Narrow-gauge railway from Selva to Jöhstadt

Wolkenstein – Jöhstadt Ldst

Excerpt from the route map of Saxony in 1902

Route number :

6975; sä. WJ

Course book range :

422 (1984) ; 12600 (2008) ;

Route length:

24.328 km

Gauge :

750 mm ( narrow gauge )

Maximum slope :

25 ‰

Minimum radius :

80 m

Top speed:

25 km / h

Legend

0.000	Wolkenstein ( narrow-gauge station )	392 m
	from Flöha ( standard gauge )
	Three-rail track 1435/750 mm (dismantled)
	Zschopau (55 m)
	Zschopau (66.79 m)
1.900	Junction Wolkenstein Stw 1
	to Annaberg-Buchholz und Bf ( standard gauge )
2.010	Zschopau (54 m)
2.736	Pressnitz (24 m)
3.212	Pressnitz (24 m)
3,584	Pressnitz (37.2 m)
3.745	Mühlgraben (31.5 m)
3.830	Streckewalde	417 m
3,977	Pressnitz (26.5 m)
4.306	Pressnitz (27.9 m)
4,846	Pressnitz (40.8 m)
5.257	Pressnitz (17.88 m)
5.555	Pressnitz (23.92 m)
5.732	Mühlgraben (11.35 m)
5,941	Pressnitz (27.54 m)
6.040	Großrückerswalde	442 m
7.017	Pressnitz (17.88 m)
7,582	Pressnitz (26.4 m)
7,836	Pressnitz (32.8 m)
9.156	Pressnitz (26.4 m)
9.271	Werkgraben (11.7 m)
9.369	Pressnitz (31.8 m)
9.424	Niedermiedeberg	481 m
	Connection dkk
9,944	Mühlgraben (13.36 m)
10,843	Pressnitz (31.8 m)
12,417	Pressnitz (23.95 m)
12.749	Pressnitz (48 m)
13,357	Pressnitz (18.58 m)
13.550	Oberschmiedeberg	525 m
14,220	Pressnitz Bridge (17.68 m)
14,577	Oberschaar (69.5 m)
14.63	Mühlgraben (20.64 m)
14.750	(End of track)
14.812	Pressnitz (14.76 m)
14,956	Steinbach (near Jöhstadt)	543 m
15.500	Wildbach (since 2000)	545 m
16.226	Pressnitz (23.75 m)
16.560	Stolln (since 1998)	560 m
16,588	Pressnitz (19.5 m)
18.350	Forellenhof (since 1996)	590 m
18.727	Pressnitz (16 m)
18.920	Lard pit	598 m
19.017	Schwarzwasser (13.02 m)
21.200	Loreleifelsen (since 1994)	650 m
21.410	Schwarzwasser (26 m)
21.675	Schwarzwasser (34 m)
21.770	Locks	666 m
22.223	Schwarzwasser (13.2 m)
22.400	Exhibition and vehicle hall (since 2014)	675 m
22,592	Mühlgraben (18.5 m)
22,950	Jöhstadt	684 m
23,250	(End of track)
23.260	Black water
23.575	Black water
24,328	Jöhstadt Ldst.	702 m
24.380	(End of route)

The narrow-gauge railway Wolkenstein – Jöhstadt (also Pressnitz Valley Railway ) was a Saxon narrow-gauge railway with a gauge of 750 mm in the middle and upper Ore Mountains . It ran between Selva and the state border near Jöhstadt about two kilometers in the Zschopautal, to Schmalzgrube in the Preßnitz valley and then in the Schwarzwassertal. The line, which was shut down in two stages in 1984 and 1986, was rebuilt as a museum railway between 1992 and 2000 on the Steinbach – Jöhstadt section .

history

prehistory

Before the construction of the narrow-gauge railway, there were around 60 to 70 companies in the Preßnitz Valley that were dependent on water power, such as mills, sawmills and paper mills. At that time, the goods produced could only be transported to and from the valley via steep paths, as there was still no road in the Preßnitz valley. After the construction of the Zschopautalbahn Chemnitz – Annaberg (–Weipert – Komotau) in 1866/1872 and the Flöhatalbahn Chemnitz – Reitzenhain (–Komotau) in 1875, the traffic situation improved for the Preßnitztal, but the basic traffic problem for the Preßnitztal persisted.

