Ira,
I envy your experience. It looks like there was an awful lot to see over there in the early '90s. I've only been exposed to it recently via the wonderful world of Youtube.
I'm amazed by the speeds they make over some really questionable looking track. Seems that they depend on healthy grass to hold the rails in place!
It appears that most of the narrow gauge systems (primarily 750mm) have gone belly up in the last 15-20 years. There does, however, seem to be a pretty healthy preservation movement.
I did manage to get to Germany last year, and rode the Molli and was treated to a cab ride on the Harz up Broken mountain. I did not score any throttle time, but I was very impressed by the professionalism of the crew. Those guys really new their stuff! They walked that 2-10-2T up 3.3% grades like it was a daily occurrence. Which it is! We met three trains on the way up and three on the way down. All 8 car consists, powered by those big tank engines. I don't believe we met the same engine twice! There was also an 0-6-0T under steam with a three car train, parked at the top of the mountain.
The track on both lines looked like the Northeast Corridor! John
