Heath Express
Under the name Heide-Express , the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Verkehrsfreunde Lüneburg e. V. (AVL) journeys with their historical railway vehicles over the network of the Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen (OHE) as well as the club's own Bleckeder Kleinbahn UG, a railway infrastructure company that operates the former OHE route Lüneburg-Bleckede .
history
The AVL was founded on May 6, 1981 in order to keep historic rail vehicles operational and to discuss transport issues, primarily in the area of railways. OHE vehicles were able to carry out special trips on their northern routes from Lüneburg and Winsen . In 1983 the association bought the first wagons and in the following five years additional passenger coaches, a freight car, some locomotives and a railcar trailer were bought. Among these was the EVB locomotive V 280 , which was returned to its original state as V46-01 of the Voldagsen-Duingen-Delligsen Kleinbahn by AVL . In 1989, east of Amelinghausen on the route to Lüneburg, a new stop was put into operation, which was named "Sheepfold" after a nearby excursion destination.
The vehicle collection was steadily expanded in the following years, among other things, the club from the Netherlands acquired a railcar that was previously in service with the OHE. In addition, the Heide Express got several appearances in television programs, especially in series of the NDR , but also in productions of several private broadcasters .
In 1997 the Touristik-Eisenbahn Lüneburger Heide GmbH (TEL) was founded as a business enterprise of the association. This company received a 15-year license as a railway company in 1998 and is therefore also the association's management company today.
Several platforms were renewed or rebuilt in the second half of the 1990s, for example in Amelinghausen and Salzhausen . After the dismantling of the old station in Niedermarschacht by the OHE, a new stop had to be built there at the new end of the line about 1 km in front of it, called Niedermarschacht Achterdeich. Also Luhdorf received a new breakpoint.
In 2000, AVL transferred six large-capacity diesel railcars originally built for OHE from Italy back to the Lüneburg Heath. Four of these railcars were sold to the Prignitzer Eisenbahn (one of them drives today for the Mittelweserbahn ), the other two remained in the possession of the association. The GDT 0518 was refurbished for over five years, and this railcar has also been available for journeys since 2005. Another addition to the vehicle came in 2005: AVL bought the 120069 locomotive from the OHE in order to run the Heide Express with it, while the V46-01 received a general inspection . After the completion of the general inspection and the expiry of the examination deadlines on the "new" locomotive, it was sold again in 2007. In 2019, AVL acquired the DT 0511 multiple unit from the Ilmebahn through a donation campaign . This former OHE vehicle was still used by the OHE for occasional special trips on its own route network until 2006, until it was thoroughly refurbished and sold to the Ilmebahn in Einbeck . There it was also used for special trips; after the reactivation of passenger traffic on the route, however, the Ilmebahn was no longer used for the vehicle. Since the railcar still had valid deadlines, it could be used immediately after the transfer to Lüneburg.
activities
In addition to its operations, the association regularly organizes lectures and model railroad fairs, occasionally film screenings or exhibitions, primarily in Lüneburg. Excursions are also carried out for this purpose.
Operation today
Today, the Heide Express runs on routes around Lüneburg, Winsen, Soltau , Celle and Walsrode . It is driven several times a year in the summer months on certain occasions. One focus of the activities is regular trips on the Bleckeder Kleinbahn ( Lüneburg – Bleckede railway ). The trips are i. d. Usually carried out on the first and third Sunday of the month from May to September, with additional driving days on special occasions. On several days a year there is a connection to the paddle steamer Kaiser Wilhelm in Bleckede , which enables a connection to and from Lauenburg. In addition, the popular St. Nicholas trains run at the beginning of December, which depart on different weekends from different stations in the OHE network.
The following routes are used:
- Winsen (Luhe) –Niedermarschacht
- Winsen (Luhe) –Salzhausen – Hützel
- Lüneburg – Bleckede (–Waldfrieden)
- Lüneburg Süd – Amelinghausen – Hützel (partly –Soltau)
- Celle – Hankensbüttel – Wittingen
- Celle – Beckedorf - Hermannsburg – Müden (Örtze)
- Walsrode – Bomlitz
In cooperation with other associations, the AVL vehicles are occasionally used on other routes for special train journeys.
vehicles
The AVL vehicles are used in various combinations. For trips on the Heide-Express, the V46-01 or the 230 41, which is also set at TEL, are usually used with trains from conversion and platform vehicles or the GDT 0518. On the days of travel on the Bleckeder Kleinbahn, the GDT 0518 is most often used with a boxcar, for example the 1017, for transporting bicycles.
Locomotives and railcars
| vehicle | Company number | design type | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small locomotive | 1 | Deutz LM216R | monument |
| Small locomotive | 2 | Deutz KS55 B | Shunter |
| Diesel locomotive | 5 | LHB S200 | switched off |
| Mainline locomotive | V 46-01 | MaK 600 D | |
| Mainline locomotive | DL 00601 | WR 200 B | switched off |
| Railcar | DT 0504 | Diesel multiple unit (Gotha) | |
| Railcar | DT 511 | Wismar | operational |
| Railcar | GDT 0515 | MaK GDT | Spare parts dispenser |
| Railcar | GDT 0518 | MaK GDT | operational |
Passenger cars
| vehicle | Company number | design type |
|---|---|---|
| "Amelinghausen" seating car | 0002 | B3yg |
| "Lüneburg" seating car | 0003 | B3yg |
| "Bleckede" seating car | 0004 | B3yg |
| "Egestorf" buffet car | 0005 | BR3yg |
| "Scharnebeck" seating car | 0006 | B3yg |
| Seating car | 0011 | Ci (" blunderbuss ") |
| Buffet trolley | 0012 | CRi ("blunderbuss") |
| "Winsen / Luhe" seating car | 0016 | AB3yg |
| Seating car | 0023 | Ci ("blunderbuss") |
| Seating car | 0034 | B3yg |
| Social car | 0115 | Pw4ü-30 |
| Railcar trailer | 0304 | ------ |
| Social car | 1990 | Bpw 4 |
Freight wagons and other wagons
| vehicle | Company number | Vehicle type |
|---|---|---|
| Workshop trolley | 0109 | Post mr / a |
| Van | 0110 | Pw |
| Van | 0115 | ----- |
| Van | 0125 | Pwgs |
| Van | 0138 | OHE Pwi |
| ged. Freight wagons | 1007 | Gls 205 |
| Tank wagons | 1013 | Z |
| ged. Freight wagons | 1017 | Glmns |
| ged. Freight wagons | 1018 | Ghs |
| Tank wagons | 1019 | Z |
| Freight wagons | 1029 | G |
| Flat car | 1150 | X |
| Flat car | 1151 | X |
| ged. Freight wagons | 1054 | G |
| ged. Freight wagons | 1168 | G |
| Flat car | 1171 | X |
| Flat car | 1173 | X |
| Stake car | 1169 | Rklmm |
In the past, locomotives of the East Hanoverian Railways were also used on some journeys . This was particularly the case when driving in the Celle area.
Web links
- http://www.heide-express.de (official website)
- Vehicle list
- http://heidekreuz.de (information about railways in the Lüneburg Heath)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.heide-express.de/index.php/dt-0511.html Vehicle description of the DT 0511 on the AVL homepage
- ↑ http://www.heide-express.de/index.php/news.html
- ↑ http://www.heide-express.de/index.php/fahrzeuge.html
- ↑ http://privat-bahn.de/AVL.html