Rasender Roland

The Rasender Roland is the surviving narrow-gauge steam railway of the Rügensche Bäderbahn, running 24 kilometres on a 750 mm gauge between Putbus and Göhren, with stops at Binz, Sellin, Baabe, and Jagdschloss Granitz. The locomotives date from the 1910s and 1920s; the carriages are wooden, with sliding windows and clattering doors.

The train is a working railway, not a heritage line — it runs all year, several times a day, and connects the resort towns with each other and with the main-line connection at Putbus. Tickets are cheap; the journey from Binz to Sellin takes about 20 minutes and is one of the most enjoyable ways to move around the island. Departures are listed at every station and online.

things to do sight
A story
The Rasender Roland — 'Racing Roland' — is the nickname locals give a steam train that has never raced anywhere. Its top speed is 30 km/h. The name began as a joke in the 1950s and stuck, helped by the fact that the train is genuinely louder than anything its size has any right to be.