Burgdorf circular paths
| Burgdorfer Kreisbahn | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Course book section (DB) : | ex 211b (1949), ex 188q (1938) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route length: | 9.13 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum slope : | 5 ‰ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed: | 20 km / h | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Under the name of Burgdorfer Kreisbahnen , a standard-gauge small railway line was operated in the former Burgdorf district in Lower Saxony, which primarily served the transport of potash and crude oil, but also transported people. The purpose of the railway is also evident in the ownership structure. Initially it belonged to the Riedel trade union's potash plant, since 1911 in the form of a GmbH, the majority of which were held by the potash plant, which was later transferred to Burbach-Kaliwerke AG Magdeburg and then to Kali + Salz AG .
history
The line was started around 1908 by Hannoversche Bahnindustrie GmbH and started at Burgdorf train station and led in a north-easterly direction via Weferlingsen to Hänigsen . Up to this point it had been licensed as a public transport small train from 1911, and this is where the passenger trains that had been running since February 11, 1911 also ended. Freight traffic had existed since June 11, 1908 in the form of a connecting railway. It led beyond Hänigsen to the Riedel potash plant, which began production on March 15, 1909. The manual of the public transport company 1940 names the opening dates July 28, 1907 for the connecting railway and January 1, 1917 for the small railway. There is no timetable in the 1914 Reich Course Book. The conversion of the connecting railway into the small railway took place because the transport of goods other than potash, such as oil and agricultural products, had increased significantly. Potash production in the Riedel potash plant was suspended from 1927 to 1950, so passenger traffic was discontinued in 1928 and there was only limited freight traffic. The complete shutdown of the railway did not take place, however, because from 1936 a large ammunition plant was built north of Hänigsen, which received a siding, over which extensive traffic was handled, especially during the Second World War. From there, a 2.8 kilometer long connection to the Wathlingen mine connection railway was established in 1950 . This mine connection line was a non-public works line, which since 1906 led from the Lower Saxony potash plant to the Ehlershausen state train station, which, like Burgdorf, is on the main line from Celle to Lehrte . The connection was opened on November 16, 1950. Potash production was resumed in 1950 by the Burbach potash works , which also owned the Wathlingen mine. The salt has now been transported away over this route. Around 100 wagons a day initially used this route.
The main freight was potash products and mineral oil, which was extracted north of Hänigsen, but agricultural products such as sugar beets were also shipped.
Public passenger transport, which had always included only a few trains, ended on June 30, 1949; however, employees at the beginning and end of the shift were still transported in workers' trains until July 1, 1957. Four years later, on July 31, 1961, freight traffic between Burgdorf and Hänigsen also ended. That meant the end of this line, only in Burgdorf 1000 meters remained as a siding until the 1970s, the rest was dismantled. Freight traffic on the Wathlingen mine connection railway continued for a longer period of time, which continued to enable the Riedel potash works to be connected to the Federal Railway until 1985 and the Hänigsen station until 1985. The route is still there today, but is no longer used. In Wathlingen there was no track connection to the station of the state railway line Celle – Braunschweig .
In the vernacular, the railway was also called the Kasparbahn because it led into the Kasparland (the area around Hänigsen).
literature
- Hans Wolfgang Rogl: Archive of German Small and Private Railways - Lower Saxony . Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71022-2
- Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways. Volume 10: Lower Saxony 2. Between Weser and Elbe. EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2007, pp. 445-450, ISBN 978-3-88255-669-8
