Distelrath – Schneidhausen railway line

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Distelrath – Schneidhausen
Rur bridge between the Birkesdorf-Süd and Mariaweiler stations
Rur bridge between the Birkesdorf-Süd and Mariaweiler stations
Route length: 12.5 km
Gauge : 1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system : Rölsdorf - Lendersdorf location: 600 V  =
Legend
   
 from the Düren city network (tram)
   
 0.0 Distelrath former. PV, today Bw of Rurtalbahn
   
 Route to the transfer station and to Düren
   
 Bördebahn Euskirchen - Düren
   
 Route to Nörvenich
   
 Düren bypass curve (Neuss - Euskirchen)
   
 Cologne – Aachen railway line
   
 Arnoldsweilerweg
   
 Jülich – Düren railway line
   
 Heerweg
   
 3.8 Birkesdorf South
   
 Inden - Düren route (meter gauge)
   
 Rur
   
 5.0 Rst Felt cloth factory Th. J. Heimbach
   
 5.2 Mariaweiler
   
 6.4 Rst Hoffsümmer
BSicon xABZgl.svgBSicon xKRZu.svgBSicon .svg
Line from Aachen to Cologne
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Goods base Gürzenich (transition to the state railway)
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from Gürzenich (tram)
BSicon exHST.svgBSicon exSTR.svgBSicon .svg
Breuer's house
BSicon exABZmgl.svgBSicon exABZg + r.svgBSicon .svg
Transition between tram and ring tram
BSicon uexSTR.svgBSicon exBST.svgBSicon .svg
6.9 Rst Hannemann
BSicon uexSTR.svgBSicon exSTR.svgBSicon exKDSTa.svg
Industrial company Rölsdorf
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7.0
BSicon uexABZgl + l.svgBSicon exmKRZ.svgBSicon uexHSTq.svg
Rölsdorf triangle from the Düren city network
BSicon uexSTRl.svgBSicon exmABZg + r.svgBSicon .svg
   
 7.9 Rölsdorf
   
 9.4 Boisdorf
   
 Lendersdorf Hammerstr.
   
 Lendersdorf Gbf.
   
 10.6 Lendersdorf place
   
 12.5 Schneidhausen (Werkbf.)
Swell:

The Distelrath – Schneidhausen railway was a normal-gauge small railway line of the Dürener Kreisbahn (DKB). It led from Distelrath in an arc via Birkesdorf north around the city of Düren and was therefore also known as the ring railway, bypass railway or freight ring.

The route was primarily used for freight transport to industrial companies in the north of the city of Düren as well as in Mariaweiler , Rölsdorf , Lendersdorf and Schneidhausen . On the section between Distelrath and Mariaweiler, passenger traffic was also carried out at times .

The Rölsdorf - Lendersdorf Ort section was used by the DKB tram until 1954 and was therefore electrified with 600  volts DC .

history

opening

  • October 6, 1908: Rölsdorf - Lendersdorf (passenger traffic, tram)
  • July 20, 1912: total route (freight traffic)
  • 1951: Distelrath - Birkesdorf-Süd - Mariaweiler (passenger traffic)

Shutdown

  • 1944: Lendersdorf - Schneidhausen
  • April 30, 1954: Rölsdorf - Lendersdorf (passenger traffic, tram)
  • after 1958: Distelrath - Birkesdorf-Süd - Mariaweiler (passenger transport)
  • February 28, 1970: Distelrath - Lendersdorf (entire route)

First plans

As early as the second half of the 19th century, the industry based in the Düren area - above all the paper and cloth industry  - was a major driver of the establishment of favorable transport links. The district town of Düren had already had an important transport connection with its train station on the railway line from Cologne to Aachen since 1841 . The industrial companies in the more distant urban area and in the surrounding area were initially unable to benefit from this to a satisfactory extent. For example, there were paper mills in the communities of Rölsdorf and Niederau south of Düren, a rolling mill in Lendersdorf and finally an iron cutting mill in Schneidhausen. These places - like the Birkesdorf north of Düren - were not or only partially opened up by the railway lines starting from Düren.

The Dürener Dampfstraßenbahn AG (DDAG) , founded in 1888, was able to achieve a first milestone with its line from Düren station to Birkesdorf , which was put into operation in 1893 . With a gauge of 1000 millimeters, the railway established a connection between the industrial companies in the north of the city and in Birkesdorf to the state railway.

