This industrial railway was unique in Germany. It existed for twelve years, born out of the impossibility of climbing the steep northern edge of the Harz Mountains with a standard gauge railway. With inventive spirit, a solution was found for transporting the Hüttenröder iron ores to the Blankenburg smelter (Harzer Werke). The experiences with mine railways led to a stepped track layout with several chutes or tipping points. The transport flow of this railway had to overcome more than 200 meters in elevation. It was only when Albert Schneider succeeded in mastering the mountains using Abt's rack and a new track that the ore incline railway was discontinued. Even today, one can hike along the former track layout of the ore incline railway and discover the traces of this engineering masterpiece.