In order to avoid a steep climb, the line ended before Döppers Berg (hill), about one kilometre from the centre of the town of Elberfeld (now central Wuppertal).

At the same time an extensive area was developed for rail freight, including a marshalling yard, loading tracks and a locomotive depot with a turntable and a roundhouse because Elberfeld station had no room for such facilities.

This was accompanied by a major redesign of the station area, including the replacement of the roundhouse by a rectangular building.

The hipped roof with a gable over the entrance to the circulation area and the central clock tower were not rebuilt.

In the second half of the 20th century quarterly shipments of conscripts of the district recruiting office in Wuppertal to places of military service began in Steinbeck.

Also material used by troops stationed at Wuppertal barracks in the course of history, including units of the Wehrmacht, the British armed forces and the Bundeswehr was loaded and unloaded at Steinbeck.

At the beginning of the 21st century there was a proposal to develop the northern part of the station site under a project called Mediapark Wuppertal for companies in the media industry, but these plans were dropped in 2006.