Railway Museum Bochum

The Bochum railway museum in the former railway depot including the historic roundhouse is the largest private museum of its kind in Germany. Like no other anchor point on the route, it stands for the close connection between railway history and the developing coal and steel industry in the Ruhr area.

With the construction of the Steele - Dahlhausen/Ruhr branch line by the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahngesellschaft (BME) in 1863, several collieries in the Ruhr Valley were connected to the rapidly expanding railway network. Dahlhausen station quickly developed into an important hub for freight and passenger traffic in the Ruhr Valley. Between 1912 and 1918, the marshalling yard and the new passenger station as well as the depot including the engine shed with turntable, water tower, coal store and workshops were built, partly by prisoners of war. The main performance of the steam locomotives used here was the heavy freight train line service, with coal traffic playing a decisive role. With the closure of neighboring depots, the number of personnel and locomotives increased significantly. The highest level was reached in 1957 with 522 employees and 35 steam locomotives.

With the closure of the Vereinigte Dahlhauser Tiefbau colliery in 1965, the Bochum-Dahlhausen freight depot also lost its importance. Shunting operations were discontinued in 1973; the depot had been closed four years previously and was only used to repair freight cars until 1982. However, in 1969 the use of the site as a museum, which had a special plus: access to the rail network of the German Federal Railways, picked up speed. An impressive vehicle collection developed from three locomotive stalls, which was officially opened in 1977 as the "Eisenbahnmuseum Bochum-Dahlhausen". Seven years later, the depot was placed under monument protection.

On 70 square meters, visitors can experience more than 000 rail vehicles from 120 to the present day. Locomotives and wagons are restored to a museum and some are made roadworthy again. Visitors* have the opportunity to take extraordinary trips, such as on the Wismar rail bus, the museum train and there are trips to St. Nicholas and the Christmas market. Daily special trips lead to active steelworks or old industrial scenes. The picturesque route of the Ruhr Valley Railway is used several times a month. Museum festivals, special offers for children, driver's cab rides and museum workshops expand the offer.