Triple railway

Titisee – Seebrugg
The Dreiseenbahn leads from the Titisee to the Schluchsee.
Route number :	4301
Course book section (DB) :	728
Route length:	19.177 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	D4
Power system :	( until 1960: 20 kV, 50 Hz ~ ) 15 kV, 16.7 Hz  ~
Maximum slope :	20  ‰
Minimum radius :	190 m
Top speed:	70 km / h
Train control :	Punctual train control
Legend Höllentalbahn from Freiburg 0.000 Titisee 858 m Höllentalbahn to Donaueschingen 1.300 Expert 7.624 Feldberg-Bärental 967 m 9,647 Altglashütten-Falkau 957 m 13,451 Aha 940 m Fischbachbrücke (today over Schluchsee ) 17.237 Schluchsee 932 m 19,177 Seebrugg 932 m

The Dreiseenbahn is a 19.177 kilometer long, single-track and electrified branch line in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district in Baden-Württemberg . It branches off the Höllentalbahn to the south at Titisee station and leads via four intermediate stations to the hamlet of Seebrugg . The Feldberg-Bärental and Aha stations are train stations , Altglashütten-Falkau and Schluchsee are only stops. The route got its name because it runs along the three lakes Titisee , Windgfallweiher and Schluchsee .

In addition to commuter and school traffic , the three-way railway is important for tourism : on weekends and public holidays, the number of passengers is significantly higher than on working days. The route leads through the Black Forest , with the Feldberg region, one of the most popular holiday and recreational areas in Baden-Württemberg.

history

Regional train at the Schluchsee stop

Train at Altglashütten-Falkau stop

Feldberg-Bärental train station in front of ...

... and after the renovation in 2016

planning

In 1908 one was railway projected that in Villingen in the Black Forest Railway begin and Kirnach , Vöhrenbach , Titisee and Sankt Blasien far as the Upper Rhine should be bound, where they either Säckingen or in Waldshut on the Upper Rhine Railway Basel  -  Singen (Hohentwiel) should meet. In this way, another strategic railway was to be created that would make it possible to bypass Swiss territory. For bureaucratic reasons, this project was rejected again.

1910, two alternatives were presented for a railway to Saint Blaise: one should Aha, Schluchsee, Seebrugg and homes lost, the other about Aha, Menzenschwand and Bernau , where Schluchsee and Seebrugg means of a branching in Aha branch line should be connected. In the meantime an initiative for the construction of a railway line from Titisee to Sankt Blasien had been formed in 1911, especially since the administrative district of the same name Sankt Blasien was the only one of all 59 administrative districts in Baden that had not yet received a railway connection. However, at this point in time the financial situation in the state of Baden was very tense.

Nevertheless, there were vehement demands for a rail connection, so that on March 8, 1910, a petition to the Second Chamber in the Baden capital of Karlsruhe sought to build a section to Seebrugg. In the summer of 1912, Schluchsee and Sankt Blasien initiated protest meetings against the variant via Menzenschwand and Bernau, as they feared delays in their respective rail connections. It was also argued that the larger hinterland speaks for a route via Schluchsee . The protests did not fail to have an effect, so that the Menzenschwand-Bernau variant was then discarded.

After the Grand Duke of Baden Friedrich II gave the green light for the construction of the line on February 20, 1912, the Baden State Railways were granted the concession on July 22 of the same year .

construction

The Bärental community was persuaded to make a total of three hectares available on its territory , which were necessary for 1.2 kilometers of the route. This happened mainly against the background that the concession law passed on July 22, 1912 contained the condition that construction could only begin when the state railway administration had acquired the entire site of the planned railway line. For this reason, a land acquisition committee was founded in 1913.

In 1913 and 1914, the Titisee station, from which the line from the Höllentalbahn was to branch off, was significantly redesigned; the tracks were expanded accordingly. The surveying work began in April 1914, but the First World War initially prevented construction of the line from starting. Construction work should finally begin in the spring of 1919, but initially the economic crisis , which after the First World War was reflected in particular in the form of inflation , stood in the way. In the autumn of 1920, the Deutsche Reichsbahn , which had meanwhile been founded, started construction.

