Meuselwitz – Ronneburg railway line

Meuselwitz – Ronneburg
Section of the route map of Saxony 1902
Route number (DB) :	6661; sä. MR
Course book range :	172h (1944)
Route length:	27.15 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Maximum slope :	17  ‰
Minimum radius :	300 m
Legend from Zeitz 0.00 Meuselwitz to Altenburg and Gaschwitz 4.70 Großröda 7.65 Starkenberg 0.0 Kayna / sand pit 2.0 9.75 4.0 11.80 Dobitschen 6.8 14.59 Lumpzig ( Großbraunshain ) 9.3 17.05 Reichstädt ( Frankenau ) 11.8 19.50 Great stone entrance 20.22 Grossenstein (Kr Gera) to Drosen ( Wismut-Werkbahn ) 23.61 Beerwalde (Kr Schmölln) Federal motorway 4 from Gößnitz 25.44 Raitzhain (wedge station) to Seelingstädt ( Wismut-Werkbahn ) 27.15 Ronneburg to Gera

The Meuselwitz – Ronneburg railway was a single-track branch line in eastern Thuringia , which was originally built and operated by the Royal Saxon State Railways . In 1972 the line was closed because of an open-cast lignite mine. The Dobitschen – Ronneburg section was later put back into operation and served until 2014 as a works railway for Wismut GmbH . Since 2014, the operations management for the entire route has been with the Starkenberger Baustoffwerke.

history

The line was opened on October 17, 1887. It was interrupted between Großröda and Meuselwitz in spring 1965 due to an open-cast lignite mine . As a result, the line was closed on May 28, 1972 to Großenstein and dismantled until 1974. In 1975 , the SDAG Wismut built a connection to the local works station near Beerwalde , via which shift workers' trains to and from Gera ran three times a day from Monday to Friday. In Raitzhain, thanks to a passenger transport system built in 1972, the miners from Altenburg were able to get on.

Since the Wismut needed large amounts of sand to mine the uranium deposits in Thuringia in the backfill mining , the line from the northern exit from Großenstein to kilometer 9.75 was rebuilt as a works railway and resumed operation as early as 1978, initially with provisional operating technology. At kilometer 9.75, a new building about 2 km long was erected up to the Kayna sand pit in the Kraasa district, which today belongs to Starkenberg . By 1979 the two railway stations Kayna and Großenstein as well as several half-barrier systems and one full barrier were rebuilt and equipped with the most modern technology at the time (track plan signal boxes, automatic route block). The management, including the technical support of the railway systems, was taken over by the Wismut-Werkbahn , which also provided the entire dispatcher . In 1979 a connecting curve was built from the direction of Großenstein to the Beerwalde works station, which enabled direct sand train traffic from Kayna via Beerwalde to the backfill in Löbichau . The silica-containing concrete sleepers installed in the second half of the 1970s showed increasing damage and had to be replaced from 1984 onwards. In 1989 the Kayna station was converted to remote control from Großenstein.

With the winter timetable 1990/91 the workers traffic was stopped, the train station facilities in Beerwalde were shut down and demolished in autumn 1997. To this day, however, the Kayna sand mine is still in use and the sand is transported over the Kayna – Großenstein – Raitzhain route. On February 26, 1998, the Grossenstein – Raitzhain section taken over by Deutsche Bahn AG was officially closed by the Federal Railway Authority and sold to Wismut GmbH. Operations continued without interruption. Since March 1, 2014, operations management for the entire route has been with the Starkenberger Baustoffwerke.

Route description

Route

The section from Kayna, Sandgrube, which is still in operation today, is located entirely in Thuringia and only has to do with Kayna , now part of the city of Zeitz in Saxony-Anhalt, in name (the parts of the sandpit located in today's Saxony-Anhalt area are no longer used) . From Dobitschen to Lumpzig it initially runs along the border with Saxony-Anhalt and meets the course of the Großensteiner Sprat between Reichstädt and Großenstein . Since the section from Großenstein to Raitzhain was still owned by the Deutsche Reichsbahn after the Wismut-Werkbahn reopened it, there is an atypical kilometer change at the entrance to the Großenstein station.

Between stations Großenstein (Kr Gera) and Beerwalde (Kr Schmölln) branched from 1975 to 1997 on the Gleisdreieck Beerwalde South W 11-Beerwalde North W 22-letter Beerwalde the run by the bismuth plant railway railway Beerwalde-Drosen on what now completely was built back. At Raitzhain, the federal motorway 4 is crossed in a long right-hand bend and the federal highway 7 is crossed at the same level before the Gößnitz – Gera railway line is reached. Although the route was only built as far as Raitzhain (25.44 km), the kilometering continues to Ronneburg (27.15 km).

