhöfen, which branches off from the Rhine Valley Railway in Achern, was opened in 1898 by the Vering & Waechter railway company.
Today it is operated by SWEG with modern regional shuttles.

The first museum steam trips in the Achertal were carried out by the German Society for Railway History eV (DGEG) in 1968.
The Achertäler Eisenbahnverein emerged from the DGEG working group Achertal in 1985 and still organizes the steam train journeys together with the state-owned SWEG.

While the route initially runs as far as Kappelrodeck in the flat Rhine Valley between orchards, the steam locomotive has to work hard on the last few kilometers to reach the Ottenhöfen terminus through the winding valley of the Acher.