Feldbahn- und Industriemuseum Wiesloch

About the museum

For decades Wiesloch was a center of the brick industry: the Tonwaren-Industrie Wiesloch (TIW), founded in the late 1890s, produced roof tiles and bricks and at times employed several hundred people. A company-owned narrow-gauge field railway with a 600-millimeter gauge carried clay from the nearby pit to the works, at first with horses and from 1905 with steam locomotives. The engine shed with its smoke vents was built that same year. After wartime destruction and rebuilding, the railway ceased operation in 1979, production ended entirely in 1989, and most of the plant disappeared.

The Feldbahn- und Industriemuseum Wiesloch association, founded in 2001, rediscovered the partly buried engine shed and dug it out. The listed building now houses a mechanical workshop with historic machines and a small exhibition on brickmaking. On the outdoor grounds, the volunteer members have laid a branching track network, partly on a former siding that was converted to narrow gauge in 2005.

The collection includes around two dozen narrow-gauge locomotives, among them engines from brickworks and quarries in the region, as well as tipper wagons, mine cars, excavators and machine tools. A small display tunnel with a mine railway recalls Wiesloch's former ore mining, and since 2012 a "Tongrube" (clay pit) display area has featured a working postwar bucket-chain excavator. The museum is still being developed and opens on a few operating days each year.

Highlights

• Listed narrow-gauge engine shed from 1905 with smoke vents
• Rides on historic narrow-gauge passenger trains on operating days
• Around two dozen narrow-gauge locomotives with 600 mm gauge
• Display tunnel with mine railway on Wiesloch's ore mining
• "Tongrube" (clay pit) display area with a working bucket-chain excavator

Permanent exhibitions

• Feldbahnbetrieb und Lokschuppen – Historic engine shed with workshop, machinery and a small exhibition on Wiesloch's brick industry; on operating days, passenger trains run over the site's track network.
• Schaubereich „Tongrube“ und Schaustollen – A working bucket-chain excavator demonstrates clay extraction, while a small tunnel with a mine railway recalls ore mining around Wiesloch.

Founded

2001

Operated by

Feldbahn- & Industriemuseum Wiesloch e. V.

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free on official operating days unless stated otherwise. Train tickets for rides on the narrow-gauge railway are sold at the ticket desk; fares are not listed on the website. Donations toward developing the museum are welcome.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

New restroom building with accessible facilities and a baby changing room since 2026. Extensive outdoor grounds; no information is available on wheelchair accessibility.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

For children: a Lego train set, a wooden railway table, a hand-pumped draisine, and a small locomotive to drive themselves. Children's birthday parties possible on the museum grounds.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant: not available

Snacks and drinks on operating days (partly without food during extreme heat).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

The grounds are available for family and company parties, children's birthday parties, wedding receptions and photo shoots on Saturdays from April to October, subject to availability; organized by the renters, with the association providing the grounds, drinks, infrastructure and rides on the narrow-gauge train, guided tour on request. Inquiries by email; rental agreement available for download.

Plan your visit