multiple units. Depending on the timetable, there may be simultaneous departures from Eisfelder Talmühle, Stiege and Alexisbad. Freight Today, scheduled freight trains operate on the Selke Valley Railway only on the short section from the Hartsteinwerk Unterberg to Eisfelder Talmühle station: the Hartsteinwerk Unterberg regularly transports standard gauge gravel wagons on Rollbocks to the transfer yard in Nordhausen (Harz Railway). There are two converted diesel locomotives of class 199.8 available and equipment for transporting standard gauge freight cars. Rolling stock In Gernrode and Nordhausen Nord are the locomotive depots for the Selke Valley Railway. The diesel railcars of the Selke Valley Railway are based in Nordhausen Nord. Both locomotives and motor coaches are serviced and the steam locomotives are fueled and cleaned. The rolling stock of the Selke Valley Railway, like all HSB rolling stock, are maintained in Wernigerode-Westerntor. This is the location of the HSB's central rolling stock depot, where all examinations and repair work are performed on all rolling stock. For the main examinations, however, the locomotives are taken to special maintenance facilities. Peculiarities Compared to the Harz Railway and the Brocken Railway, the Selke Valley Railway has some special features: The stretch out of the northern edge of the Harz is a very varied landscape up to the high levels of the middle Harz mountains. While on the Wernigerode–Brocken railway in normal traffic steam locomotives of DR classes 99.23–24 are used in particular, one-of-a-kind steam engines are used on the Selke Valley Railway (99 6101 and 6102, 99 6001 and 99 5906). The Selke Valley Railway traverses a slope of 1:25 (4%), which is the steepest track used in the Harz mountains. The Brocken Railway traverses more elevation but does so at a shallower gradient of 1:30 (3.333%). Stiege Station has the smallest terminal loop of any public railway. This is a balloon loop which was constructed specifically to allow heavy trains to the power station at Silberhutte from Nordhausen to continue in the direction of Silberhutte without reversing. References Footnotes Sources External links (in German) Freundeskreis Selketalbahn e.V. Portraits of the side of Harzer Schmalspurbahnen or Profile of the Selke Valley Railway Metre gauge railways in Germany Railway lines in Saxony-Anhalt Transport in the Harz History of Anhalt Railway lines opened in 1887 1887 establishments in Germany Buildings and structures in Nordhausen (district)