Rennsteig – Frauenwald railway line
| Rennsteig – Frauenwald | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Course book section (DB) : | 189b (1944) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Route length: | 4.85 km | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
The Rennsteig – Frauenwald railway line was a branch line in Thuringia . From 1913 to 1965 it connected the Plaue – Themar railway line with the village of Frauenwald on the ridge of the Thuringian Forest . It was originally built and operated by the Kleinbahn-AG Rennsteig-Frauenwald .
history
opening
The community of Frauenwald is 760 m above sea level on the ridge of the Rennsteig and until 1945 belonged to the state of Prussia with the Schleusingen district . Due to the remote location, the local industry had great difficulties in asserting itself. Therefore, the community tried since 1893 to connect to the railway network.
The Ilmenau – Schleusingen line was originally intended to be brought closer to Frauenwald, but this failed due to the unwillingness of the neighboring village of Allzunah to provide land for the construction. After the state railway was not interested in a connection from Rennsteig station to Frauenwald and it was not possible to interest private companies in the project due to the lack of profitability prospects, the Schleusingen district, to which Frauenwald belonged, finally took over the initiative. The state granted the concession in 1910, and in 1912 the Kleinbahn-AG Rennsteig-Frauenwald was founded by the Prussian state, the forestry treasury, the Prussian province of Saxony , the Schleusingen district and the Frauenwald community.
Construction work began in the spring of 1913, and on November 11, 1913, the 4.8 km long normal-gauge line was opened. Due to the routing on the mountain ridge, there were no significant differences in height to be overcome and no artificial structures were required besides smaller dams. A station building and a locomotive shed were built in Frauenwald, and the state railway building was also used at Rennsteig station .
Development until 1945
The operation was led by the railway department of the Provincial Association of Saxony in Merseburg . A Bn2 tank locomotive with road number 5, a two-axle passenger car with compartments for 2nd and 3rd class, a four-axle passenger baggage and mail car, and a freight car acquired second-hand from the State Railways were used. The locomotive had a transition to the wagon train and could therefore be driven by one person. An officer was appointed as the train driver who was also responsible for duty in the Frauenwald station. There was also a second-hand steam locomotive No. 3, also of the Bn2t type, acquired from Kleinbahn Neuhaldensleben-Weferlingen . In 1914 five pairs of trains ran daily.
Despite the minimal configuration, the results fell short of expectations. A glassworks, the most important goods customer, ceased operations at the beginning of the First World War. Although there were always plans to shut down, operations could continue thanks to subsidies from the district and province. In 1936, locomotive 5 was replaced by another locomotive with the same wheel arrangement and number 2. Passenger train service was taken over in 1937 by a newly acquired two-axle railcar with 35 seats that had been built by Lindner . In 1940 the steam locomotive was given the number 198.
From 1937 special trains of the Deutsche Reichsbahn also came on the Kleinbahn, which transported vacationers to the village of Frauenwald. The first special holiday train was a KdF train from Breslau on June 17, 1934. But tourism declined due to the war. In 1944, three pairs of trains ran on weekdays and two on Sundays.
Development until 1965
The railway survived the Second World War without damage. The diesel railcar was confiscated by the military government, so that all trains were again run on steam. The railway was intended to be dismantled along with many other routes, but this could be prevented. In 1949 the railway was nationalized and the operation was taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn . The steam locomotive was given the number 98 6216 on the Reichsbahn. The diesel multiple unit no longer returned to the route, but remained as a service vehicle at the RBD Erfurt. The passenger coach was also exchanged for another vehicle. At the beginning of the 1950s, tourism in the Thuringian Forest increased sharply. In 1952, through D-trains were run from Berlin to the Thuringian Forest for the first time . In Rennsteig, the train consisting of four-axle express train cars was divided. Three cars continued to Schmiedefeld , the other three were carried on by a T 3 to Frauenwald. In 1960 the 98 6216 was retired due to a cylinder damage and replaced by a class V 36 diesel locomotive . A class V 15 diesel locomotive ran from 1962 until it was closed .
Line closure and closure
The condition of the superstructure deteriorated noticeably and despite the increasing traffic only the most urgent repairs could be carried out. On February 13, 1965, the route had to be closed due to drifting snow and the trains had to be replaced by buses. Rail operations were then no longer resumed because no funds were available for the necessary renovation. Although the route was still listed in the 1965 summer timetable, it was also formally closed. At that time, the use of buses between Frauenwald and Rennsteig train station had long been a deal. The locomotive shed was converted into a bus workshop and the track superstructure was dismantled after a few years. However, the tracks in Frauenwald station were only filled in and are still under a layer of earth and gravel about 60 cm high. The route is still clearly visible as a hiking trail. The platform in Allzunah and the station building in Frauenwald also still exist.
literature
- Günter Fromm : From the history of the Kleinbahn Rennsteig - Frauenwald 1913–1965. Rockstuhl Verlag, Bad Langensalza 1996, ISBN 3-929000-41-5 .
- Walter Grüber: steep ramps over the Thuringian Forest. Alba Verlag, Düsseldorf 1983, ISBN 3-87094-204-5 .
- Michael Kurth: The Laura. History of the Kleinbahn Rennsteig - Frauenwald (= regional traffic history. Vol. 13). Eisenbahn-Kurier-Verlag, Freiburg (Breisgau) 1996, ISBN 3-88255-425-8 .