The Düren district council dealt with the traffic development of the rest of the district on March 13, 1895 . However, nothing happened for a long time. In November 1904 the Minister of Public Works released the following projected small railroad lines:

  • Zülpich  - Nörvenich  - Düren: steam operation (passenger and freight traffic)
  • Distelrath - Düren - Rölsdorf - Schlich  - Weisweiler : electrical operation (passenger transport, Distelrath - Schlich also freight transport)
  • Düren Staatsbahnhof - Lendersdorf Staatsbahnhof : electrical operation (passenger traffic)

The district council then commissioned the West German Railway Company (WEG) on December 21, 1904 with the further planning of the routes. With that, the construction of the Düren circular path had finally started rolling.

Planned routing of the Ringbahn

Overview sheet with the planned bypass in December 1906

In a meeting on March 9, 1905, a commission of the circular railway dealt with the planning of a circular railway Düren - Lendersdorf - Düren. This would have been carried out as an extension of the already mentioned route Düren Staatsbahnhof - Lendersdorf Staatsbahnhof via Lendersdort, Ort - Boisdorf - Rölsdorf again to Düren Staatsbahnhof with a branch line to Gürzenich . This ring line would have crossed the Rur twice , at the Niederauer Wehr and along the Aachener Strasse , and would have been designed as a freight train route between Lendersdorf State Station and Rölsdorf. The transfer station to the state railway would have been Lendersdorf Staatsbahnhof.

In the contract between the district of Düren and the WEG of April 30, 1906, the freight bypass line was to begin south around Düren at the Distelrath station, touch Binsfelder Strasse , Zülpicher Strasse and Nideggener Strasse and cross the Rur above Neumühle. In Distelrath, the transfer station to the state railway for the route to Nörvenich  - Zülpich was planned anyway . In addition to the Distelrath - Lendersdorf - Rölsdorf steam operation, the Lendersdorf - Rölsdorf - Gürzenich electrical operation was also planned for freight traffic. The cost estimate for the bypass was 350,000 marks.

A bridge over the Rur was planned for the bypass railway south of Düren. The Rur valley route to Heimbach should also be crossed without any level. The course of the Rur should be straightened in the area of ​​the Rurbrücke.

The first start of construction

Sketch of the Rur bridge for the southern freight bypass and the planned Rur regulation

Construction of the circular railway lines began as early as 1906, although the approval of the district president of Aachen for the construction of the circular railway was only granted on January 8, 1908. However, since the state police reports for the communities affected by the construction were already available at the end of November 1906, the groundbreaking ceremony for a cut at Merzenich took place in mid-December . At the end of April 1907, the route from Rölsdorf to Lendersdorf was already ready for construction, but expropriation proceedings had to be awaited for other routes . In September 1907, work also began on the bypass railway; but these were interrupted again in October of the same year. The reason was a dispute over the new bridge over the Rur. Although the foundations for the first bridge pillar had already been filled with concrete on the left bank of the Rur on the Lendersdorf side and the excavations had been completed for the remaining pillars, the city ​​and WEG did not agree on the location of the Rur bridge. The Düren city administration suggested a different construction than in the already partially implemented plans of the WEG. The real point of contention was the course of the Rur itself. The Düren city administration wanted the river bed to be straightened , whereas the WEG wanted to keep the previous course. Since the two sides could not seem to agree on the matter, work on the bypass was finally stopped on December 21, 1907.

Despite the difficulties in building the bypass, construction work continued on the other lines. The tracks were already in place between Rölsdorf and Lendersdorf in 1907. After the completion of the inner-city tram routes, the first test drive with a tram car from Distelrath through the city via Rölsdorf to Lendersdorf took place on September 3, 1908, which was the first time a rail vehicle traveled on a section of the later Ringbahn . After further successful test drives, including on September 18 to Gürzenich, the Düren tram was officially opened on October 6, 1908. The construction department of the WEG for Düren could thus be dissolved on October 10, 1908. Only the bypass line and thus the connection to goods traffic, which is so important for industry, was still missing.

The second start of construction

The project of the southern bypass was no longer pursued after 1907, especially as the city administration of Düren feared that this stretch would inhibit the further structural development of the city. Therefore, negotiations were made with the WEG to instead lead the bypass around the city to the north. The line was to merge into the already completed circular railway lines between Rölsdorf and Gürzenich and between Distelrath and Merzenich. Although more engineering structures were required for this variant, for example the overpasses over the Düren - Cologne, Düren - Neuss and Jülich - Düren railway lines east of the Düren train station, a larger number of industrial plants and important localities could be connected. Railway stations were planned on this northern route in Birkesdorf and Mariaweiler. On January 5, 1910, the concession for freight traffic on the entire route was finally granted, and electrically powered passenger traffic was also approved between Birkesdorf and Rölsdorf.