Although the line was completed in 1924, the buildings , including the stations, were completely missing . On October 5, 1924, a petition to the then Reich Minister of Transport, Rudolf Oeser, demanded that the railway line be released. In November 1925, the tourism industry renewed its request for clearance, as it was in a crisis due to the poor transport links in this region . Due to the fact that the completion of the route itself became more and more questionable, a total of 500,000  Reichsmarks were approved in order to be able to finish the route.

The years under the Deutsche Reichsbahn (1926 to 1945)

The Dreiseenbahn was opened as a branch line on December 2, 1926 in the presence of the then President of Baden, Heinrich Köhler . The station buildings were built in a style typical of Black Forest houses.

Although the planned extension over houses and Sankt Blasien was already well advanced in terms of construction work, it was no longer completed because the Deutsche Reichsbahngesellschaft lacked the financial means for the further construction due to the global economic crisis that occurred a few years later . A total of three tunnels would have been necessary between Seebrugg and Sankt Blasien alone . In the course of the work that had already started, a station building was built in Sankt Blasien that never saw a train. Nevertheless, it was used as a cargo handling point for a long time . Seebrugg gained a modest importance through freight transport for the Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus as well as through the winter technology manufacturer Schmidt from Sankt Blasien.

Because of its long planning and construction time, the Dreiseenbahn was popularly referred to as the "Eternity Line" or "Railway" . From the beginning the trains of the Dreiseenbahn ran from or to Freiburg (Breisgau) main station . So-called “ ski trains” were used, particularly in winter, when the volume of traffic was particularly high .

The Deutsche Reichsbahn undertook attempts to supply traction power with 20,000  volts and 50  Hertz and selected the Dreiseenbahn and the Höllentalbahn between Freiburg im Breisgau and Neustadt (Black Forest). That is why electrification work began along the route as early as 1934. In 1936 these were completed, whereupon electric locomotives of the E 244 series were used on the Dreiseenbahn . Nevertheless, steam locomotives of the series  50 , 75 and 85 were also used, although this would not have been operationally necessary due to the overvoltage of all loading tracks on the Höllental and Dreiseenbahn, because the shunting work could also be carried out with electric locomotives.

The years since World War II (since 1945)

In addition to locomotive-hauled trains, the railcar ET 255 01 was also used on the route by the Deutsche Bundesbahn . In 1960, in the course of the electrification of numerous important railway lines in Germany, the traction power supply on the Höllentalbahn was switched to the usual 15,000 volts, 16 2/3 Hertz. In 1962, the scheduled use of steam locomotives ended .

In the 1980s, the German Federal Railroad undertook tests with radio control operations on the line (see section Radio control operations ).

From the mid-1980s, the reception building of the Feldberg-Bärental train station was regularly seen in the television series “ The Black Forest Clinic ”.

Interregio "Höllental" above the Schluchsee between Schluchsee and Seebrugg

From the beginning of the 1990s, an Interregio with the train name Höllental ran from Norddeich Mole in East Friesland via the Höllentalbahn and the Dreiseenbahn to Seebrugg. It was integrated into the hourly service of the regional trains on the Freiburg – Titisee – Seebrugg route and accordingly stopped at all stations of the Dreiseenbahn. At the end of 2002 the Interregio was canceled and replaced by a regional train.

Breisgau-S-Bahn 2020 (from 2016 or 2019)

As part of the Breisgau-S-Bahn 2020 concept , the Dreiseenbahn stations were expanded to be barrier-free for 6.1 million euros from March to June 2016 : the platforms were increased from 38 to 55 cm, and in the area of ​​the existing buildings they were aligned with the existing ones The adjoining entrances and sidewalks as well as in Feldberg-Bärental and Aha the passenger crossings to the second platform have been adapted to the changed platform height. There is now a step-free entry into the vehicles. All stations received a tactile guidance system so that visually impaired passengers can orientate themselves. In addition, the platform lighting, the platform clocks and - depending on their condition - the shelters were renewed.

