Commemorative stamp series - Germany / German Democratic Republic 1984 - 30 Pfennig

Narrow gauge railways in the GDR, 4th issue With the depiction of narrow gauge railways in the GDR, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of the German Democratic Republic issues two multi-color se-tenant prints. Special Cancellation from March 20 to May 19, 1984 Narrow Gauge Railways in the GDR Narrow Gauge Track Cranzahl - Kurort Oberwiesenthal The narrow gauge track Cranzahl - Oberwiesenthal (750 mm gage) leads from the regular main line Flöha - Bärenstein with 17.3 km length to the border of the CSSR, below the Fichtelberg. The railway was built in the years 1896-1897 and served mainly the interests of industrial companies in and around Annaberg, but also the developing excursion traffic. The commissioning of this train, the tourist traffic even Oberwiesenthal jumped. Since the landscape around the Fichtelberg is a popular recreational and winter sports area and the train is in addition to the connection between gauge track and Oberwiesenthal also the tasks of feeder for numerous holidaymakers of the places lying on the route, it is also obtained by the Deutsche Reichsbahn as a tourist train. The railway overcomes on its way a height difference of 287 m and reaches at the station Kurort Oberwiesenthal with 893 m above sea level a height, which is only 4 m below that of the Alpine railway station "Semmerring" in Austria. Narrow gauge Gernrode-Straßberg / Harzgerode (Selketalbahn) The narrow gauge Gernrode-Straßberg / Harzgerode begins in Gernrode on the regular gauge line Aschersleben-Quedlinburg and leads into scenic areas of the eastern Harz. The route along the river Selke along the railway gave the name in the vernacular "Selketalbahn". The line was taken in sections in the years 1887 to 1889 in operation and served at that time primarily the goods transport, especially for mines and shafts at Strassberg. Because of the numerous tight curves no rolling stock could be used on this track. Freight traffic is handled exclusively by narrow-gauge freight wagons. Today, this attractive train is used more and more by tourists and therefore belongs to the tourist trains, which are operated by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. The planned reconstruction of the Straßberg-Stiege line will produce the traditional connection to the Harzquerbahn. Helmut Reinert, Berlin