Unfortunately, the expropriation process dragged on and could not be completed until the end of August 1911, which in turn delayed construction on the entire route with its numerous underpasses and overpasses. The line was finally put into operation on July 20, 1912.

Planned tram Lendersdorf - Winden

Shortly after the opening of the tram routes to Lendersdorf Ort and Friedenau (near Kreuzau), the construction of a tram to Winden was put up for discussion. Two variants were discussed for this: First, the extension of the tram from Kreuzau to Winden, whereby the Rur should have been crossed. On the other hand, the extension of the Ringbahn beyond Schneidhausen on the left of the Rur to Winden. In this case, the tram would have continued from Lendersdorf to Winden. In the meantime, politicians have called for both lines to be built according to Winden. In the district council meeting on April 4, 1912, it was decided not to pursue the project any further.

Second World War and Reconstruction

The Rurbrücke, built in 1951, will still be used as a pedestrian and cycle path in 2013

Since the Rurbrücke of the Ringbahn was destroyed in 1944 due to the effects of the war, the line between Mariaweiler and Birkesdorf-Süd was out of service. From 1945 until the inauguration of the new Rur Bridge on October 9, 1951, the western part of the Ringbahn could not be served from Distelrath. 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 over the Rur Bridge, which had already been rebuilt by the Reichsbahn. DKB trams from the Rölsdorf - Lendersdorf or Gürzenich lines to the main workshop in Distelrath were also towed via this track connection, as the tram connection through the Düren city center was only available again in 1952 due to the severe war damage. The line between Lendersdorf Ort and Schneidhausen was not put back into operation after the Second World War.

With the commissioning of the new Rur bridge in 1951, passenger traffic between Distelrath and Mariaweiler was started, which was geared to the shift times of the industrial companies. The trips were carried out with a Wismar rail bus and stopped again in 1955. However, five pairs of trains Distelrath - Birkesdorf-Süd and two pairs of trains Distelrath - Mariaweiler are listed in the 1958 summer timetable. Almost all trains, however, have the note “only on special instruction”.

Planned tram Düren - Mariaweiler

In the course of the discussions about the extension of the Düren railway (DEAG) line from Düren station to Kaiserplatz in 1950, the Düren district railway asked DEAG for permission to add a third rail to the DEAG line between Düren and the intersection with the ring railway at its own expense to be relocated near Birkesdorf-Süd. In this context, a link with the Ringbahn was planned, so that a direct tram connection from Mariaweiler via Birkesdorf to Düren city center would have been created. Due to discrepancies between the city of Düren, the DKB and DEAG, these plans were not implemented.

Decline and cessation of operations

On April 30, 1954, the tram traffic between Rölsdorf Dreieck and Lendersdorf Ort and between Rölsdorf Dreieck and Gürzenich was stopped because of the poor condition of the tracks. The overhead contact line was then dismantled and partially reused to electrify the Neffel valley line from Nörvenich to Zülpich. This left only goods traffic on the western part of the Ringbahn, which had to struggle with the increasing competition from trucks .

As early as 1962, the DKB tried to reduce the economic deficit by abandoning freight traffic between Nörvenich and Zülpich. As early as May 10, 1965, the Ministry of the Distelrath - Nörvenich railway line and the Distelrath - Lendersdorf ring railway submitted an application for release from the obligation to operate. After the freight traffic to Nörvenich was discontinued on June 30, 1968, the ring line - apart from the connecting line to Düren station - was the last rail line still operated by the DKB. Here the companies concerned initially resisted a shutdown. After lengthy negotiations, the parties agreed that the DKB should pay compensation for the conversion of the transports to trucks. With this, the Ringbahn was finally shut down on February 28, 1970.

Route description

Underpassing the Bördebahn
Bridge over the Arnoldsweilerweg

The Ringbahn had its starting point in the Distelrath station, the operational center of the DKB. It initially led in a north-easterly direction and, together with the route to Nörvenich and Merzenicher Strasse, crossed under the route Düren - Euskirchen . Shortly after the underpass, the Ringbahn separated from the route to Nörvenich and finally led in a wide arc to the west, roughly parallel to Heerweg . The railway lines to Cologne, Neuss and Jülich as well as the Arnoldsweilerweg were crossed here. This section and the route in the further course towards the Rur were kept free for the northern Düren bypass road B 264n. After crossing the Rur, the route swiveled in a south-easterly or south-westerly direction to Rölsdorf. From Breuer's Häuschen to Rölsdorf train station, the track of the Ringbahn ran parallel to the track of the tram from Rölsdorf to Gürzenich. The operation was separated between road and rail, but there was a connecting track to the Gürzenich freight station at Breuer's house. In the further course from Rölsdorf to Lendersdorf and Schneidhausen, the route ran roughly parallel to the Rur.

