Chemin de fer touristique du Rhin, Heritage railway in Volgelsheim, France.
The Chemin de fer touristique du Rhin is a heritage railway that operates vintage steam trains on a route connecting Volgelsheim and Marckolsheim near the Rhine. The line runs through flat countryside and uses the original Volgelsheim station building as its main operating hub.
The first tourist train trip ran in 1959, though organized preservation efforts began much later in 1982 when a dedicated association formed. This group rescued the historical locomotives and carriages from being scrapped.
Local volunteers run the railway with genuine passion for preserving train history and share their knowledge with visitors aboard the trains. You can feel this dedication in the way the vintage locomotives are maintained and how staff explain the machinery during the journey.
Trains operate mainly on weekends and holidays during warmer months, offering short journeys of about one hour. Visitors should dress warmly since the trains are open-air and wind across the flat landscape can be quite noticeable.
One of the locomotives comes from the former German-Alsatian railway network and is one of only three surviving machines of its type anywhere. This engine represents a rare piece of railway history from this border region.
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