The platform width is usually 2.5 m. The platforms were shortened from a length of 200 m to 140 m. This led to a reduction in capacity: instead of the previous six-car trains, only trains with five cars can now run.

On September 15, 2016, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Baden-Württemberg announced in a press release that DB Regio would be awarded the contract for the transport services on the east-west axis.

Between March 1 and December 1, 2018, the route was not served by DB Regio, as the Höllentalbahn between Freiburg and Neustadt was closed for extensive construction work and vehicle deliveries were therefore not possible. The traffic-free period was used to renew all platforms along the route, as the materials that had been laid two years earlier had already been severely damaged by material defects. In December 2018, there were test drives with trains of the Alstom Coradia Continental type , with which the DB started all operations there on December 15, 2019. The first of these trains started running on July 22nd.

Operating concept

The line S1 should since December 15, 2019 half-hourly and hourly in Gottenheim Titisee winged be. Due to problems in Gottenheim after Endingen a. K. to be transferred. In addition, there is only one train every hour between Titisee and Seebrugg on Sundays. But trains are also repeatedly canceled, which is insufficiently communicated. For this reason, a modified, less complicated timetable concept will apply on line S1 from February 17, 2020, according to which the shuttle service between Gottenheim and Endingen a. K. remains; This means that the wings / coupling of the trains are no longer required in Gottenheim. The aim is to stabilize the timetable and ensure reliable operation. In June, those responsible then want to return to the old timetable concept.

Route description

Elevation profile

Sign at Feldberg-Bärental train station

Bridge on the Schluchsee

The Dreiseenbahn leaves the Titisee station on the south side, initially in a wide right-hand bend to turn south and leave the Höllentalbahn on the left. After the Seesteige , an uphill section along the Titisees, on which around 112 meters of altitude are overcome, after around seven kilometers it reaches the highest standard-gauge railway station in Germany at 967  m , Feldberg-Bärental. There the train crossing takes place at the usual minute of symmetry shortly before the full hour . After the Altglashütten-Falkau stop , it passes the Windgälleweiher to follow the Schluchsee from the Aha train station. Then she meets the place of the same name, only to end a few kilometers further on at the hamlet of Seebrugg. The route passes through the town of Titisee-Neustadt as well as the communities of Feldberg (Black Forest) and Schluchsee .

The largest engineering structure on the route is the bridge over a bulge in the Schluchsee.

business

passenger traffic

The Dreiseenbahn is operated by DB Netz , Regionalnetz Südbaden and served every day by the S1 of DB Regio AG . The first train to Seebrugg leaves Titisee at 6:31 a.m., the last train from Seebrugg arrives at Titisee at 9:31 p.m. All trains run continuously to and from Freiburg Hbf.

The trains need 27 minutes for the entire route, which corresponds to an average speed of 43 km / h. The maximum permissible speed is 70 km / h. The relatively low speed results from the tight curve radii of often only 200 meters and the fallback switches , which can only be driven at 40 km / h.

The local transport company Baden-Württemberg (NVBW) has ordered the train services . The route is integrated into the Regio-Verkehrsverbund Freiburg (RVF) and can also be traveled with the RegioKarte from the Freiburg area. The KONUS guest card is also valid here , which allows tourists to use it free of charge.