Distelrath station

Distelrath station at the starting point (km 0.0) of the line has been the operational center of the DKB since it was commissioned. In addition to the administration, the main workshops for road and rail vehicles and later for buses were located here. Like the lines from Düren station and from Nörvenich, the Ringbahn 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. From here the steam trains went in the direction of Nörvenich and Zülpich, later the railcars to Birkesdorf-Süd and Mariaweiler. In addition, the station had extensive track systems for freight traffic as well as numerous sidings.

Birkesdorf-Süd train station

Site of the former Birkesdorf-Süd train station in 2013
Plan of the Birkesdorf-Süd station

The Birkesdorf train station (Ringbahn), later called Birkesdorf-Süd , was located at 3.8 km and was roughly parallel to today's street An der Kreisbahn , formerly Südstraße on the southern outskirts of Birkesdorf. It had a loading platform connected on both sides, and there was a small service building and a toilet building. The station was primarily used for freight traffic and - until the First World War - as a connection to the HM Schoeller paper mill. From 1951 to 1955, passenger trains also ran to Mariaweiler and Distelrath during rush hour.

A little west of the Birkesdorf-Süd train station, the ring line crossed the meter-gauge Düren - Inden line operated by DEAG. There was no rail connection or a reloading point here.

Mariaweiler train station

Bridge over the mill pond west of Mariaweiler train station in 2013
Plan of the Mariaweiler train station

The Mariaweiler train station at kilometer 5.18 was on today's street An Gut Nazareth , formerly Dürener Straße, just outside the town in a south-easterly direction. The facilities were similar to those of the Birkesdorf-Süd train station. There was a loading platform connected from both sides and a small service building. The station was primarily used for freight traffic and the connection to the felt cloth factory Thomas Josef Heimbach . From 1951 to 1955, passenger trains also ran to Birkesdorf-Süd and Distelrath during rush hour.

After crossing the Gürzenich mill pond , the circular railway swung in a large arc in the south-south-east direction and crossed today's industrial area Nickepütz. The route ran in the location of today's Bahnstrasse past Gürzenich in the direction of Rölsdorf.

Freight station Gürzenich

Plan of the Gürzenich freight yard

The branch line to the Gürzenich freight station branched off from the tram line to Gürzenich at today's Papiermühle road (formerly Mühlenweg ). The station had a loading and reloading track, and there was a connection to the Düren - Aachen railway line. From 1944 until the restoration of the Rur Bridge of the Ringbahn, all freight traffic in the direction of Rölsdorf and Lendersdorf was handled via this track connection. Tram cars stationed in Rölsdorf were also towed to and from the main workshop in Distelrath.

Rölsdorf industrial train station

The junction to the Rölsdorf industrial station was at km 7.0 . This served to join the Zimmermann & Janssen company until 1970 and the Petry-Dereux iron foundry until after the Second World War . The industrial station had a transfer track and was served from Rölsdorf station.

Rölsdorf station

After crossing with the tram line to Düren, the ring line reached the largest station on the line after Distelrath, Rölsdorf station, at kilometer 7.9 . Here there was a shunting siding, a loading siding and several sidings as well as a small goods shed that stood until the 1990s. The tram had a small wagon hall in the area of ​​the station, as the early wagons to Lendersdorf and Gürzenich were used from here. The further route from Rölsdorf to the south was used together with the tram to Lendersdorf Ort.

Boisdorf train station

The Boisdorf train station at route km 9.4 was the scheduled stop of the tram. It had a loading track connected on one side to serve the Boisdorf estate and, until 1963, for the Kayser paper mill. Moving locomotives was not possible here.

Lendersdorf freight yard

Plan of the Lendersdorf freight yard

The Lendersdorf freight yard was upstream of the Lendersdorf passenger station . It had a loading track connected on both sides. The tram stop Lendersdorf Hammerstraße was just before the freight yard .

As an extension, a shed was originally planned for the tram motor vehicles.

Lendersdorf Ort train station

Plan of the Lendersdorf Ort train station
Remaining track of the ring railway between Lendersdorf and Schneidhausen in 2013 used as a footpath and bicycle path

The Lendersdorf Ort train station at route kilometer 10.6 was the final stop of the tram and for this purpose had a transfer track for passenger traffic. The end of the route was initially planned here.

