Feldbahnmuseum Oekoven

In the Oekoven district of Rommerskirchen is the Feldbahnmuseum Oekoven, a centre for the display and operation of historic field railway technology. It is operated by the registered association "Feld- und Werksbahnmuseum Rommerskirchen-Oekoven e.V.", founded on 31 January 1976 in Rheydt by a group of railway enthusiasts. At the initiative of the municipality, the name was changed in 2020 to Feldbahnmuseum Rommerskirchen-Oekoven; the museum is known beyond the region and attracts railway enthusiasts from across Germany.

The museum is located directly on the Cologne–Mönchengladbach railway line at the former Oekoven station, on the site of the disused mine connection station Oekoven, near federal road B59. At its core the museum houses an extensive collection of field railway vehicles in 600 mm gauge, in particular from works and brickworks railways, mine railways, construction railways, rubble railways, military field railways and light railways. Other vehicles of different gauges are exhibited where they have a regional connection. A large exhibition hall was built for exhibits previously shown outdoors; an adjacent smaller hall is dedicated to signal‑box technology. In addition, the museum operates a garden railway layout at Neuratherfeld station with gauges of 7¼ inch (184 mm) and 5 inch (127 mm) and approximately 70 m of track.

Operational is the so‑called Gillbachbahn, a single‑track museum field railway about 1 km long in 600 mm gauge. The line runs from Neuratherfeld station (including the museum hall) via the switchback station Oekoven K. and the Werkstatt halt to An der Lohe station; from the small station sidings branch off to the workshop. A track that once continued to the former DB signal box was removed in 2014. On operating days several pairs of trains run hourly; the trains usually consist of open and enclosed passenger cars hauled by historic field railway locomotives (steam or diesel). Changes of direction take place at Oekoven K. and An der Lohe by running the locomotive around; on some sections the cars are also pushed. The route runs through a narrow strip of woodland between the DB line and fields, which until 1970 was the area of the goods tracks of Oekoven station; this goods yard was operated together with the mine connection railway until 1970 and was then gradually dismantled. A round trip including running the locomotive around takes a total of 34 minutes.

The museum's movable inventory was transferred in 2019 to the association "historische Feldbahnsammlung e.V.". As early as 2005 the museum provided space so that a training signal box from Köln Deutzerfeld could be installed; a dedicated association was founded in 2021 to look after this training signal box.