AG Märkische Kleinbahn

AG Märkische Kleinbahn, commonly abbreviated MKB, is a voluntary railway heritage association based in Berlin, Germany. Established in 1981 and operating with society status since 1982, it works to preserve historic railway vehicles and railway technology for operational use, restoration, education, and public display. Its collection and activities are centred on the locomotive shed at Schönow, where members maintain locomotives, maintenance vehicles, draisines, wagons, signalling equipment, communications technology, safety equipment, and other artefacts associated with railway operations. The association's identity is rooted less in commercial passenger transport than in hands-on preservation. Its members carry out restoration and maintenance work themselves, keeping selected historic vehicles capable of moving under their own power while also conserving exhibits that are suitable primarily for static presentation. The operational collection includes the small diesel locomotive MKB 01, formerly Kö 0128, a 25-horsepower locomotive; MKB 51, a former Klv-51 railway maintenance vehicle with a 75-horsepower diesel engine; MKB 52, a motorised Klv-12 draisine powered by a 26-horsepower petrol engine; MKB 53, a manually operated draisine originally associated with the Turkish State Railways; and MKB 55, a motorised draisine of MÁV origin with a 14-horsepower petrol engine. The collection also includes goods wagons, a Prussian-design emergency passenger coach, and a railway post van, although the condition and availability of individual vehicles vary. MKB supplements its rolling stock with exhibits that explain how railways functioned as working systems. These include a historically based ticket office, a ticket-printing press, the training signal box known as Frohnau, and a signal garden presenting railway signalling equipment. Together, these displays broaden the association's scope beyond vehicle preservation to include ticketing, signalling, communications, and operational safety. The association is a co-user of the Zehlendorf Railway and holds operating rights on former facilities there. Its railway activity is limited primarily to shunting rather than regular museum passenger services. Visitors can nevertheless ride on vehicles within the museum site when such movements are offered. Required railway-operating inspections are conducted by the Federal Railway Office where applicable. Much of the organisation's continuing work is carried out by volunteers, whose activities include restoration, maintenance, collection care, and public interpretation. An annual open day in September provides an opportunity for the public to see the vehicles, sites, and special exhibits and to learn about ongoing preservation work. MKB therefore functions as a local cultural and technical heritage institution: its principal offering is access to preserved railway history and to the practical skills required to keep historic railway equipment operational.

AG Märkische Kleinbahn was founded in Berlin in 1981 as a railway heritage initiative and has operated as a society since 1982. Its purpose is the preservation of historical railway vehicles and associated railway technology, including signalling, communications, and safety equipment. Rather than treating railway history solely as a static collection, the organisation seeks to keep suitable objects operational or restore them for museum presentation. The association's centre of operations is the locomotive shed at Schönow. Volunteer members undertake the maintenance and restoration of vehicles, sites, and special exhibits. The collection includes small locomotives, railway maintenance vehicles, motorised and manually operated draisines, goods wagons, passenger stock, and a railway post van. The condition of the individual exhibits differs: some vehicles can move under their own power, while other items remain under restoration or in storage. MKB's preservation work also covers the infrastructure and procedures surrounding railway movement. A historically based ticket office, ticket-printing press, the Frohnau training signal box, and a signal garden allow visitors to examine aspects of railway administration and signalling that are not represented by rolling stock alone. This gives the organisation an educational role in explaining how railway operations were controlled and supported. MKB is a co-user of the Zehlendorf Railway and has operating rights on its former facilities. Its activities there are principally restricted to shunting; it does not operate regular museum railway services in the manner of some passenger-oriented heritage railways. Visitors may, however, ride on vehicles at the museum site when the programme permits. Where railway operation requires formal approval or inspection, the relevant checks are performed by the Federal Railway Office. The association presents its work to the public through an open day held each September. These events display the collection and allow visitors to observe restoration progress and learn about railway technology. Its continuing identity is consequently that of a volunteer technical-preservation society, combining collection management, mechanical restoration, operational demonstration, and local public education.

• 1982

  Society status established

  [1]AG Märkische Kleinbahnen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation has operated with legal status as a society since 1982.

• 1981

  Organisation founded

  [1]AG Märkische Kleinbahnen.wikipedia.org

  AG Märkische Kleinbahn was founded in Berlin to preserve historic railway vehicles and railway technology.

A volunteer-run Berlin railway heritage organisation focused on preserving historic vehicles and railway technology through hands-on restoration, limited operational use, museum display, and public education.

• Small diesel locomotive

  MKB 01

  MKB 01 is the association's small locomotive, formerly designated Kö 0128. It is powered by a 25-horsepower diesel engine and forms part of the operational historic vehicle collection used for preservation work and museum-site movements.

• Railway maintenance vehicle

  MKB 51

  MKB 51 is a former Klv-51 railway maintenance vehicle, also known as a Rottenkraftwagen. Its 75-horsepower diesel engine allows it to support the association's operational and demonstration activities while illustrating the equipment once used by railway maintenance crews.

• Motorised draisine

  MKB 52

  MKB 52 is a motorised draisine based on a Klv-12 vehicle. It has a 26-horsepower petrol engine and represents the lightweight rail vehicles used for inspection, maintenance, and personnel movement on railway lines.

• Hand-operated draisine

  MKB 53

  MKB 53 is a manually operated draisine associated with the Turkish State Railways. The vehicle demonstrates a simple form of railway mobility powered by its occupants rather than an engine and is preserved as part of the association's historical collection.

• Motorised draisine

  MKB 55

  MKB 55 is a motorised draisine originating from the Hungarian State Railways, MÁV. It is fitted with a 14-horsepower petrol engine and forms part of MKB's collection of lightweight railway maintenance and inspection vehicles.

• Railway rolling stock

  Historic wagons and railway vehicles

  The collection also contains goods wagons, a Prussian-design emergency passenger coach, and a railway post van. Some goods wagons remain under refurbishment, while the post van is stored. These vehicles extend the collection beyond powered equipment to freight, passenger, and postal railway functions.

• Museum and educational exhibits

  Railway technology exhibits

  MKB's non-vehicle exhibits include a historically based ticket office, a ticket-printing press, the Frohnau training signal box, and a signal garden. They interpret ticketing and railway control systems and help visitors understand the operational environment in which the preserved vehicles were used.

• Annual September open day

  Berlin · Germany

  MKB opens its activities and collection to the public each September, presenting historic vehicles, railway technology exhibits, and progress on volunteer restoration work.

  Outcome. The event provides recurring public access to the museum site and supports the association's educational and heritage-preservation mission.

  Source

1. 1AG Märkische Kleinbahnen.wikipedia.org