Later there was a reloading track for freight traffic further south. In addition, the iron and steel works and foundry Eberhard Hoesch had its own loading track, which was operated occasionally until 1970.

Remnants of track are still preserved before the line between Lendersdorf Ort and Schneidhausen. On this section of the route parallel to the Rur there is now a footpath and bike path.

Schneidhausen works station

The Schneidhausen works station was at the end of the line at kilometer 12.5. It was used to connect the Eberhard Hoesch rolling mill and, in addition to two loading tracks, had a transfer track. After 1944 the station was no longer served.

literature

  • Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (Ed.): 75 years of Dürener Kreisbahn . Düren 1983.
  • Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, ISBN 3-88255-660-9 .
  • Dieter Höltge, Axel Reuther: Trams and light rail vehicles in Germany, Volume 7: Cologne, Düren, Aachen . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2001, ISBN 3-88255-338-3 .

Web links

Commons : Ringbahn (Düren)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rail network conditions of use of the Rurtalbahn GmbH - special section (SNB-BT). (PDF; 73 KiB) Accessed February 10, 2012 .
  2. ^ Winand Perillieux, Hans J. Leven and Bernd Schwarz: Railways in Euskirchen. Between the Eifel, Börde and Ville . Kenning Verlag, 1991.
  3. ↑ Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 53 .
  4. ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
  5. ↑ Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 39-62 .
  6. ^ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (Ed.): 75 years of Dürener Kreisbahn . Düren 1983, p. 14 .
  7. ↑ a b c Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 50 .
  8. ↑ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (ed.): History of the Dürener Kreisbahn 1908–1958 . Düren 1958, p. 6 .
  9. ↑ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (ed.): History of the Dürener Kreisbahn 1908–1958 . Düren 1958, p. 11-12 .
  10. ↑ Overview sheet of the Düren circular paths. Retrieved August 1, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (ed.): History of the Dürener Kreisbahn 1908–1958 . Düren 1958, p. 12 .
  12. ↑ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (ed.): History of the Dürener Kreisbahn 1908–1958 . Düren 1958, p. 14 .
  13. ↑ a b Rölsdorf-Distelrath bypass of the Düren district railway. Retrieved August 15, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (ed.): History of the Dürener Kreisbahn 1908–1958 . Düren 1958, p. 19 .
  15. ↑ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (ed.): History of the Dürener Kreisbahn 1908–1958 . Düren 1958, p. 21 .
  16. ↑ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (ed.): History of the Dürener Kreisbahn 1908–1958 . Düren 1958, p. 27 .
  17. ^ Anton Gülden: Manuscript for the commemorative publication '70 Years of the Dürener Kreisbahn ' . City Archives Düren, 1977, p. 41 .
  18. ^ Anton Gülden: Manuscript for the commemorative publication '70 Years of the Dürener Kreisbahn ' . City Archives Düren, 1977, p. 47 .
  19. ↑ Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 52 .
  20. ^ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (Ed.): 75 years of Dürener Kreisbahn . Düren 1983, p. 26 .
  21. ↑ a b Bernd Hahne: Always on the move - 100 years of the Düren circular path 1908-2008 . Düren 2008, p. 54 .
  22. ↑ The tram should go. In: Dürener Zeitung. November 21, 1950. Retrieved February 8, 2012 .
  23. ↑ Wisoveg - Festschrift BKB-MLB. Retrieved February 8, 2012 .
  24. ↑ Bernd Hahne: Always on the move - 100 years of the Düren circular path 1908-2008 . Düren 2008, p. 130 .
  25. ^ City of Düren (Ed.): Official city map . 7th edition. Kartographie-Dienst GmbH, Dortmund 1988.
  26. ↑ Rölsdorf-Distelrath bypass of the Düren district railway. P. 2 , accessed on August 3, 2017 .
  27. ↑ a b c d e f Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways, Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia - southern part . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, p. 51 .
  28. ↑ Rölsdorf-Distelrath bypass of the Düren district railway. P. 2 , accessed on August 3, 2017 .
  29. ↑ Distelrath-Düren-Gürzenich railway line. Site plans z. Partly colored (9 sheets). P. 11 , accessed on August 1, 2017 .
  30. ^ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (Ed.): 75 years of Dürener Kreisbahn . Düren 1983, p. 13 .
  31. ↑ a b Rölsdorf-Lendershof railway line, cross profiles of streets, site plans. P. 5 , accessed on August 15, 2017 .
  32. ↑ a b Rölsdorf-Lendershof railway line, cross profiles of streets, site plans. P. 6 , accessed on August 15, 2017 .