Key takeaways
- 600 mm as a public railway was a rarity – the MPSB ran on field-railway size with a timetable and passengers.
- The historical network no longer exists. It was dismantled after the Second World War.
- Schwichtenberg is the rebuild. A society has relaid a short stretch of line there.
- Steam and diesel side by side – both are part of the operating picture, neither is guaranteed.
- Running days rather than a timetable. Dates change every season; without checking, the long journey isn't worth it.
Contents
- 1.Fact file
- 2.Business areas
- 3.History at a glance
- 4.How to recognise the company
- 5.Strengths and weaknesses
- 6.A public railway on field-railway gauge
- 7.Why everything in Schwichtenberg is new
- 8.Steam and diesel on 600 millimetres
- 9.Preparing a visit
- 10.Who is the long trip worth it for?
- 11.What a rebuilding project demands of its volunteers
- 12.Verdict
- 13.Frequently asked questions
Fact file
| Organisational form | Registered society – rebuilding and running trains on a voluntary basis |
|---|---|
| Gauge | 600 mm – field railway size, here on a public light railway |
| Location | Schwichtenberg in the Mecklenburg Lake District |
| Historical origin | Mecklenburg-Pomeranian Narrow Gauge Railway, a light railway network on the border of both former provinces |
| Type of operation | Steam and diesel on a rebuilt short stretch of line |
| Running days | Seasonal running days and events, no regular timetabled service |
| Distinguishing feature | Public passenger and freight traffic on field-railway gauge – rare nationwide |
| Official website | www.mpsb-online.de |
Business areas
History at a glance
How to recognise MPSB
Does the train really belong to MPSB?
- 600 mm gauge – very narrow track, otherwise seen almost only on field railways
- Passenger carriages on narrow gauge – unlike pure field railways, passenger traffic is part of the concept
- Steam and diesel mixed – both types of traction are part of the operating picture
- Newly laid track – the line is rebuilt, not preserved
- Flat landscape – wide fields and meadows instead of gradients
- Volunteer staff – running, workshop and track work are all in the society's hands
Strengths and weaknesses
What the company stands for
- A gauge that has practically died out as a public railway
- Steam operation on field-railway size – a subject you'll hardly find anywhere else
- A compact site with short distances between locations
- Little crowding compared with well-known narrow-gauge railways
- Vehicles and workshop work can be followed up close
Where it falls short
- Short line – classic line-side shots are limited
- Runs only on running days and at events
- The region is sparsely served; without a car the journey is demanding
- Which vehicles are operational changes with the workshop's progress
- Flat terrain offers little natural elevation for photographs
Updated: August 2026 – A gauge of 600 millimetres is considered field-railway size: quarries, brickworks, peat cuttings. That a public railway with a timetable, tickets and passenger carriages once ran on it is the peculiarity of the Mecklenburg-Pomeranian Narrow Gauge Railway. In Schwichtenberg, a society has rebuilt this operation from the ground up, because the historical network has not existed for decades.
Document rare gauges
Vehicle, train formation and date recorded – on 600 mm operations, every note is a source.
A public railway on field-railway gauge
Light railways were built to open up areas where a normal branch line wouldn’t have paid off. The narrower the gauge, the cheaper the construction: tighter curves, less earthworks, lighter track. In the border region between Mecklenburg and Pomerania, builders went to the very extreme of the scale and chose 600 millimetres – a gauge otherwise reserved for works railways.
The price for that was high. Every load had to be transferred at the interchange point with the standard-gauge network, capacity remained limited, and speed was never an issue. Economically it only worked as long as agriculture and building materials made up the main freight and the road wasn’t yet a serious competitor.
Why everything in Schwichtenberg is new
Practically nothing remained of the historical network after the Second World War. Track was dismantled, vehicles scrapped, operating points abandoned. Anyone standing in Schwichtenberg today therefore sees no preserved railway, but a reconstructed one: newly laid track, vehicles gathered from various sources, rebuilt facilities.