Vehicle use

Double-decker push-pull train just before Bärental

The route is operated by Alstom Coradia Continental (ET1440) in double traction. Before that, the line was operated by double-decker push-pull trains, which were hauled by class 143 locomotives until the timetable change on December 10, 2016 . On weekdays the trains mostly consisted of three double-decker cars and one locomotive, on weekends they consisted of five double-decker cars between two locomotives. In the afternoon in Freiburg an additional double-decker car and a class 143 locomotive were coupled to the rear of the existing train. On Sundays and public holidays, a bicycle cart with space for 62 bicycles is used on three pairs of trains. Up to 2016, up to six wagons per train were used on weekends, but the platforms are too short for this after their renewal. With the exception of two temporary reserve locomotives , the traction was converted to the 146 series . This means that there is no need to couple two trains to form a train set during rush hours, as the three-phase current locomotive can pull five double-decker cars on the steep stretch.

Up to electrification in 1934, steam locomotives of the Baden class VI b were used, which were designated as class 75.1-3 under the Reichsbahn . The train services were taken over by the E 244 series after the switch to electric operation of the line . At the same time, class 85 and 50 steam locomotives continued to be used in front of passenger and freight trains. In the late 1950s contributed railcars of class VT 98 the brunt of passenger transport.

From 1960 the locomotives of the class E 44W , later the class 145, took over the electrical train services. These in turn were replaced by the 139 series. From 1994 the class 143 took over all planned services on the Dreiseenbahn.

Museum railway operation

The museum train on the Dreiseenbahn at Aha

→ Main article : IG 3-Seenbahn

Starting from Seebrugg, the IG 3-Seenbahn eV association runs regular special trips with historical (steam) trains on the Dreiseenbahn.

Radio control operation

In 1984 radio control was first introduced in Germany as an experiment on the Dreiseenbahn. The route was suitable because, among other things, it is comparatively short and had no level crossings . The test was positive and radio control is still used on the route between Titisee and Seebrugg. This enables economical operation of the Dreiseenbahn, as only one dispatcher is required for the entire route as well as the section of the Höllentalbahn between Hinterzarten and Neustadt.

In order to be able to introduce radio control operations, transmitter masts had to be built in Feldberg Bärental and Aha for the analog train radio and fallback switches with monitoring signals had to be installed. These monitoring signals, known operationally as "cover signals", arose from the old entry and exit signals of the Aha and Seebrugg stations, which were operated by mechanical interlockings of the unit type until the radio control system was introduced. The fallback switches, which can be driven at 40 km / h, make it possible to cross the trains in the stations without having to change the switches. The signaling technology in the Feldberg-Bärental, Aha and Seebrugg train stations has been adapted and the previous main signals have been replaced by red-framed H-signs with punctiform train control (2000 Hz magnet).

The operation is controlled remotely from a central Titisee by the local dispatcher interlocking a notification panel and a Zugbahnfunkzentrale were installed which cooperate with the project. All orders and messages are registered in a message memory. The train journeys are regulated by train movement reports between the train manager (dispatcher in Titisee) and the driver via train radio. The train driver must first submit the arrival report in each train station via train radio and then obtain the driver's license. With the driver's license, the respective 2000 Hz magnet on the platform is deactivated for three minutes so that the train can leave the station. A train journey without a driver's license would automatically receive an emergency brake so that a higher level of operational reliability is achieved than with conventional train control operations . Telephones and telephone lines on the route were retained as a fall-back level. If the analog radio should fail on the locomotive, the arrival reports and travel requests must be made via the local telephone. All telephones are also connected to the signal box in Titisee so that the calls are recorded.

Detachment

The regular departure notification of a train in a station in normal train control operations, whereby the line capacity can be increased, is neither operationally nor technically intended in radio control operations. Thus, despite a driver's license, it cannot be guaranteed that a train has actually completely left a station and that the track is free. If you were to send a train out on the route, there is a risk of a rear-end collision when entering the relevant operating point. A following train may therefore only leave when the train ahead has given the arrival notification at the next but one station.

