The site, now known as Südgelände, is squeezed between various rail routes in the German capital Berlin, including the Anhalter Bahn. That line was built in 1839 with the Anhalter Bahnhof as its terminus station, two kilometers north.

The isolated location made it ideal to build a railway yard (see plan). Only the Prellerweg was in the way, but several viaducts bridged that obstacle.

Not Speer, but Allied bombing ultimately destroyed the Anhalter Bahnhof. Although it was temporarily repaired, it closed for good in 1952. The facade is all that remains.

The railway line between the Tempelhof railway station and Anhalter Bahnhof was abandoned. A signal box still stands today,  like the dozens of unused bridges above Yorkstrasse.

Not only the railway yard but also the Bahnbetriebswerk became useless. The train workshop was near the Anhalter Bahnhof terminal station (about 2 kilometers from the Tempelhof railway yard). From 1982, it houses the Deutsche Technikmuseum.

Out of use

The Tempelhof shunting station also felt the closure of the Anhalter Bahnhof firsthand. In 1952, it was almost entirely out of use. Nature quickly overgrows the tracks.

The locomotive shed has been preserved, with various tracks and tunnels and the fifty-meter high water tower. A steam locomotive is parked between the trees.