Operating points

Meuselwitz ⊙

Meuselwitz train station

→ Main article : Meuselwitz train station

Meuselwitz station was opened on June 19, 1872 together with the Zeitz – Altenburg line. On September 7, 1874 the railway line to Leipzig (Meuselwitz-Gaschwitz) and on October 17, 1887 the railway line to Ronneburg was opened. Since June 1942, the Meuselwitz – Haselbach – Regis-Breitingen coal railway ran through the northern Meuselwitz-Altenburg lignite district . Meuselwitz station had the following names:

• until 1929: Meuselwitz
• until 1953: Meuselwitz (Thür)
• since 1953: Meuselwitz

Due to the lignite mining, the Meuselwitz – Großröda section of the Meuselwitz – Ronneburg railway was closed in 1965. When the Zwenkau and Groitzscher Dreieck opencast mines opened up, the railway line to Leipzig was interrupted and removed between Lucka and Groitzsch in the 1970s. After that, the remaining section of the route to Lucka was operated in freight traffic until May 23, 1993.

At the beginning of 2004 the passenger traffic between Altenburg and Zeitz was stopped. On the Zeitz ( Profen ) –Meuselwitz section, coal trains ran until 2013 to supply the power station in Mumsdorf and a few trains to the Kriebitzsch gravel recycling plant.

The Meuselwitz – Haselbach – Regis-Breitingen coal line is the last railway line in Meuselwitz where rail traffic takes place. It is used in museum operations. Meuselwitz station was expanded to become a cultural station. The stately reception building and a locomotive shed used by the coal railway have been preserved to this day. The part of the yard where the trains on the Gaschwitz – Meuselwitz railway stopped via Groitzsch was re-gauged to a gauge of 900 mm by the coal railway in 2009.

Großröda ⊙

Former location of Großröda train station (2019)

The station Großröda was opened on 17 October 1887 as the station dedicated in 1905 to the station. The station building from 1887 was expanded to include a service room in 1905 and a waiting room in 1922. The station also had a car body, a loading ramp, a toilet and three tracks. Siding 4 was put into operation in 1900. In 1924 the station was given a house for four families, which has been preserved at the site to this day.

The railway line between Meuselwitz and Großröda was interrupted in spring 1965 due to open-cast lignite mining. On September 26, 1971, the station was taken out of service. It was outside of Großröda in the northwest near the Eugenschacht. The station building was demolished. The Großröda – Großenstein section was closed on May 28, 1972. It was dismantled by 1974.

Starkenberg ⊙

Former Starkenberg stop in Kostitz, reception building

The Starkenberg stop was opened on October 17, 1887 under the name Kostitz . Following the 1950 incorporation of Kostitz after heavy mountain he wore from 1955 the name Starkenberg . The reception building, built in 1887, is now a residential building with a restaurant. With the cessation of rail traffic on the Großröda – Großenstein section, the station was decommissioned on September 26, 1971 and the tracks were dismantled by 1974.

Kayna / sand pit ⊙

The newly built Kayna / Sandgrube freight yard in Kraasa was opened on February 1, 1978. It should not be confused with the Kayna and Kaynaer Quarzwerke stations on the narrow-gauge railway line Gera-Pforten-Wuitz-Mumsdorf , operated between 1901 and 1970 , which is located on the Kayna corridor beyond the Gera - Halle district border at that time and today's Thuringia - Saxony border . Anhalt were.

The connection of the Kayna sand pit in the Kraasa district, which today belongs to Starkenberg , served to remove a large amount of sand that SDAG Wismut needed to mine the uranium deposits in East Thuringia in backfill mining . As a result, the railway line dismantled in 1974 from Großenstein up to kilometer 9.75 was rebuilt as a works railway and an approximately 2 km long new building was built to the Kayna sand pit. The signal box was put into operation on August 15, 1977.

The management, including the technical support of the railway systems, was taken over by the Wismut-Werkbahn , which also provided the entire dispatcher . Since March 1, 2014, operations management for the entire route has been with the Starkenberger Baustoffwerke.

Dobitschen ⊙

Former Dobitschen station, reception building

Dobitschen station was put into operation as a stop on October 17, 1887 and dedicated to the station in 1905. It had a reception building and a farm building, which have been restored to this day. The station also had a goods shed and a loading ramp.

With the suspension of rail traffic on the Großröda – Großenstein section, the station was taken out of service on May 28, 1972. The tracks dismantled in 1974 were relocated again in 1978 when the Kayna sand pit was connected, but the Dobitschen station remained closed.

