Pressnitz Valley Railway, Heritage railway in Jöhstadt, Saxony, Germany

The Pressnitz Valley Railway is a narrow gauge line that runs approximately 8 kilometers through the wooded mountains of Saxony, connecting Jöhstadt to Steinbach bei Jöhstadt. The route descends steeply through forested terrain with tight curves and notable elevation changes.

Construction began in February 1891 and the line opened on 1 June 1892, running from Wolkenstein through the Zschopau and Preßnitz valleys to Jöhstadt; in May 1893 it was extended to the Bohemian border. Freight dominated from the start, with transporter trailers introduced in 1911 carrying boards, wood pulp, cardboard and fire-fighting equipment from the Flader works. Passenger services ended in 1984 and freight for the Niederschmiedeberg refrigerator factory in 1986; the track was dismantled by summer 1989 and rebuilt as a museum railway between Steinbach and Jöhstadt from 1990 to 2000.

The museum line is run by the Interessengemeinschaft Preßnitztalbahn, founded in Großrückerswalde in 1988 to save what remained after dismantling. Its members laid the track from Jöhstadt to Steinbach and marked the completion with a week-long celebration in 2000. Trains run on weekends from May to October and on public holidays.

The railway can be reached by regional bus and train connections from Chemnitz, with services running on scheduled dates during the season. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for hilly terrain if exploring the area on foot.

The line's freight included fire-fighting equipment from the Flader works at Jöhstadt, which sent its pumps and later complete fire engines by rail. From the 1960s the biggest customer was the dkk refrigerator factory in Niederschmiedeberg. A 1955 flash flood in the Schwarzwassertal killed seven people and closed the line for four weeks.