That’s an important difference from heritage railways that were able to take over an existing line. Here, the foundation had to be created first before a single train could run at all – year after year, through the society’s own efforts. As with the Muskau Forest Railway, the rebuild itself is part of the story the railway tells.
| Criterion | MPSB Schwichtenberg | Field-railway museum | Saxon narrow gauge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gauge | 600 mm | 600 mm | 750 mm |
| Original purpose | public light railway | works traffic of one business | public railway |
| Passenger carriages | yes, part of the concept | improvised, from tipping wagons | yes, full-size |
| Line length today | short, rebuilt | very short, museum site | tens of kilometres |
| Traction | steam and diesel | mostly diesel | mostly steam |
Give the image a sense of scale
On 600 mm, everything looks smaller than it is – and without something to compare it to in the frame, even a well-shot train quickly looks like a garden railway. Deliberately include something that gives a sense of scale: a person on the platform, a vehicle, a fence, a building. Only then does the viewer recognise that a real railway is running here, not a model.
Steam and diesel on 600 millimetres
The operating picture is mixed, and that’s exactly what makes it interesting: narrow-gauge steam on field-railway size is rare, small diesel locomotives for 600 mm are less common but belong just as much. This is rounded out by passenger and freight wagons of light-railway engineering – the real difference from a pure field-railway museum.
We deliberately don’t give details on individual locomotives here. At heritage railways of this size, workshop status decides what runs, and a number list goes out of date faster than it’s useful. Anyone wanting to read up on the design logic of narrow-gauge diesels will find well-documented examples in the O&K MV 6 a and the Schöma CFL-40 DR. If you document your visit, note the manufacturer and works number – there’s no class scheme here like on the state railway.
Keep track of running days in the north-east
With the Traintrack app you can see which heritage railways and special trains other spotters are reporting right now.
Preparing a visit
Confirm the date reliably
Without an announced running day you'll find a silent site. In this region a wasted trip is especially costly, because there's no alternative within reach.
Plan the journey realistically
The Mecklenburg Lake District is sparsely served. Plan for a car or bike, and allow plenty of time for the last stretch.
Choose a low viewpoint
Narrow-gauge vehicles are built low. At eye level they look flat – from a lower vantage point they get their proportions back.
Note the train formation
Locomotive, carriages and order change more often at heritage railways than in scheduled service. The formation is the real piece of information.
Leave time for the workshop side
At a rebuilding project, the running day is only the tip of the iceberg. What happens alongside it often says more about the railway than the ride itself.
What focal length do you need?
Rough guide for full-frame. With smaller sensors you'll need correspondingly less focal length.
Who is the long trip worth it for?
Go if …
- you're interested in narrow gauge beyond the well-known 750 mm and 1000 mm railways
- you want to photograph steam on field-railway size
- you value calm and closeness to the operation
Check first if …
- you're relying on steam – traction depends on the date
- you're travelling without a car
- you're expecting a longer stretch of line
Go elsewhere if …
- you're looking for classic line-side shots with a long train
- you're setting off spontaneously without checking the date
- a packed programme in one day matters to you
Anyone planning a round trip can combine this with the Rasende Roland on Rügen and the Prignitz Light Railway Museum. Locations for scheduled traffic in the region are collected in the overview trainspotting in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; Berlin Hauptbahnhof serves many as the starting point for the journey.
What a rebuilding project demands of its volunteers
At a preserved heritage railway, the aim is to maintain a state. At a rebuild, that state first has to be created – track by track, vehicle by vehicle, usually over decades. That explains why the line is short, why the fleet changes slowly, and why running days stay limited.
For you as a visitor, that means above all: don’t take a change of traction as a disappointment. A society that has made a 600 mm light railway operational again from nothing has already achieved the hardest part. How such societies are organised is covered in the overview on railway societies.
Small doesn't mean harmless
A 600 mm steam locomotive with a train weighs several tonnes and has a braking distance. Because the vehicles are low and look quiet, visitors regularly underestimate how quickly a train arrives – especially in station areas with shunting movements. Stay on the released paths and don't step onto any track, even one that looks unused. The basic rules are set out in the article on safety distance at the track.