A first railway project for the development of the Preßnitz valley was presented as early as 1869, when a double-track main line Chemnitz – Komotau – Prague was supposed to run through the Pressnitz valley. The project was not implemented in favor of the route via Weipert.

As early as 1869/70 in Saxony the need was recognized to develop the area with railways of minor importance, the so-called secondary railways. For the first time in 1874, the city of Jöhstadt issued a petition to the Saxon state parliament , demanding that such a secondary line be built in the Preßnitz valley. However, it was not until 1878 that the construction of the first secondary railways began in Saxony.

Further requests made to the Saxon state parliament in the 1880s ultimately led to success and the construction of a narrow-gauge railway through the Preßnitz valley was approved in 1890. The route should begin in Selva at the Zschopautalbahn.

In February 1891 the construction of the line began with the first preparatory work. Construction progressed very quickly. The construction work had to be interrupted in the winter of 1891/92, but the line was still completed by May 1892.

opening

On June 1, 1892, the route was inaugurated with a festive event. In the first few years, operations were carried out with three pairs of trains a day. Treatment systems for locomotives were available in both Jöhstadt and Wolkenstein. On May 15, 1893, the extension of the route to the state border for freight traffic was put into operation.

Expansion plans

In order to facilitate the import of Bohemian coal in particular, there were several projects to extend the route to the standard-gauge railways crossing the Ore Mountains.

A request to the Saxon state parliament dates from 1893, which provided for a narrow-gauge route from Mittelschmiedeberg to Reitzenhain . Because of the high construction costs and the expected unprofitability, this project was rejected from the start.

Several projects also envisaged the extension of the route from Schmalzgrube or Jöhstadt via the Bohemian mountain town of Preßnitz to Sonnenberg on the Komotau – Weipert railway line . A project drawn up in 1913/14 to extend the route from Jöhstadt to Weipert had a greater chance of being realized . This project envisaged a train station each in Pleil and in the Bohemian part of the “ Weißer Hirsch ” settlement . Because of the First World War , the project did not come out on a draft plan, and after 1918 there was no need or on the Czech side no more interest in such a connection, since the importation of Bohemian coal was already greatly reduced.

business

From the beginning, the importance of the railway was more in freight traffic, so that as early as 1911 trolley traffic was introduced on the route. Mainly the products of the local industry such as boards, wood pulp, cardboard, but also building materials and coal were transported. The Flader company, located in Jöhstadt on the state border, increasingly produced fire extinguishing equipment such as syringes and pumps, and later also complete fire extinguishing vehicles, all of which were sent via the narrow-gauge railway.

After the Second World War, the production of refrigerators in a branch of the VEB dkk began in a former paper mill in Niederschmiedeberg . From the 1960s, this plant developed into the most important freight customer on the route.

In the evening hours of July 20, 1955, heavy rain occurred in the Fichtelberg area , which caused a flood in the Schwarzwassertal. Seven people died in the 2 m high tidal wave; the traffic on the narrow-gauge railway was interrupted for four weeks due to the damage to the track structure.

It was only in the last years of operation from 1980 that an upswing in passenger train traffic began, when more and more excursionists started using the trains. In order to cope with the rush of travelers, the trains sometimes had to be provided with up to four reinforcement cars on the weekends.

Shutdown

99 1561 in Niederschmiedeberg, 1984

99 1715 at the water house in Steinbach station (b Jöhstadt), 2010

From the mid-1960s, this narrow-gauge railway was also due to be closed. Constantly increasing amounts of freight, which had to be transported by dkk primarily for the refrigerator factory, initially prevented this. At the end of the 1970s, the change of mode of transport was also prepared for the Pressnitz Valley Railway. However, it was initially completely unclear how the continuously increasing transport volume for the refrigerator factory on the road should be handled.

When the GDR was also hit by an oil crisis in 1981, the alternatives to operating the narrow-gauge railway were examined in detail. Essentially, three variants were worked out: The possibility of continuing to operate the narrow-gauge railway was also discussed. A comprehensive renovation and modernization of the railway would have been necessary for this, which was ultimately ruled out at the time for reasons of cost. The second option was to change the gauge from Wolkenstein to Niederschmiedeberg to standard gauge. The third and ultimately implemented variant was the closure. The necessary investment funds should now instead go to the expansion of the road in the Preßnitztal and also the construction of a container station in Annaberg.

As with many railway lines, the narrow-gauge railway Wolkenstein – Jöhstadt was gradually shut down and dismantled: In the spring of 1982, freight traffic between Steinbach and Jöhstadt was stopped due to the poor condition of the line. On Friday, January 13, 1984, the last passenger trains ran between Niederschmiedeberg and Jöhstadt, after the responsible railway maintenance department no longer wanted to take responsibility for continued operation on the ailing tracks. The cessation of passenger traffic on the remainder between Wolkenstein and Niederschmiedeberg followed on September 30, 1984. Freight traffic for the refrigerator factory in Niederschmiedeberg was maintained until November 20, 1986, as the necessary conditions for the final change of mode of transport had to be created. The entire line was closed on December 31, 1986.

The narrow-gauge railway Wolkenstein – Jöhstadt was the last narrow-gauge railway to be shut down and dismantled in the GDR: Starting shortly after the section to Jöhstadt was shut down, work was carried out in various stages from January 1984 to summer 1989 on dismantling the track systems.

At the end of the demolition work, the track had almost completely disappeared, around two thirds of the bridges dismantled. Shortly after the closure, a kindergarten was built on the site of the Steinbach train station, and a block of flats was built in Jöhstadt on the train station site. The embankment of the line grew after the closure and the dismantling of the tracks and bridges.

The reconstruction as a museum railway

KKw = hinged lid wagon with bogies and 10 t payload

Steinbach, today's end of the Preßnitz Valley Railway (2011)

Jöhstadt station, in 2018 reconstructed tracks in the level crossing to the loading ramp and in the direction of the reception building, status 2018

In the summer of 1990 the Preßnitztalbahn e. V. with the partial reconstruction of the narrow-gauge railway as a museum railway . Today it runs between Steinbach and Jöhstadt.

The reconstruction took place in several stages: in 1990/91 the ruins of the locomotive shed in Jöhstadt were first redeveloped, at the same time the members of the association removed the old sleepers between Jöhstadt and Schmalzgrube when the track was demolished. In April 1992 they laid the first 180 meters of track. From October 1993 the trains ran from Jöhstadt to Schlössel station, from Whitsun 1994 to the newly created stop Loreleifelsen and from Whitsun 1995 to Schmalzgrube station. By Pentecost 1996, the association members restored the northern exit of the station in Schmalzgrube and extended the museum railway to the newly created Forellenhof stop.

From Whitsun 1998, the newly created Andreas-Gegentrum-Stolln stop served as the end point for two years. After the local council of Steinbach at its last meeting before the incorporation to Jöhstadt at the end of 1998 approved the abandonment of the kindergarten built in 1987/88 on the Steinbach train station, its demolition began on May 21, 1999. On August 18, 2000, the IG Preßnitztalbahn e. V. at the beginning of the subsequent festival week the section to Steinbach. The route length was 8 km.

At the beginning of the 2000s, the members of the IG Preßnitztalbahn e. V. in Steinbach reopen the track from the direction of Wolkenstein almost to the Steinbacher Straße level crossing. Since then, the length of the museum railway has been 9 km. Steinbach and Schmalzgrube are the only two stations on the new Preßnitztalbahn that have been rebuilt almost true to the original. This is still ahead for Jöhstadt. For this purpose, the concrete apartment block is to be demolished and a goods shed built in its place. The aim is for the trains of the museum railway to begin their journey at the Jöhstadt reception building.

Further construction in the direction of Selva is currently (as of 2019) not planned - the association is concentrating on maintaining the route and vehicles, as well as the further development of the facilities. These include the exhibition and vehicle hall of the Preßnitztalbahn in Jöhstadt, which was built in 2004/05 in the Schlössel district. The Steinbach – Streckewalde section was mainly converted into a cycle path in the 1990s . In 2018, the tracks at the Jöhstadt station were reconstructed in the area of the loading ramp and the inner Bahnhofstrasse as well as on a section of the route in the direction of the former Jöhstadt loading point. After the tracks have been laid in front of the Jöhstädter station building, they will be connected to the rail network of the Preßnitztalbahn.

Route description

course

simplified elevation profile of the route

Wolkenstein railway station, remaining three-rail track on display, 2016

The starting point of the route was the track changing station in Selva on the standard gauge railway line Annaberg-Buchholz und Bf-Flöha (Zschopautalbahn). In the Zschopau valley , the narrow-gauge railway shared the route with the normal gauge on a three-rail track . After 1.9 kilometers to the south, the narrow-gauge railway branched off to the southeast into the Preßnitz valley . The route now ran over numerous bridges to Schmalzgrube in the valley of this river. Behind the Schmalzgrube train station, the railway left the Preßnitz valley and followed the Jöhstadt black water to Jöhstadt . The route ended directly on the border with Bohemia (today: Czech Republic ). After the closure of the narrow-gauge railway, the lower section of Wolkenstein – Steinbach (near Jöhstadt) can largely be used as a Preßnitztal cycle path. On selected days of travel of the Preßnitztalbahn between Wolkenstein and Steinbach, rail replacement services with historic buses take place on the valley road running parallel to it. The upper section of Steinbach (near Jöhstadt) –Jöhstadt has been reactivated as a museum railway. Most of the tracks in the section between the Jöhstadt train station and the Jöhstadt loading point on the border with the Czech Republic had already been removed in the 1970s. A first section was rebuilt in 2018. The valley path runs parallel to this.

Operating points

Selva ⊙50.652767 13.06493

Entrance building at station Wolkenstein

The Selva station was opened on February 1, 1866 on the standard gauge railway line Annaberg – Flöha . From 1892 to 1986 the narrow-gauge railway from Wolkenstein to Jöhstadt ran from Wolkenstein to Jöhstadt . The station can be reached via the federal road 101 and the street “Am Bahnhof”. On the opposite bank of the Zschopau, the Wolkenstein Castle is enthroned on a steep rock face . The “Wolkensteiner Zughotel” is located in the train station and offers a place to stop and stay overnight in regular-gauge wagons.

Streckewalde ⊙50.630087 13.080178

Former Streckewalde stop, 2017

The Streckewalde stop was opened on June 1, 1892 and renamed the station in 1905 (abolition of the station form stop in the Kingdom of Saxony). After the Deutsche Reichsbahn had reintroduced the station form stop in 1933 , Streckewalde received the status of a stop again. The station went out of service on October 1, 1984 when the rail traffic on the Wolkenstein – Niederschmiedeberg section was discontinued. The stop was northeast of the village on the Preßnitz. All buildings were demolished after the closure.

Großrückerswalde ⊙50.61623 13.094613

Station building of the Großrückerswalde train station in the Boden district, 2012

The Großrückerswalde station was put into operation on June 1, 1892 as the Boden near Wolkenstein stop and rededicated as a station in 1905. The station in Boden , which was incorporated into Großrückerswalde in 1936 , had the following names:

until 1911: Boden near Wolkenstein
until 1933: Boden b Wolkenstein
until 1937: Boden (b Wolkenstein)
since 1937: Großrückerswalde

With the closure of the line, the station went out of service on December 4, 1986. It was located in the Großrückerswalde district of Boden directly after the level crossing of the Großrückerswalde – Mauersberg road or the road in the Preßnitz valley. The IG Preßnitztalbahn, which was founded in 1988 in the Kulturbund of the GDR, was committed to maintaining the track systems and setting up a display system similar to that in Geyer. For this purpose, railroad fans erected a diesel locomotive and several freight cars as a memorial in 1992/93. The project was canceled in 1994 and all tracks were then removed. The station's reception building is now used as a snack bar.

Niedermiedeberg ⊙50.598544 13.122826

Niedermiedeberg, station area, 2017

The station Niederschmiedeberg was opened on June 1, 1892 as the stop and 1905 rededicated to the station. The Preßnitz was relocated for the plant of the station. The station building, which opened in 1914, stood across the tracks at the Wolkenstein exit between Talstrasse and the bridge over the Preßnitz. The Niedermiedeberg railway station developed over time into an important crossing point. It was approved for the transport of people, luggage and express goods. In addition to the through track, the station also had a parking, an intersection and a passing track. As a result of the centralization of freight traffic, the Niederschmiedeberg station grew into the most important intermediate station. The branch of the " VEB DKK Scharfenstein ", which opened in 1955, sent around 90% of the refrigerators produced in Niederschmiedeberg by rail in the early 1970s. Until recently, three pairs of trains were in rush hour traffic for the DKK plant.

With the cessation of traffic on the section Niederschmiedeberg – Jöhstadt on January 13, 1984, the station became the end point of the line. On September 30, 1984, passenger traffic on this section ended. For the branch of the VEB DDK Scharfenstein, the DR maintained freight traffic between Wolkenstein and Niederschmiedeberg until November 20, 1986, when the final change of mode of transport took place. Until 1989, the track systems were dismantled in stages. On the area of the Niederschmiedeberg train station on the Preßnitz there is now a children's playground, a park and a parking lot. The “Preßnitz Valley Museum” and the “Niederschmiedeberg Voluntary Fire Brigade” are housed in the adjacent building of the “Max Bergt Cardboard Factory”. The waiting hall no longer exists.

Oberschmiedeberg ⊙50.569781 13.1456

Restored waiting hall of the Preßnitztalbahn in Oberschmiedeberg, 2001

The Oberschmiedeberg stop was opened on June 1, 1892 and rededicated as a train station in 1905. In 1933 the station was declared a stop again and after the side tracks were dismantled in 1967 it was downgraded to a stop. The stop initially had two tracks, but the loading track was closed and dismantled at the end of the 1960s. In the spring of 1982, freight traffic was initially stopped, and passenger traffic followed on January 14, 1984. In the following period, the track systems were dismantled, the waiting hall was retained and, after the political change in 1990, was replaced by IG Preßnitztalbahn e. V. restored as the current owner. In 2001 the Preßnitztalradweg was opened in this section.

Steinbach (b Jöhstadt) ⊙50.557366 13.149484

Steinbach train station (near Jöhstadt), 2009

In the first decades of operation, Steinbach station was the most important stopover for the Preßnitztalbahn. After the line was closed, the Steinbach community built a kindergarten on the site, with the old buildings being preserved.

Since August 2000 Steinbach station has been the end point of the museum railway coming from Jöhstadt. The kindergarten building was demolished in May 1999 and the track system was rebuilt from May 2000 based on the historical model. On August 18, 2000, IG Preßnitztalbahn e. V. the new station into operation. The station Steinbach (b Jöhstadt) is station of the steam train route Saxony .

Torrent ⊙50.554056 13.144799

Wildbach stop in 2011

The Wildbach stop was opened on August 18, 2000 as part of the reconstruction of the upper section of the route. It is located on Steinbacher Flur between Schmalzgrubener Straße and Preßnitz. The service area "Am Wildbach" can be reached via a bridge over the Preßnitz.

A.-Gegentrum-Stolln ⊙50.545934 13.1371

A.-Gegentrum-Stolln stop (2017)

The A.-Gegentrum-Stolln stop was opened in the course of the reconstruction of the upper section of the Whitsun 1998 route. It is located near the “Andreas-Gegentrum-Stolln” visitor mine, which is the only show mine in the Ore Mountains with a narrow-gauge railway connection. Between Whitsun 1998 and August 17, 2000, the station served as the end point of the rebuilt route from Jöhstadt.

Trout farm ⊙50.536211 13.128787

Forellenhof stop, view towards Steinbach, 2016

The Forellenhof stop was opened in the course of the reconstruction of the upper section of the Whitsun 1996. It is located near the “Forellenhof” restaurant in the north of Schmalzgrube.

Lard pit ⊙50.531559 13.130745

Schmalzgrube station, 2003

The Schmalzgrube station was of little importance in travel and freight traffic. In its original state, it consisted of a crossing track and a loading track with a side loading ramp.

Today the Schmalzgrube station serves as a crossing station for the museum railway. The track systems were rebuilt in 1995/96 and a second loading track was added next to the eastern loading ramp side. The station Schmalzgrube 's station of the steam train route Saxony .

Loreleifelsen ⊙50.522723 13.104013

Loreleifelsen stop, 2011

The Loreleifelsen stop was opened on June 2, 1995 as part of the reconstruction of the upper section of the route. It is located in the valley of the black water that flows into the Preßnitz in Schmalzgrube near the Loreleifelsen.

Lock ⊙50.517935 13.103083

Schlössel train station

The Schlössel stop was opened on June 1, 1892. The station was closed between June 1, 1923 and June 1, 1924. In the spring of 1982, freight traffic was initially discontinued, and passenger traffic followed on January 14, 1984.

In the course of the reconstruction of the upper section of the route, the members of IG Preßnitztalbahn e. V. 1992/1993 not only the main track but also the loading track. In addition, two sidings were created behind the loading ramp that had not existed before. Since the end of September 1993 the Schlössel station has been approached again from the direction of Jöhstadt, and since Whitsun 1994 also from the other direction. In the following years the route was continuously expanded towards Steinbach. In the direction of Jöhstadt, the "Schlösselstraße" is passed directly behind the station.

Exhibition and vehicle hall ⊙50.513556 13.103344

Stop at the exhibition and vehicle hall

The exhibition and vehicle hall stop was opened on June 7, 2014 in the Schlössel district of Jöhstadt. It was created to make the exhibition and vehicle hall of the museum railway, inaugurated in 2005, more accessible to visitors. The currently youngest stop of the Preßnitztalbahn is only served when required. It is located south of the vehicle hall. Shortly before, the railway from Steinbach crosses the Jöhstädter Schwarzwasser.

Jöhstadt ⊙50.510369 13.098733

Engine shed at Jöhstadt station in 2019

The Jöhstadt station was (and is) the operational center of the Preßnitztalbahn. In addition to extensive sidings, the three-tier locomotive shed, which has been preserved to this day and housed the locomotives on the line, was located here. After the closure of the upper section in January 1984, the demolition of the tracks and the goods shed began in the summer of 1985. In 1987 the construction of a block of flats began on the station area, the reception building was from then on used by the city of Jöhstadt as a day nursery.

From 1990 the members of the IG Preßnitztalbahn e. V. rebuilt numerous tracks for museum railway operations in the area of the locomotive shed. The aim is to rebuild the entire track system in the next few years. This requires the demolition of the concrete apartment block, which is already owned by the association. In 2018, the tracks were reconstructed in the area of the loading ramp and the level crossing at Innere Bahnhofstraße as well as a few meters along the embankment in the direction of Jöhstadt Ldst , which, however, can only be used after the tracks have been laid directly in front of the reception building. The station Jöhstadt is station of the steam train route Saxony .

Jöhstadt Ldst ⊙50.502776 13.088796

Jöhstadt loading point, 2016

Jöhstadt loading point was opened for freight traffic on May 5, 1893. Since 1911 the station was designated as Jöhstadt Ldst . The station was located in the valley of the Jöhstädter Schwarzwasser directly on the border with Bohemia . A project drawn up in 1913/14 to extend the route from Jöhstadt to the neighboring Bohemian town of Weipert was not implemented due to the lack of demand for the political change following the First World War .

After the loading point was decommissioned in 1964, the dismantling of the tracks began in 1967. A section from the Jöhstadt station was retained until the early 1980s for shunting. The site of the loading point belongs to a company for pump and fire extinguishing technology that has been located in this area of Jöhstadt since the 19th century.

Vehicle use

99 1542 of the Saxon class IV K at the entrance to the Schmalzgrube station.

Locomotives of the later class III K were initially used on the narrow-gauge railway Wolkenstein – Jöhstadt, which is comparatively long at 23 km, but also rich in curves and also steep in the upper section. When operations opened in 1892, three largely brand-new class III K locomotives were moved from Thum to Jöhstadt. Later helped temporarily but then some of the weaker locomotives of the Saxon class IK on the Pressnitz Valley Railway from, but the brunt of the traffic contributed to 1910 III K. 1910 came three brand-new locomotives of proven since 1892, even more powerful class IV K for narrow-gauge railway in order to have appropriately powerful locomotives available for the rolling carriage traffic introduced in 1911/12 . By 1923, the III K, which had now been pushed into subordinate services, retired from operational service. The locomotives of type IV K were then to be the only type used here until they ceased operations in 1986.

