Düren – Distelrath railway line

Düren – Distelrath
Bridge road level crossing, in the background the Bördebahn
Route length:	2.7 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Legend from Aachen from Heimbach 0.0 Düren to Jülich formerly to Neuss Bördebahn to Euskirchen , to Cologne 0.8 0 0.00 Transfer station Distelrath Connection curve from the Bördebahn from Nörvenich and Ringbahn 1.9 Distelrath ( Bw of the Rurtalbahn ) formerly to the DKB city network Swell:

The railway Düren Thistle Rath was a single-track, non-electrified branch line which from Düren to station Distelrath the Dürener circular path led (DKB). It was used exclusively for freight traffic and was converted into an industrial main track in 1969/70 as a railway for non-public transport. From February 1, 1971, the route was served by the DB . In the course of the new connection of the Distelrath depot operated by Rurtalbahn GmbH via the Bördebahn , the line was shut down.

history

Main line between Distelrath and the bridge road junction in 2013

The line from Düren to Distelrath was put into operation at the latest when the DKB began operating freight traffic in 1908.

After the Second World War , traffic on the line was resumed on August 13, 1945. Since the Rurbrücke of the Ringbahn was destroyed in 1944 due to the effects of the war, the western part of the Ringbahn could not be served from Distelrath via Birkesdorf from 1945 until the inauguration of the new Rurbrücke on October 9, 1951 . For this purpose, a track connection was established between the Cologne - Aachen line of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and the DKB freight station in Gürzenich. This enabled the freight trains to reach Düren station and the route to Distelrath over the Rur Bridge, which had already been rebuilt by the Reichsbahn. Via this track connection and the Düren - Distelrath connection, DKB trams were also towed from the Rölsdorf - Lendersdorf or Gürzenich lines to the main workshop in Distelrath, as the tram connection through the Düren city center was not available again until 1952 due to the severe war damage.

Even after the closure of the lines to Nörvenich in 1968 and the ring line in 1970, the DKB continued to carry out freight traffic on the line to Düren with its own locomotive until January 31, 1971, with the line in an industrial main track as a non-public transport line in 1969/70 was converted. Since February 1, 1971, the route has been served by the DB.

In 1997 and 1998 the depot of the DKB was largely redesigned and the actual Distelrath station rebuilt and provided with sidings. The old route to the transfer station was shut down and a new connection to Düren station was built via the Bördebahn. The new company workshop for trains and buses went into operation on January 19, 1998.

Route description

Level crossing just before the Distelrath train station

The line threaded from the Düren station in an easterly direction from the track to Euskirchen or Cologne. A small drainage mountain with a track is still located here today. It ran roughly parallel to the Bördebahn in a wide right curve to the southeast and later to the south until it merged into the Distelrath station of the DKB.

Dueren train station

→ Main article : Düren station

Düren and its island station have been connected to the railway network via this railway line since September 6, 1841 . Since then, Düren station has been the starting point for seven railway lines: There are connections to the lines in the direction of Aachen and Cologne , as well as to the Rurtalbahn (RB 21) to Linnich and Heimbach . Furthermore, the Bördebahn in the direction of Euskirchen is used regularly for passenger traffic on weekends and for freight traffic to Zülpich . The former route towards Neuss via Elsdorf was shut down and dismantled in 1995. The end of this line was at three butt tracks, which ended directly at the reception building in a turntable . Today the tracks in the area have been removed.

The rest of the route to Distelrath still consists of tracks 188 and 189.

Transfer station Distelrath

The transfer station Distelrath has been used to transfer wagons between DB and DKB since the DKB began operating freight traffic in 1908. Originally it had three continuous tracks and an additional siding from NT Rey, later scrap recycling Oellig. In the course of the conversion of the line into an industrial main track, the transfer station became dispensable. Therefore, all side tracks were later removed.

Distelrath station

Distelrath station in 1994

→ Main article : Distelrath train station

Distelrath station was the operational center of the DKB from the start. In addition to the administration, the main workshops for road and rail vehicles and later for buses were located here. Like the Ringbahn and the Nörvenich line, the line from Düren station had an entry signal. At the Distelrath station there was also the transition to the city network of the DKB. The railway station tracks used by the tram were electrified with 600 volts DC . The station building and the signal box attached to it were located on a large central platform . For passenger traffic, there were two tracks with overhead lines for the tram on the west side of the central platform and one track without overhead lines on the east side of the same. In addition, the station had extensive track systems for freight traffic as well as numerous sidings.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
2. ↑ Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 39-62 .
3. ↑ ^{a b} Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 52 .
4. ↑ Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 44 .
5. ^ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (Ed.): 75 years of Dürener Kreisbahn . Düren 1983, p. 26 .
6. ↑ Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 45 .
7. ↑ Willi Hallmann: The Dürener Kreisbahn in the course of time and 10 years of the new Rurtalbahn . Hahne & Schloemer Verlag, Düren 2003, ISBN 3-927312-62-2 , p. 42-43 .
8. ↑ Willi Hallmann: The Dürener Kreisbahn in the course of time and 10 years of the new Rurtalbahn . Hahne & Schloemer Verlag, Düren 2003, ISBN 3-927312-62-2 , p. 122 .
9. ↑ Tracks in service facilities - Düren station. (PDF; 184 kB) Retrieved August 22, 2012 . 
10. ↑ Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 40 .