 The remaining section between Drei-Annen-Hohne and Benneckenstein was finally opened on 27 March 1899 along with the line up to the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz mountains.The original operating company was the Nordhausen-Wernigerode Railway Company.After the compulsory acquisition of the line in 1949, the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn ran it until 1993.