Full steam ahead!
Even small locomotives need a train driver – our railway workers ensure smooth journeys on the Park Railway in the Grand Garden of Dresden.

The golden cord on Gerd Lindner’s cap clearly identifies him as a train driver. However, his longest route is only six kilometers, and almost all his colleagues are under the age of 18. As a train driver at the Park Railway in the Grand Garden of Dresden, he teaches the basics of rail transport to students from grade 4 onwards. Under his guidance, they gradually learn how to independently carry out processes in the signal box, at the barriers and as a conductor.

Job Profile – Park Railway Worker: Responsible for smooth journeys
Lindner is one of 33 experts who teach children and teens everything they need to know to ensure a smooth journey. He’s been a member of the team since 2014. As a trained railway worker, he also has a driver’s license for large trains. The thing he likes most about his workplace in the Grand Garden is its beautiful setting – especially in spring. That’s when he takes out the locomotives and carriages after the winter break and starts the new season.

Challenges in both summer and winter
His day begins at five o’clock in the morning, when he fills up and heats the boiler and fills the tender with coke. The steam engines take five hours to exert enough pressure on the boiler and drive the train. “A park railway worker has to be a jack of all trades”, says Lindner. He has to sweep leaves off the rails in the fall, and repair and paint the carriage seats in the winter.