About Us

The Minièresbunn Doihl e.V. operates a 700-mm narrow-gauge mine railway. To date, its fleet has grown to 51 locomotives, which come from various mining operations.

In 1990, the idea arose to operate, in addition to the Train 1900, a mine railway in the Fond-de-Gras Industrial and Railroad Park that would utilize the infrastructure of the former MMR-A company. This led to the founding of the Minièresbunn Doihl e.V. association.

For a century, Fond-de-Gras and the entire surrounding area were deeply shaped by iron ore mining and smelting. With this in mind, the Ministry of Culture decided to establish the Fond-de-Gras Railway and Industrial Park.

The former MMR-A mining operation was completely dismantled after it closed in 1978. This means that all technical facilities (tracks, overhead lines, cables, transformers, locomotives, and workshops) were no longer in place.

In the first phase, the buildings in Doihl were renovated and adapted to meet the new requirements. A track also had to be laid from Fond-de-Gras to Doihl.

Once this work was completed, operations were able to begin in 1991, moving from Fond-de-Gras to Doihl. In Doihl, visitors had the opportunity to tour the old compressor station.

In the summer of 1992, the first steam locomotive was put into service. This was the Krauss 3665 steam locomotive, with the road number 1.

In a second phase, the main haulage route to Lasuavage was restored to service. This was a very labor-intensive task, as the route had collapsed in two places. In addition, nearly 1.4 km of track and overhead lines had to be laid. The main haulage tunnel has been fully passable all the way to Lasauvage again since February 1994.  

Since all the rolling stock had been scrapped or sold, they had to look for replacements. They quickly found what they needed. In the 1990s, a major wave of iron ore mine closures began in France, making it possible to purchase a great deal of valuable equipment. A significant portion of the rolling stock and infrastructure comes from these operations.

In 2002, the rail network was extended to Saulnes (F). This extension made the Minièresbunn the first cross-border museum railroad within the EU. This line was used to transport iron ore to Longlaville (F).

Fortunately, in 2001, the Service des sites et monuments nationaux managed to save a narrow-gauge steam locomotive from being scrapped. This is the Krauss steam locomotive No. 4. After undergoing a thorough overhaul in 2004, it was returned to service. Since then, the locomotive has been regularly seen in scheduled service.

In 2006, the line to Lasauvage Church was inaugurated. During its operational period, this line was necessary to connect the “Grand Bois” iron ore concession with Rodange.

During the 2022 season, the Minièresbunn welcomed approximately 10,000 visitors over 25 regular operating days (Sundays and holidays) and 81 special trips. The association currently has 21 active members.

All train operations and a large portion of the work are carried out by volunteer members.

Since 2014, the Minièresbunn has been actively supported by the CIGL Differdange. This partnership combines the interests of the Minièresbunn—the preservation and expansion of the historic iron ore mining facilities—with the CIGL’s goals of integrating job seekers into the workforce by creating jobs. This provides valuable assistance to the Minièresbunn in maintaining its infrastructure.