Verdict
The MPSB in Schwichtenberg is no substitute for a major narrow-gauge railway and doesn’t try to be one. Its value lies in a combination found nowhere else: field-railway gauge, public rail operation as the historical model, and a rebuild that has come entirely out of volunteer work.
Anyone who checks the date, travels by car and thinks about scale and viewpoint when photographing gets subjects rarely found in German railway archives. Anyone expecting a long journey with guaranteed steam should choose a different destination. How to capture a steam locomotive technically well is covered in the guide photographing steam trains.
In short
A rebuilt 600 mm light railway in Mecklenburg, run by volunteers. The appeal lies in the unusual gauge with a public-railway background – not in line length or fleet variety.
Capture what almost nobody photographs
600 mm with passenger carriages: document the vehicle, train formation and date while the train is standing in front of you.
Summary
- Hardly any German heritage railway shows such an unusual combination of gauge and public rail operation.
- Because the historical network vanished completely, everything today is reconstruction – that's part of the story, not a flaw.
- Photographically the railway rewards anyone who consciously composes scale and setting rather than just shooting the train.
- The fleet depends on volunteer workshop work; only the date is reliably plannable, not the vehicle.
Frequently asked questions
What was the MPSB?
The Mecklenburg-Pomeranian Narrow Gauge Railway was a light-railway network in the border region between Mecklenburg and Pomerania that ran on 600 mm gauge. What's unusual about it: 600 mm is really field-railway size for works and industrial railways. Here, it carried a public railway operation with a timetable, passenger and freight traffic.
Why was a public railway built on field-railway gauge?
For cost reasons. The narrower the gauge, the tighter the curves, the less earthworks, and the cheaper the construction – decisive in sparsely populated regions. The price was low capacity and the need to transfer every load at the junction with the standard-gauge network. That's exactly what caused such networks to fail in the long run.
Does the historical line still exist?
No. The original network was dismantled after the Second World War, vehicles and track materials were lost. What you see in Schwichtenberg today is a rebuild: newly laid track, gathered vehicles, reconstructed operating points. That doesn't diminish the achievement – it makes it greater.
When can I ride there?
On announced running days and events in the warmer half of the year. We deliberately don't quote fixed departure times or prices here, because they're set anew each season. Check the society's current schedule – the region is sparsely served, and a wasted trip costs a whole day.
Which vehicles run there?
The operating picture is mixed: narrow-gauge steam and small diesel locomotives for 600 mm, plus passenger and freight wagons of light-railway and industrial-railway engineering. We don't give details on individual locomotives here, because deployment depends on inspection deadlines and workshop status. Typical types in this class include the O&K MV 6 a and the Schöma CFL-40 DR.
How does this differ from a field-railway museum?
The gauge is the same, the concept isn't. A field-railway museum like the Historic Field Railway Dresden shows works traffic: tipping wagons, small diesels, short distances. The MPSB stood for public rail operation with passenger carriages and a timetable. That's visible in the subject matter straight away – here, proper passenger coaches are part of the picture.
Is the line photographically rewarding?
It's short and the terrain flat, but that's exactly what forces better images. Without gradients or high points, you have to deliberately set scale and foreground. Because the vehicles are small, a low viewpoint is almost always better than eye level. You can work out the light direction beforehand using planning the sun's position at a photo spot.
Which other narrow-gauge railways in the north-east fit well with this?
On Rügen, the Rasende Roland runs on 750 mm, in the Prignitz region the Prignitz Light Railway Museum operates, and in Lusatia the Muskau Forest Railway shows the transition from works railway to passenger railway.
Am I free to move around the site?
Only on the released paths. Even a 600 mm railway is a railway with points, shunting movements and braking distances. Narrow-gauge vehicles are quieter and look more harmless than they are – that regularly leads to misjudgements. What applies is set out in the article on safety distance at the track.