Lumpy ⊙

Former Lumpzig stop, formerly Großbraunshain, reception building

The Lumpzig stop was put into operation on October 17, 1887 under the name Großbraunshain , although it is located near the town of Hartha . In 1905 it was dedicated to the station, but the station was later used as a stop again. Following the on July 1, 1950 incorporation of large brown grove after Lumpzig the station name was on May 17, 1953 Lumpzig changed.

The station had a reception building, farm buildings, a water station, a railway maintenance office and a BHG building , which have been preserved to the present day. With the suspension of rail traffic on the Großröda – Großenstein section, the station was taken out of service on May 28, 1972. After the new tracks were laid in 1974, the station remained closed.

Reichstädt ⊙

Former Reichstädt stop, formerly Frankenau, reception building

The Reichstädt stop was opened as the Frankenau stop on October 17, 1887 and consecrated as a train station in 1905. In 1933 it was downgraded to a stop. The station had the following names:

• until 1906: Frankenau
• until 1911: Frankenau i. S.-A.
• until 1922: Frankenau (S.-Altenbg.)
• until May 1953: Frankenau (Thür)
• until October 1953: Frankenau (Kr Schmölln)
• since October 1953: Reichstädt (after incorporation in 1950)

The station had a reception building, which is still there today. With the suspension of rail traffic on the Großröda – Großenstein section, the station was taken out of service on May 28, 1972. After the new tracks were laid in 1974, the station remained closed.

Grossenstein (Kr Gera) ⊙

Former train station Großenstein (Kr Gera), reception building

The Großenstein (Kr Gera) train station was opened on October 17, 1887 as the Großenstein i. S.-A. opened and consecrated as a train station in 1905. In 1911 the name was changed to Großenstein (S.-Altenbg.) And in 1922 to Großenstein (Kr Gera) . In addition to the reception building, the station had a farm building, both of which are still there today.

With the cessation of rail traffic on the Großröda – Großenstein section, the station was dedicated to the freight yard on May 28, 1972. The tracks in the direction of Meuselwitz were then torn down, but in 1974 they were rebuilt as a works railway from the northern exit of Großenstein up to kilometer 9.75 to open up the Kayna sand pit . The Wismut factory railway began operations again in 1978, initially with provisional operating technology. In the same year, the B1 signal box went into operation. The Großenstein train station was rebuilt by 1979. Furthermore, in 1979 a connecting curve from the direction of Großenstein to the Beerwalde works station was built, which enabled direct sand train traffic from Kayna via Beerwalde to the backfill in Löbichau.

With the official closure of the Grossenstein – Raitzhain section taken over from Deutsche Bahn AG on February 26, 1998 by the Federal Railway Authority , the Grossenstein freight yard went out of service on April 30, 1998.

Beerwalde (Kr Schmölln) ⊙

Former Beerwalde train station (Kr Schmölln), reception building (2019)

The Beerwalde stop was opened on October 17, 1887 and consecrated as a train station in 1905. The station had the following names:

• until 1911: Beerwalde i. S.-A.
• until 1922: Beerwalde (S.-Altenbg.)
• until 1953: Beerwalde (Thür)
• since 1953: Beerwalde (Kr Schmölln)

Since 1933 the station was run as a stop, later only as a stop. The station had a reception building, a goods shed, a weighbridge and a loading ramp. The reception building has been preserved to this day. With the cessation of passenger traffic on the entire Meuselwitz – Ronneburg route, the station in the west of Beerwalde was taken out of service on May 28, 1972.

Since 1975, the Beerwalde – Drosen railway line built by SDAG Wismut has branched off at the northern station exit . Shortly after the junction in the north-west of Beerwalde, the Beerwalde (Kr Schmölln) Gbf railway station was in operation between 1975 and 1997. At peak times, the Wismut factory railway shifted trains to and from Gera Hbf three times a day from Monday to Friday .

Abzw Raitzhain ⊙

In the Abzw Raitzhain from 1887 the Meuselwitz – Ronneburg railway from the north was integrated into the Gera – Gößnitz railway, which had existed since 1865 . Due to an open-cast brown coal mine between Großröda and Meuselwitz, the railway line coming from Meuselwitz was interrupted in 1965 and closed in 1972 between Meuselwitz and Großenstein.

Due to the uranium mining of SDAG Wismut in the Ronneburg area, shift traffic began in the 1970s between the SDAG Wismut works station in Beerwalde on the remainder of the Meuselwitz – Ronneburg railway to and from Gera. Also within the framework of uranium mining in the Ronneburg area, the Schmirchau - Raitzhain - Paitzdorf section of the Seelingstädt – Paitzdorf railway south of the Gößnitz – Gera railway was opened on April 24, 1968 , and at the Raitzhain junction with the Gößnitz – Gera railway and the remainder of the Meuselwitz – Ronneburg railway line (Beerwalde – Ronneburg section) connected. Initially only freight trains ran on this.

