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People
When Gerhard Reich talks
about steam engines his eyes
begin to shine. For Gerhard
Reich is a steam engine enthusiast.
“No more than that,”
says the 58-year-old. He is defi -
nitely not a real “trainspotter”
i.e. someone who collects every
engine number. “No, I just
fi nd these old steam engines
fascinating and I like messing
about with them in my spare
time, says Reich. And because
he likes these steaming, snorting
and rattling old trains
so much, in March this year
he took his honorary train
driver‘s test on a Harz narrow
gauge train.
The certifi cate entitles him
to drive a particular train i.e.
the Harz narrow gauge train –
and then only when a full-time
train driver is present. “I am
not allowed on my own in the
driver’s cab,” smiles Reich. But
that does not seem to bother
the sporting amateur train driver.
The main thing is that he
is allowed to drive the train at
all. “With my licence I am entitled
to drive the old steam
engine up the Brocken,” says
Reich who in real life works as
facility manager for the airfoil
coater TACR.
The 112 metres long and
125 tonnes heavy train wheezes
day in day out up the Bro-
Steam engines are his great passion
Gerhard Reich has an honorary train driver’s licence and is allowed to drive the Harz narrow gauge train up the Brocken
Gerhard Reich (far right) was happy to obtain the honour of
honorary engine driver. Photo: Private
cken and down again. “It is
mostly tourists that travel on
the Brocken railway but there
are also locals on their way
to work.” The Brocken railway
in the Harz is a bit like the underground
railway in Berlin.
Anyway hanging behind the
historic steam engine there
are seven coaches where there
is room for a total of 275
passengers. “The engine uses
4 tonnes of coal and about 20
cubic metres of water daily,“
Reich gives the technical details.
And something else occurs
to him: a steam engine
like that is a very oily business
as the old lady needs 10 to 12
litres of machine oil every day.
But if that were not enough:
then in the evening there is
cleaning oil, about 15 litres are
applied with an oil jet on the
red vehicle parts of the steam
engine.
For Reich such an old steam
engine exerts a quite particular
fascination. “This rhythm puts
you under its spell,” he raves.
Then you absolutely have to
go with it and feel that a steam
engine like that is a living machine.
“If you look out of the
side window of the driver’s cab
during the journey – and you
look out constantly – you soon
become part of the engine,”
says Reich. And thus every engine
driver of
such a historic
companion loves
and cares for his
“steam horse”
with much love
and devotion.
Gerhard Reich
was also allowed
to clean
and oil down the
old narrow gauge
engine. “But
only quite specifi
c parts, as an
amateur engine
driver you cannot
go every-
Here they are: People with extraordinary hobbies.
Not everyone plays football in their free time or relaxes with yoga. What other
hobbies there are – extraordinary ones too – we will tell you in this section.
The Harz narrow gauge railway – it is loved and cared for.
where,“ smiles Reich.
Yet he has got closer to the
tractor of the Harz narrow gauge
railway than hardly anyone
else who is not actually an engine
driver. “Every engine driver
develops an intimate relationship
with his engine,” says
Reich. You know it inside and
out and know exactly how to
handle it. So for example the
whistle of each steam engine
is very individual and can be
infl uenced by the engine driver.
You can make the engine
whistle loud or soft, long
or short. And something else
requires real sensitivity: you
have to brake with real feeling.
“If an engine driver bra-
kes jerkily that is called engine
driver thanksgiving,” because
the passengers sitting facing
all directions lean in the direction
of the driver says Reich
and laughs. Above all, on the
downhill you have to keep the
narrow gauge train in check.
“When you go back down the
mountain you brake the whole
time,” says amateur engine
driver Reich and again his eyes
shine at the thought of his
journey on the narrow gauge
railway in the Harz.
Have you also a hobby that
you would like to introduce
yourself with? Then write to us:
redaktion@parknews.de