Eisenbahnmuseum Alter Bahnhof Lette

About the museum

The railway line from Dortmund via Coesfeld to Enschede opened in 1875, and Lette station opened on September 30, 1875. The municipality paid a considerable price for the stop: it contributed 1,000 thalers and provided the land free of charge. The station building was erected in the last quarter of the 19th century as a brick structure in the round-arch style. Around 1907 the halt was expanded into a passing station with a second track and additional signals.

When the Bundesbahn wanted to close the station and demolish the building in 1990, railway enthusiasts founded the association “Alter Bahnhof Lette (Kr Coesfeld)” in May 1990. That same year the station building, tracks and equipment were added to the City of Coesfeld's list of historic monuments, followed in 1991 by the nearby crossing keeper's post no. 43. After restoration, the museum opened on June 4, 1994; trains still stop at what is now an unstaffed halt.

On around 200 square meters across the first floor and basement, the association shows everyday life at a small rural station: the waiting room with a changing annual exhibition, the station office with a working mechanical signal box and block instruments, railway workers' tools, and a model railway with a replica of the station. The museum garden, covering a good 3,000 square meters, features signals, chimneys from Prussian steam locomotives, the cab of a class 52 locomotive and the war-damaged frame of a regauged Russian freight car that was recovered in Coesfeld in 1998. During events, draisines run on former track 1.

Highlights

• Working mechanical signal box with block instruments
• Waiting room with a changing annual exhibition
• Model railway in the basement with a replica of Lette station
• Museum garden with signals, locomotive chimneys and the cab of a class 52 locomotive
• Draisine rides on former track 1 during events

Permanent exhibitions

• Dienstraum mit Stellwerk – The originally furnished station office features a mechanical lever signal box with block instruments that visitors can see in operation.
• Museumsgarten – Signals, locomotive parts and finds from the railway history of the western Münsterland in the open air, plus the reconstructed crossing keeper's post.

Founded

1994

Operated by

Eisenbahnfreunde-Verein „Alter Bahnhof Lette (Kr Coesfeld)“ e. V.

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

By car via the B 474, which connects to the A 43 at Dülmen. GPS address: Bahnhofsallee 47, 48653 Coesfeld-Lette.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Cafeteria in the former freight office.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit