Öchsle (train)
| Biberach (Riss) –Ochsenhausen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Route number (DB) : | 4511 (Warthausen – Ochsenhausen) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course book section (DB) : | 12752 316g (1944) |
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| Route length: | 22.22 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 750 mm ( narrow gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum slope : | 25 ‰ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimum radius : | 120 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Öchsle is a narrow-gauge railway in Württemberg with a gauge of 750 millimeters between the Upper Swabian cities of Biberach an der Riss and Ochsenhausen . The remaining section from Warthausen to Ochsenhausen has been a museum railway since 1985 . The route runs along its entire length in the Biberach district . With Warthausen, Maselheim and Ochsenhausen, the area is crossed by three communities. The so-called Öchsle cycle path runs parallel to the railway line .
history
Planning, construction and opening
The Royal Württemberg State Railways (KWSt.E) already dealt with the project of a continuous railway from Biberach an der Riss via Ochsenhausen to Memmingen in 1879 . After these plans were finally broken by the construction of the Aulendorf – Memmingen connection , a local railway committee was set up in 1889, which entrusted the Stuttgart technician Professor Sapper with profitability calculations and construction preparations. On this basis, a first petition was sent to the state parliament in 1893 for the construction of a standard-gauge branch line from Biberach to Ochsenhausen. The project was only included in the law of June 7, 1897 as a narrow-gauge railway. Due to delays in the construction of the Biberach – Warthausen section, the Warthausen – Ochsenhausen section was opened on November 29, 1899, followed by the section to Biberach on March 1, 1900.
Royal Württemberg State Railways (1899-1919)
The initial train consisted of two new Mallet - steam locomotives of the type Württembergische Tssd , eight two-axle passenger cars and two luggage carts. In addition to some open and closed freight wagons, there were also special wagons for transporting long timber and three pairs of roller bolsters for transporting standard gauge wagons . Bolstered wagons were only transported between Warthausen and Ochsenhausen; there were two trolley pits in Warthausen. Initially, two passenger trains ran daily in each direction , supplemented by a mixed train ( freight train with passenger transport / Gmp) to handle freight traffic.
In the first few years, positive operating results were achieved despite the high operating costs compared to standard-gauge railways. With the extension of the railway to Biberach, a third Tssd came to Ochsenhausen. In 1906, the southern line was expanded to two tracks. In the course of this work, the level crossing was relocated to the Warthausen station and the reception building, which still exists today, as well as a pedestrian underpass for the transition between normal and narrow-gauge trains were built. At the beginning of the First World War, four locomotives were stationed in Ochsenhausen.
According to the original plans, soon after the opening of Ochsenhausen, more narrow-gauge railways were to be built via Tannheim to Memmingen, via Wurzach to Roßberg and via Schwendi to Laupheim . After the resignation of the Prime Minister Hermann von Mittnacht , who was responsible for transport, among other things, in 1900 the political framework changed and the Upper Swabian narrow-gauge network did not materialize. What remained were the standard-gauge branch lines Laupheim West – Schwendi and Roßberg – Wurzach , which were later opened .
German State Railroad (1920–1945)
In 1920 the Öchsle was transferred to the Deutsche Reichsbahn along with the other lines of the Württemberg State Railways . In order to alleviate the congestion at Ochsenhausen station, the lower station or Ochsenhausen freight station with normal and narrow-gauge loading tracks and two roller bolster pits went into operation in the same year. In 1924 the Goppertshofen stop was closed. In the 1920s, the Deutsche Reichsbahn replaced and reinforced the entire superstructure with old, usable rails of the shape "Württ. D" with 33 kg / m and steel instead of wooden sleepers. From 1928 locomotives of the Saxon class VI K took over the main load of the traffic. The turntables in Biberach and Ochsenhausen were removed a little later.
The expansion measures of the Reichsbahn and the procurement of additional roller bolsters with a higher load-bearing capacity led to a shift in freight traffic to standard gauge wagons with bolsters. As a result, the narrow-gauge freight cars became increasingly dispensable. In 1940, a large part of the inventory was posted to the Pinzgauer local railway to the assembly point in Zell am See , actually delivered directly to the commercial railways under construction in the Ukraine . The remaining closed freight wagons were mainly used in general cargo traffic, the open ones were available for business purposes.
On the morning of January 6, 1944, a standard-gauge train and a narrow-gauge train collided in the Warthausen railway accident . The accident left twelve dead and large numbers injured.
In the last days of the war, the Ochsenhausen station was damaged by fighter-bomber attacks, otherwise the line survived the Second World War without major damage.
German Federal Railroad (1945–1983)
In 1954, the Deutsche Bundesbahn began to streamline operations by thinning out the timetable and using buses. In 1959 the Herrlishöfen and Barabein stops were abolished. After further personnel savings, such as by converting the Äpfingen, Maselheim and Reinstetten stations into unoccupied stops, passenger traffic on the entire route was discontinued on May 31, 1964, after it had become meaningless due to the increasing individual traffic and the Memmingen-Ochsenhausen-Biberach motor post line. The Biberach – Warthausen section thus lost all of its traffic and was dismantled a short time later, which also meant that the crossing with the southern railway was no longer necessary.
Freight traffic - especially through the Liebherr cooling technology plant in Ochsenhausen - took off during this period. In Ochsenhausen, a raised and covered loading ramp was built with which the stooled freight wagons could be better loaded. Private sidings continued to be served in the former train stations of Äpfingen, Maselheim and Reinstetten. At the end of 1964 the VI K were replaced, initially one, from 1970 two new diesel locomotives of the V 51 series took over the service. In 1969 the occasional steam operation ended.
In the 1980s the condition of the railway facilities deteriorated noticeably. The Deutsche Bundesbahn considered changing the gauge to standard gauge, but initiated a decommissioning procedure in 1981. All traffic was stopped on March 31, 1983.
Museum railway (since 1985)
Öchsle Schmalspurbahn GmbH (1985–1991)
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Thanks to the commitment of the Öchsle Schmalspurbahn e. V. did not dismantle the route, the neighboring communities and the district of Biberach acquired it. The freight tracks in Äpfingen, Reinstetten and Ochsenhausen freight yard were removed and the vacant properties sold. One of the two diesel locomotives came to a track construction company in Spain via an intermediary, the other was acquired by Öchsle Schmalspurbahn GmbH. The remaining rolling stock went to the Öchsle Schmalspurbahn e. V. and to private individuals.
Since the association itself was out of the question as a railway operator, association members founded the Öchsle Schmalspurbahn GmbH . Suitable vehicle material was no longer available on site - the last passenger cars had already been moved to other routes or scrapped in 1964, and suitable steam locomotives were also not available at short notice. The vehicles required for tourism operations were therefore procured from the operating company, and occasionally from the association, in Poland, Austria and Switzerland. The Öchsle Schmalspurbahn GmbH leased the remaining railway systems from the public sector and in Warthausen from the Deutsche Bundesbahn. The association provided volunteer workshop and train staff. After repair work on the line, the museum railway started operating on June 29, 1985 between Warthausen and Ochsenhausen. At the end of 1991, the Öchsle Schmalspurbahn GmbH ceased operations and withdrew most of their vehicle fleet from the line after the railway supervisory authority prohibited continued operation due to defects on the line and during operation. The concession for the line only expired in 1995.
Railway operating company Ochsenhausen gGmbH (1996–2000)
In order to continue operating the railway, many new regulations had to be taken into account due to the fundamental changes in railway legislation that took place in 1994 (keyword privatization of the Deutsche Bundesbahn / non-discriminatory network access). Often, however, these were only regulated in principle and some details in the implementation on site were not yet thought through. The Öchsle was the first railway in Germany that wanted to start operating according to the new regulations and had thus become a kind of guinea pig for regulating the execution details. For the association's board this meant a lot of work over several years. One effect of the new laws: two strictly separate companies had to be set up to operate the infrastructure and to operate the train.
The railway infrastructure company is Öchsle Bahn AG , founded in 1995 and based in Biberach, whose shareholders are the district of Biberach (around 35 percent), the Kreissparkasse Biberach (25 percent), independent shareholders (25 percent) and the neighboring communities (around 15 percent). This stock corporation is the owner of the track system and has received the heritable building right on the railway property from the neighboring communities . She is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the systems. The necessary financial resources were obtained by issuing shares.
The railway company (EVU) was founded in the form of the Eisenbahn-Betriebsgesellschaft Ochsenhausen gGmbH (EBO for short) in the same year. Since the vehicles from Öchsle Schmalspurbahn GmbH were no longer available, a new fleet of vehicles with vehicles from Austria, Switzerland and Saxony had to be acquired at great expense.
In this constellation, operations could be resumed on June 25, 1996. At the end of 2000, the line was closed by the state railway supervision due to defects in the superstructure. The railway operating company Ochsenhausen then stopped running. It was dissolved in the following years after the entire operation of the railway was forced into a single company in the future.
Öchsle Bahn Betriebs-GmbH (from 2001)
In 2001 the new EVU Öchsle Bahn Betriebs-GmbH was founded. Most of the rolling stock of the Öchsle Schmalspurbahn e. V. taken over. The shareholders are the district of Biberach (50%), the neighboring communities (45%) and Tourismus GmbH (5%).
Because of the extensive renovation measures required to restart operations and the procurement of another steam locomotive from Saxony , a capital increase for Öchsle Bahn AG became necessary. Further funds were made available by the state of Baden-Württemberg as part of tourism funding.
On May 1, 2002, the operation was started a third time. The vehicle fleet was supplemented in the following years through acquisitions, rentals and loans. Since the opening of a new locomotive shed in Warthausen in 2006, which was financed with the help of a foundation from the Kreissparkasse Biberach, trains have started and ended in Warthausen and on Sundays and public holidays only two pairs of trains instead of the previous three. The workshop and drivers are still from the Öchsle Schmalspurbahn e. V. posed.
In recent years, the annual number of passengers has increased to over 40,000. In spite of this, operations in the current constellation are in serious deficit; In the past few years, an annual grant of well over 200,000 euros was necessary for ongoing operations. The original goal of being able to run the business at least cost-neutrally in the long term has since been abandoned.
Locomotives
Steam locomotive 99 716 "Rosa"
In the summer of 2008, Öchsle-Bahn AG acquired the steam locomotive 99 716 ("Rosa") from the DB Museum in Nuremberg . "Rosa" was built in Chemnitz in 1927 for 63,000 Reichsmarks, was first used in Saxony and later on the Zabergäubahn and the Bottwartalbahn . After 25 years in the Güglingen local history museum , the association's board of directors succeeded in 1993, with the consent of the city of Güglingen, on loan from the Nuremberg Transport Museum. Before it could be used in front of the steam trains, it had to undergo extensive repairs, which were carried out between 1995 and 1997 in the Meiningen steam locomotive works . Since June 1997 she has been traveling for the Öchsle Museum narrow-gauge railway. Locomotives of this series were used in regular operation on the Öchsle before. It is currently (2019) inoperable.
Mallet steam locomotive 99 633
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The Mallet steam locomotive 99 633 of the Württembergische Tssd type is next to its sister locomotive 99 637, which is exhibited as a memorial in Bad Buchau, the only surviving example of this type, which was initially in use as regular locomotives on the Öchsles route. The 99 633 had been owned by the German Society for Railway History since 1970 and was already in use on loan as an Öchsle locomotive in the museum railroad between 1985 and 1990 and thus pulled the first train of the Öchsle museum railway in 1985. Before that, it was already in use as a regular locomotive on the Federseebahn until shortly before it was set or re-gauged . Since 2002 it has been on permanent loan from the Öchsle in the Ochsenhausen locomotive shed - its first home - accessible to visitors. In 2007 she was bought by the association. It has been restored since 2012. A completely new boiler was manufactured and placed on the completely overhauled chassis at the end of March 2014. The first official special trip after restarting took place on November 22, 2014 in Zillertal, Austria, in front of a special train from Jenbach to Mayrhofen. Since May 1, 2015, 99 633 has been running again on the Öchslebahn.
Since the first broadcast of the SWR television program Eisenbahn-Romantik , it can be seen in the opening credits of the program and as its logo. In March 2013 the locomotive was voted Monument of the Month by the Baden-Württemberg Monument Foundation.
Steam locomotive 99 788 "Berta"
On July 20, 2001, Öchsle-Bahn AG acquired the steam locomotive 99 788 ("Berta") of the DR class 99.77-79 from Deutsche Bahn AG for a purchase price of almost DM 500,000 . Until it was sold to Öchsle-Bahn AG, it was used on various routes in Saxony , most recently on the Lößnitzgrundbahn . The operational locomotive was in use at the Öchsle from 2003-2007 and since 2012. The locomotive was a cultural monument of the city of Radebeul .
Steam locomotive 99 651
The monument locomotive 99 651, which was set up unprotected in the open in Steinheim an der Murr next to the former station building of the Bottwartalbahn until June 10, 2016 , returned to Ochsenhausen on June 11, 2016 by means of a low loader on permanent loan from the city of Steinheim. The steam locomotive was in use on the Öchsle from 1928 until the end of 1964. It is now sheltered from the weather in the Ochsenhausen locomotive shed and is to be refurbished so that it can be rolled.
Diesel locomotive V 51
In 1964, two class V 51 diesel locomotives were purchased from Gmeinder from Mosbach to replace the steam locomotives . Until the cessation of traffic in 1983, these took over freight traffic , which was carried out between Warthausen and Ochsenhausen, mainly for the refrigerator manufacturer Liebherr, with standard-gauge freight wagons on trestles .
While the diesel locomotive 251 902 was parked and dismantled in 2006 for a possible later reconditioning, the locomotive 251 903 was sold to the Comsa concern in Spain , where it was last used in construction train service. After Öchsle Bahn AG succeeded in buying back the diesel locomotive, it came back on September 11, 2009.
Diesel locomotive V 22-01
The diesel locomotive V 22-01 is a diesel locomotive from Gmeinder from Mosbach. It was built in 1965 and is currently (2010) the only operational diesel locomotive at Öchsle. It is rented from the Jagst Valley Railway.
Diesel locomotive V 15 908
The diesel locomotive V 15 908 was built by Gmeinder in Mosbach in 1946. It is currently (2010) parked in Ochsenhausen with a worn gearbox.
Museum operation
Today, between May and October, two pairs of trains run from Warthausen to Ochsenhausen on all Sundays and on the first and third Saturday of the month as well as on all Thursdays in July, August and September. The offer is supplemented by winter trips, St. Nicholas trips and special trains. In the timetable of Deutsche Bahn, the Oechsle Museum Railway is listed under No. 12,752th
literature
- Ingrid Stubenrauch: Das Öchsle - The history of the narrow-gauge railway Biberach – Ochsenhausen . Eisenbahn-Kurier Verlag, Freiburg 1983, ISBN 3-88255-792-3 .
- Kurt Seidel: Narrow gauge in Baden-Württemberg . Einhorn-Verlag, Schwäbisch Gmünd 1977, ISBN 3-921703-19-0 , p. 107-119 .
- Peter-Michael Mihailescu, Matthias Michalke: Forgotten railways in Baden-Württemberg . Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-8062-0413-6 , p. 245-249 .
- Alexander Bückle, Bernhard Günzl, Ludger Kenning: The Öchsle. The narrow-gauge railway Biberach - Warthausen - Ochsenhausen, Verlag Kenning, Nordhorn 2015, ISBN 978-3-933613-99-8 .
Web links
- Öchsle-Bahn operating company gGmbH
- Öchsle narrow-gauge railway e. V.
- Details, photos and history of the Öchslebahn
- The Öchsle's timetable in the course book from 1944/45
- VR 360 ° panorama tour
- Description of the railway line on www.vergessene-bahnen.de
- At the Öchsle - timetable, wagons and train composition (in 1958)
Individual evidence
- ^ Accident report with photo ( memento from January 4, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) online on August 19, 2012.
- ↑ Shareholder structure of Öchsle Bahn AG. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009 ; Retrieved September 11, 2009 .
- ^ Shareholder structure of the Öchsle Bahn Betriebs-GmbH. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009 ; Retrieved September 11, 2009 .
- ↑ Locomotives of the Öchsle-Bahn ( memento from April 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) on oechsle-bahn.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
- ^ Rolf-Dieter Blumer, Markus Numberger: Restoration of the "Öchsles". How to deal with roadworthy cultural monuments . In: Preservation of Monuments in Baden-Württemberg 3/2017, pp. 223–226.
- ↑ Öchsle Schmalspurbahn e. V .: Boiler and chassis combined. Retrieved May 23, 2014 .
- ↑ eisenbahn-magazin 1/2015, p. 54
- ^ The steam locomotive 99 633 of the Öchsle Railway, Ochsenhausen. Monument Foundation Baden-Württemberg , March 1, 2013, accessed on May 31, 2015 .
- ↑ Jürgen Rech: Saxony's Summer Theater . In: eisenbahn magazin 9/2001, Alba, Düsseldorf 2001, p. 14
- ^ Directory of the cultural monuments of the city of Radebeul. (PDF) Large district town of Radebeul, April 17, 2008, p. 23 , archived from the original on August 21, 2010 ; Retrieved April 27, 2009 (updated 2012).
- ↑ Bottwartalbahn - Archive at bottwartalbahn.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
- ↑ Tears on the Öchslebahn: Steam locomotive 99 651 left Oberschwaben on bottwartalbahn.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
- ↑ Former Öchsle locomotive is finally back. Schwäbische Zeitung, September 11, 2009, archived from the original on February 12, 2013 ; Retrieved September 11, 2009 .