Public transport arrived in the Streu Valley in 1838, but only a few of the local inhabitants could afford the luxury of travelling by post coach.

But it was only in 1866 that Bavaria decided to extend the railway network into the remote and poorly served Rhön mountains in the north of the state.

From the factory site to the loading ramp a narrow-gauge industrial line handled the movement of goods, mainly railway sleepers.

Passenger services were withdrawn in 1976 and the last goods train ran in 1987 when the Streu Valley line was finally closed by the Deutsche Bundesbahn.

The museum's jewel in the crown is its restored Bavarian GtL 4/4 steam engine, number 98 886, which is on loan from the town of Schweinfurt.