In the longer term, it is therefore planned to replace radio control operations with an electronic signal box (ESTW). This measure is necessary in order to be able to increase the train density on the Dreiseenbahn in the future as planned. After the renovation of the Höllentalbahn, a new electronic interlocking system was put into operation in Titisee in autumn 2018, but so far it has only served the old control area of ​​the replaced MC L84 push-button interlocking from Hinterzarten via Titisee to Neustadt. From December 2019, the Löffingen and Döggingen train stations (both served locally by mechanical standard interlockings until 2018) will be connected to Titisee. According to the current status, an ESTW for the Dreiseenbahn is to follow by 2025 at the latest, but when it goes into operation, the Titisee signal box will then be finally dissolved and operated remotely from Freiburg-Wiehre. Until then, the operator station already created there controls the old area of ​​the MC L84 signal box on the Höllentalbahn, which was in operation in Kirchzarten until the route was modernized (FR-Wiehre, Kirchzarten, Himmelreich, Hirschsprung).

particularities

Winter in the train station Aha

Since the Dreiseenbahn crosses the Black Forest , the snowiest region in the whole of Baden-Württemberg, it is not uncommon for snow or storm-related breakdowns on the route - as on the neighboring Höllentalbahn. If there is too much snow, the snow blower stationed in Villingen is used to make the route passable again.

After Hurricane Kyrill in January 2007, the line had to be closed for several days because the embankment was washed away. A gravel road was specially built on the muddy ground for the renovation. In January 2012 and January 2018 ( storm Burglind ) the route was closed for several days due to fallen trees. During the storm Friederike that followed just a few weeks after Burglind , operations were stopped for two days as a precaution, but the route was not damaged.

The hurricane Sabine led on 10 February 2020 extensive damage on the track, which by 1 March 2020 replacement bus service will run had. 15 trees had fallen on the tracks and the overhead line was damaged in eight places.

literature

• 1953, Albert Kuntzemüller : The Baden Railways . Revised edition and continued up to the present day. Braun, Karlsruhe, DNB 452651352
• 1973, Bruno Rulff: The Höllentalbahn . 2nd edition, Zimmer, Augsburg, ISBN 3-87987-149-3
• 1982/1996, August Vetter: Feldberg in the Black Forest . Self-published by the municipality of Feldberg (Black Forest)
• 1985, various authors: 140 years of the railway in Freiburg. Höllentalbahn - Dreiseenbahn . Comradeship locomotive staff at the Freiburg depot
• 1987, Hans-Wolfgang Scharf, Burkhard Wollny: The Höllentalbahn. From Freiburg to the Black Forest . Eisenbahn-Kurier, Freiburg im Breisgau, ISBN 3-88255-780-X
• 1994, Alfred Gottwaldt, Jens Freese: 100 years of the Höllentalbahn. A famous railway line. Locomotives, technology and operation . Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-613-01180-8 ; Transpress , Berlin, ISBN 3-344-70846-5 (NA: The railway through Höllental )
• 2015, Gerhard Greß with contributions by Helmut Jaeger, Ralf Roman Rossberg and Volkhard Stern: The Höllentalbahn and Dreiseenbahn . VGB Verlagsgruppe Bahn, Fürstenfeldbruck / Klartext, Essen 978-3-8375-1539-8

Web links

Commons : Dreiseenbahn  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• History and information about the Dreiseenbahn
• Private page about former railways in southern Baden, here you can find historical documents about a projected continuation to the High Rhine Valley
• Museum operation of the IG 3-Seenbahn eV on the Dreiseenbahn
• Dreiseenbahn on suedbadenbahn.de
• Timetable course book route 728