In 1972 the passenger traffic system and the new signal box were opened in Raitzhain. The Raitzhain passenger station thus became a transfer station for shift workers on the Wismut factory railway between the trains on the Beerwalde – Gera and Altenburg – Schmirchau routes. With the completion of a second passenger platform in Schmirchau in 1973, direct shift worker trains could also run to and from Gera, whereby these trains were run as a sandwich train with two locomotives due to the change of direction in Raitzhain .

The Raitzhain station was purely a depot of the Wismut-Werkbahn and was dismantled in the course of the liquidation of Wismut AG after 1990. On March 1, 2014, the railway operations of Wismut GmbH, which were to be discontinued at the end of 2014, including staff and vehicles, were sold to Starkenberger Baustoffwerke GmbH (SBW), which continues to operate the connecting railway. Starting from the sand mine in Kayna , sand trains are driven over the Abzw Raitzhain to Schmirchau and Seelingstädt and increasingly to other large construction sites in Germany.

Ronneburg (Thür) ⊙

Ronneburg (Thür) station after the reception building was torn down

The Ronneburg (Thür) station was opened on December 28, 1865 under the name Ronneburg on the Gößnitz – Gera railway line. From 1887 the station was also the end point of the Meuselwitz railway line, which was shut down for public rail traffic after 1972 and then served for a part of the Wismut factory railway shift traffic in the Ronneburg uranium mining area until 1990. After 1990 this line was operated by Wismut GmbH and since 2014 by Starkenberger Baustoffwerke GmbH (SBW).

So far the station has had the following names:

• until 1914: Ronneburg
• until 1922: Ronneburg (S.-Altenbg.)
• since 1922: Ronneburg (Thür)

The station had u. a. via a station building, a locomotive shed and several goods sheds. The signal boxes were put into operation in 1887 and 1897. In 1895 the water station was torn down and in 1935 the locomotive station was closed. In 2007 the reception and farm buildings were demolished. The engine shed is still there. The station currently has three tracks.

Vehicle use

For a long time, the use of the V 200 series , of which the Wismut Werkbahn had several of its own, was typical of sand train traffic . The shift work traffic to and from Beerwalde (from 1984 Drosen) was carried out by the Deutsche Reichsbahn with the class 118 in connection with double-decker articulated trains and in the 1980s with individual double-decker cars . Since 1997, the Wismut Werkbahn has been using six-axle locomotives of the 232 series, designated the V 300 and painted green and white, for sand train traffic .

Web links

Commons : Meuselwitz – Ronneburg railway line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Route data and pictures on sachsenschiene.net
• Tradition on the Meuselwitz - Ronneburg line in the holdings of the Reich Railway Directorate in Halle in the Saxony-Anhalt State Archives, Dessau department

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Meuselwitz - Ronneburg (Thuringia). In: Reichsbahndirektion Erfurt. Retrieved August 8, 2012 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Hans-Jürgen Barteld: The bismuth railway around Ronneburg . Kenning, Nordhorn 1998, ISBN 3-927587-92-3 .
3. ^ Eisenbahn-magazin, issue 5, 2014, p. 20
4. ↑ The Mumsdorf power plant at www.ostkohle.de
5. ↑ The Kulturbahnhof Meuselwitz on the Altenburg tourism site ( Memento of the original from September 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ^ The Meuselwitz train station on www.sachsenschiene.net
7. ↑ www.ferkeltaxe.de
8. ↑ Großröda train station on www.sachsenschiene.net
9. ↑ Kostitz on the website of the Starkenberg community.Retrieved from the Internet on May 12, 2012
10. ↑ The Starkenberg stop on www.sachsenschiene.net
11. ↑ The Kayna / Sandgrube freight yard on www.sachsenschiene.net
12. ^ Eisenbahn-magazin, issue 5, 2014, p. 20
13. ^ The Dobitschen train station on www.sachsenschiene.net
14. ↑ The Lumpzig stop on www.sachsenschiene.net
15. ^ The Reichstädt train station on www.sachsenschiene.net
16. ^ The Großenstein train station (Kr Gera) on www.sachsenschiene.net
17. ↑ The Beerwalde stop (Kr Schmölln) on www.sachsenschiene.net
18. ↑ The Abzw Raitzhain on www.sachsenschiene.net
19. ↑ Wismut connection line taken over by Starkenberger Baustoffwerke GmbH (press release). Wismut GmbH, March 28, 2014, accessed on May 18, 2014 . 
20. ↑ Wismut-Werkbahn photos. In: Bahnbilder.de. Retrieved August 14, 2012 .