For these trains and coaches, the good days are counted. Some of them are placed on sidetracks as long as possible. Other trains were forgotten - together with the rails on which they once commuted. Still, many kilometers of 'ghost rails' remain hidden in and around the dwindling fallow lands, in the woods, or between the active rails in Frankfurt. Becoming a dumping ground has become a natural fate in an urban environment like Frankfurt. In other cases, rainwater, sunlight, and wind bring about new life. Pioneer plants, mostly grasses, birch trees, and blackberry bushes, are the first to settle between sleepers and gravel.

Efforts, resources, and funds to preserve these trains are scarce. Some trains are cared for by small groups of hobby train enthusiasts. However, even for them, it's a race against rust, decay, and thieves.