Plausible fiction

 The Frauenwaldbahn or Die Laura

The layout is based upon a Kleinbahn that was originally, a short line, in this case only almost 7km (4.3 miles) to Frauenwald in Southern Thuringia. It was a standard gauge line that was served by tiny trains and lasted from 1913 to 1965.  Due to the topography the station at Rennsteig was a 'Spitzkehren bahnhof' or 'hairpin station' where the train changes direction. The railway had to meet the transport needs of the predominantly rural structure of the area

89 5901

The railcar shown below was employed until WW2, although a 0-4-0 tank loco with road number 5 plus passenger cars and goods cars was also employed. This loco was supplemented by one obtained from the Kleinbahn Neuhaldensleben–Weferlingen former roadbed is accessible today as a Wanderweg 

 

 The railway survived the Second World War, in 1949, the railway was nationalised and the operation was taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. At the beginning of the 1950s, tourism to the Thuringian Forest increased significantly. In 1952, through express trains ran from Berlin to the Thuringian Forest for the first time. In Rennsteig, the train, consisting of four-axle express coaches, was split up. Three coaches continued on to Schmiedefeld , the other three were hauled by a T 3 to Frauenwald  

 

 

The condition of the track deteriorated noticeably, and despite increasing traffic, only the most urgent repairs could be carried out. On February 13, 1965, the line had to be closed due to snow drifts, and trains had to be replaced by buses. Railway operations ceased after that because no funds were available for the necessary renovations.

 

 

 

 

94 1538 on the Rennsteig.