Museumsbahn Bremerhaven-Bederkesa

When the railway line from Lehe (today a district of Bremerhaven) to Bederkesa was opened in 1896, a new era almost dawned for the inhabitants. They were now connected to the national transport network and could transport goods of all kinds, livestock and agricultural products faster, more comfortably and more cheaply. The long and uncomfortable journey by stagecoach to Bremerhaven or Bremen was now a thing of the past. The construction of the railway line also brought increased tourism to Bederkesa, and the weekend holidaymakers in particular brought welcome additional revenue to merchants and innkeepers. Unfortunately, passenger transport was discontinued by the Deutsche Bundesbahn in 1968, and freight transport was also discontinued in 1993.

In order to put the railway line between Bremerhaven and Bederkesa temporarily back into operation, the association "Museumsbahn Bremerhaven-Bederkesa" was founded in 1990. The association had set itself a time and thematic framework for this project. The motto was: "A North German branch line at the end of the 1950s". Dozens of members pitched in, numerous sponsors supported the project. The station in Bederkesa, built in 1896, was designed in the style of the time, a station restaurant was set up and a corresponding historic fleet of carriages including locomotives was acquired. The tracks, platforms and signalling systems were also refurbished. On 30 September 2000, a stationmaster dressed in period uniform and wearing a red cap, whistle and signal bell was able to give the museum train the command to depart for the first time. Since then, the trips with the museum train have been very popular with countless railway enthusiasts. The 17.6 km route joins the Deutsche Bahn AG network at Bremerhaven-Speckenbüttel. The journey then continues via Bremerhaven-Lehe to Schaufenster Fischereihafen.