Can I get involved as a volunteer?
A rebuilding project depends on it. Track work, metalwork, vehicle restoration and site maintenance are ongoing tasks, and many of them require no railway knowledge at all. How getting started typically works and what routes there are is described in the article on volunteering with the railway.
Log vehicles from MPSB
Company, vehicle, location and date logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
The operational level in the railway operator database
Who actually runs the trains, with keeper markings and identifying features on the vehicle.
Mecklenburgische Bäderbahn Molli GmbH & Co KG
The Mecklenburg seaside railway Molli connects Bad Doberan with the Baltic coast – narrow gauge, with steam, and right through the middle of the street. This page explains the operation behind it.
HeritagePrignitzer Kleinbahnmuseum Lindenberg
The Prignitzer Kleinbahnmuseum Lindenberg preserves a light-railway site. Its buildings are exhibits in their own right – and tell you more about the operation than any vehicle.
OtherWestmecklenburgische Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH (WEMEG)
Westmecklenburgische Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH names a region within Germany in its company name. On branch lines, freight and passenger services often meet on the very same tracks.
HeritageMuseumsbahn Buckower Kleinbahn
Historic coaches have high steps – at the Museumsbahn Buckower Kleinbahn this becomes a practical question. This page explains boarding, identification and planning.
Typical vehicles
O&K MV 6 a
The O&K MV 6 a is a small diesel locomotive from Orenstein & Koppel. Its world is mine, works and light railways – an environment with its own technical rules.
ClassO&K MV 4 a
The O&K MV 4 a is a small diesel locomotive from Orenstein & Koppel. With this family of vehicles, gauge is the first question to ask – and not always the easiest one.
ClassSchöma CFL-40 DR
The Schöma CFL-40 DR is a small locomotive built in Diepholz – with no DB class number. Here's how to read the works plate, UIC number and markings correctly.
ClassGmeinder D 25 B
The Gmeinder D 25 B is a two-axle small locomotive from Mosbach. Its type code reveals the drive and wheel arrangement – the rest is on the builder's plate.
Where you will find MPSB
Spotting locations where you will regularly come across vehicles from this organisation – with viewpoints, the best light and coordinates.
More companies
Rügensche Kleinbahn (Rasender Roland)
The Rasender Roland isn't a railway that only raises steam at weekends. On a gauge of 750 millimetres it runs between Putbus and Göhren on a fixed timetable through the Baltic seaside resorts – with steam locomotives in everyday service and a form of operation found in only a few places left in Germany.
Heritage railwayPrignitzer Kleinbahnmuseum Lindenberg (Pollo)
Pollo was the local nickname for the Prignitz light railway – a 750 mm network built under Prussian light-railway law that opened up villages on the plain. In Lindenberg a stretch of it has been rebuilt, by volunteers and in small steps.
Heritage railwayHistorische Feldbahn Dresden e.V.
The Historische Feldbahn Dresden preserves a world of vehicles that would otherwise have vanished entirely: 600-millimetre locomotives, tubs and equipment from quarries and industrial works. It's shown at the former Herrenleite quarry near Pirna – with trains running on selected days.
Heritage railwayWaldeisenbahn Muskau
The Waldeisenbahn Muskau isn't a reconstructed park railway but the surviving remnant of a genuine industrial railway network on 600 mm gauge. Its branches run through the Muskau Heath to destinations that would be worth visiting even without the railway – and it's still worked with steam and diesel today.
Related guides from the blog
- Trainspotter Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: The Best Spots, Trains and Photo Tips on the Baltic Coast, Rügen & Müritz
- How Do You Photograph Steam Trains? The Ultimate Guide to Steam Train Photography (Equipment, Settings, Light, Spots)
- Safety Distance at the Track: The Rules That Save Lives
- Planning Sun Position at a Photo Spot: Light Instead of Luck
- Railway Clubs in Germany, Austria & Switzerland: Types, Membership, Costs, Tips
- Internships and volunteering with the railway: how to get hands-on with the vehicles