Individual evidence

1. ^ Albert Kuntzemüller: The Baden railways 1840-1940 . Self-published by the Geographical Institutes of the Universities of Freiburg i.Br. and Heidelberg, Freiburg, 1940, pp. 153/154.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Three Lakes Railway. In: www.bsb2020.de. Retrieved August 18, 2015 . 
3. ^ Gernot Zielonka: Three-Lakes-Railway like new. (No longer available online.) In: Mobility Manager. April 21, 2015, archived from the original on July 7, 2016 ; Retrieved July 7, 2016 . 
4. ↑ db / rr: Infrastructure botch on the Dreiseenbahn . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International, Issue 8–9 / 2016, p. 418.
5. ↑ Breisgau S-Bahn 2020: DB Regio is to be awarded the contract for the east-west axis
6. ^ Manfred Frietsch: New S-Bahn on a test drive. Badische Zeitung, December 15, 2018, accessed on July 30, 2019 . 
7. ↑ Sebastian Wolfrum: The new trains run twice a day on the Höllentalbahn. Badische Zeitung, August 11, 2019, accessed on August 12, 2019 . 
8. ↑ Manfred Frietsch: S-Bahn between Endingen and Gottenheim continue to run only every hour. Badische Zeitung, December 20, 2019, accessed on December 29, 2019 . 
9. ↑ Manfred Frietsch & BZ editorial team: Disruptions in the Breisgau S-Bahn continue on the first day after the holidays. Badische Zeitung, January 7, 2020, accessed on January 9, 2020 . 
10. ↑ Breisgau-S-Bahn: Changed operating concept for more stability of train operations. Ministry of Transport Baden Württemberg, January 10, 2020, accessed on January 25, 2020 . 
11. ↑ DB Netze: Regionalnetze der DB Netz AG Regional Area Southwest ( Memento from July 31, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 77 kB) accessed on July 22, 20122
12. ↑ Deutsche Bahn course book 2012 , accessed on July 22, 2012
13. ↑ Deutsche Bahn course book 2012 , accessed on July 22, 2012
14. ↑ RVF regional rail network ( Memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 691 kB) accessed on July 22, 2012
15. ^ A new contract for Konus , Badische Zeitung of August 4, 2011, accessed on June 11, 2012
16. ↑ More space for cyclists , Badische Zeitung of May 26, 2012, accessed on June 11, 2012
17. ↑ Deutsche Bahn press release of June 21, 2016 ( memento of June 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on June 21, 2016
18. ↑ wfi: Titisee-Neustadt: New locomotives on the track. Badische Zeitung, December 20, 2016, accessed on January 6, 2017 . 
19. ↑ »On the Neckar, Danube and Gutach / Wutach: VT 98 of the Villingen depot - The 1958 project - The 1958 project. Retrieved January 6, 2017 . 
20. ↑ The locomotives. badische-hoellentalbahn.de, archived from the original on January 17, 2010 ; accessed on November 13, 2016 . 
21. ^ Dreiseenbahn radio control operation , accessed on July 22, 2012
22. ↑ The old technology disrupts the new plans . Badische Zeitung of August 20, 2016, accessed on September 7, 2016
23. ↑ Horst Jeschke: Snow thrower on the Dreiseenbahn March 2006 , accessed on July 22, 2012
24. ^ Dreiseenbahn still closed - repairs are ongoing , Badische Zeitung from January 8, 2012, accessed on June 11, 2012
25. ^ Badische Zeitung: Storm low stops again Dreiseenbahn - Titisee-Neustadt - Badische Zeitung . ( badische-zeitung.de [accessed on January 21, 2018]).
26. ↑ BZ-Redaktion, Anika Maldacker & updated at 7.45 a.m .: Black Forest Railway and Dreiseenbahn are back on schedule. Badische Zeitung, January 18, 2018, accessed on February 16, 2020 . 
27. ↑ Manfred Frietsch: Railway lines in the Black Forest remain paralyzed for days after storm damage. Badische Zeitung, February 12, 2020, accessed on February 16, 2020 . 
28. ↑ Manfred Frietsch & Sebastian Wolfrum: The new Breisgau S-Bahn concept starts on Monday. Badische Zeitung, February 14, 2020, accessed on February 16, 2020 . 
29. ↑ BZ editorial team: The Höllentalbahn can be used again from Sunday. Badische Zeitung, February 18, 2020, accessed on February 19, 2020 . 
30. ↑ Badische-zeitung.de , December 31, 2015, Johannes Adam: New book about Höllentalbahn and Dreiseenbahn

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on June 10, 2007 .