Bad Schwalbacher Kurbahn, Heritage narrow-gauge railway in Bad Schwalbach, Germany

The Bad Schwalbacher Kurbahn is a narrow-gauge railway that runs through the Gerstruth Valley, connecting Moorbadehaus station with the peat extraction areas. The track stretches about 1.6 kilometers and the carriages have manually operated brakes that passengers help control.

The 600 mm field railway was laid in 1926 to carry peat between the Moorbadehaus and the artificial peat pits in the Gerstruth Valley, replacing horse-drawn carts. A train usually comprised five or six tipping wagons. From 1979 to 1986 the Dampfbahn Rhein-Main ran passenger services; after a 1987 derailment injured a passenger, the city banned them, and peat haulage by rail ended in 1991.

The line is run by volunteers of the Bad Schwalbacher Kurbahn-Verein, founded in 1998 to keep the former Moorbahn. A ride of about 30 minutes ends at the Moorgruben, where passengers can walk to the peat pits and return on a later train; a café operates at the Schwalbenbrunnen stop.

The railway operates from Easter through October with departures starting at 10:30 AM and final trips at 5:30 PM. Since the line travels through hilly moorland with older carriages, wear comfortable shoes and allow extra time for the journey.

The tracks had to be moved repeatedly over the years as peat extraction sites shifted throughout the moorland. These constant adjustments reveal how adaptable the workers needed to be in managing their changing work environment.