Interest in German industrials increased over the years, as industrial railways in England had rapidly declined. The German 'Feldbahnen', especially in the north west area of the country (Niedersachsen), still exist in considerable numbers. Nearly all of these are in use in the peat industry (Torfbahnen), but a few railways still survive in the building industry.

Until the turn of the century there were large numbers of small railways operating in the DDR (East Germany). Reunification and the march of progress has effectively wiped these out in the space of just a few years. Also with the collapse of the brown coal industry, the once huge networks of 900mm gauge railways have also disappeared.

Several good sources of information exist, from Andreas Christoper's 'Die Feldbahn' books, and Brian Rumary's Industrial Railway Society publications, and new books are appearing all the time.