From 1911 onwards, goods traffic was carried out using standard gauge wagons that were loaded onto rolling stock. The cars used corresponded to the general Saxon building and procurement regulations for the narrow-gauge railways and could therefore be freely exchanged with vehicles on other Saxon narrow-gauge lines.

After the decommissioning, the locomotives were moved to other routes. Most of the wagons were also used on other routes, a small part was dismantled or sold to locals as sheds.

Interest group Preßnitztalbahn

Museum train in the style of the 1970s in Schmalzgrube station

In October 1988, the Preßnitztalbahn interest group was founded in Großrückerswalde as a local group of the GDR Cultural Association with the aim of preserving contemporary witnesses and memorabilia from the disused Pressnitz Valley Railway. At times there was even the idea of erecting a memorial procession modeled on Geyer in Großrückerswalde . In the midst of these efforts, the political change in the GDR and numerous railway enthusiasts initiated the idea of rebuilding the Preßnitz Valley Railway as a museum railway to Wolkenstein. In recognition of the realities, the new board of directors elected in October 1990 changed the goal of building a museum railway between Jöhstadt and Schmalzgrube with the option of extending it to Steinbach .

Since November 22, 1990 the IG Preßnitztalbahn has been registered in the register of associations according to German law. Today the association is the operator of the Steinbach – Jöhstadt museum railway and the owner of almost all vehicles, with the exception of a few rental and guest vehicles. The city of Jöhstadt acts as the railway infrastructure company and received the concession from the Free State of Saxony in 1994 . The association has around 420 members (as of December 2004) and is based in Jöhstadt in the former station building. The association members work on a voluntary basis in the operation of the museum railroad, the route and vehicle maintenance.

vehicles

The Preßnitztalbahn e. V. owns the following vehicles:

5 own steam locomotives: 99 1542 , 99 1568 , 99 1590 , 99 1594 (all Saxon IV K ) and the 99 4511 (one-off)

3 diesel locomotives ( Ns4 199 007 , V10C 199 008 , V10C 199 009 )

16 passenger coaches of various Saxon designs (12 passenger and 4 baggage coaches)

10 narrow -gauge and 4 standard-gauge freight cars

8 rolling vehicles for transporting regular-gauge freight wagons

7 railway service vehicles

They run according to the timetable or on request on the museum route, but are also used for guest assignments on other 750 mm narrow-gauge railways.

The museum train runs from May to October every weekend and on public holidays (Easter, May Day, Ascension Day, Whitsun, October 3), in Advent, between Christmas and New Year, and at any time upon request and customer request.

VI K 99 1715, V10C 199 009 and IV K 99 1590 in Jöhstadt
The diesel locomotive 199 008 in 2011 in front of the exhibition and vehicle hall in Jöhstadt
Aquarius C guest locomotive at Forellenhof stop, 2011

literature

Günter Baldauf: 90 years of narrow-gauge railway Wolkenstein - Jöhstadt in: Kulturbund der DDR (ed.): Yearbook Erzgebirge 1982, Olbernhau 1982, pp. 45–54
Michael Haschek: Farewell in the Erzgebirge - Preßnitztalbahn before the setting . In: Lok-Magazin . No. 143 . Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, W. Keller & Co. , 1987, ISSN 0458-1822 , p. 117-120 .
IG Preßnitztalbahn e. V. (Ed.): 100 Years of the Pressnitz Valley Railway , Jöhstadt 1992
IG Preßnitztalbahn e. V. (Ed.): On the way with the Preßnitztalbahn. The Steinbach - Jöhstadt museum railway , Jöhstadt 2006
Andreas W. Petrak: The narrow-gauge railway Wolkenstein – Jöhstadt , Kenning Verlag, Nordhorn, 5th and supplemented edition 2006, ISBN 3-933613-78-7
Bernd Schreiter: The Preßnitztalbahn / 120 years of steam in the valley - 20 years of the museum railway. VBS Arnsfeld, 2012