Göllnitz Valley Railway

Margecany-Gelnica

173

Route length:

7,551 km


		from Bohumín
	0.000	Margecany formerly Margitfalva
	0.806	Margecany Stavadlo junction 2
		to Košice
		Ružín reservoir
		Hnilec
	4.160	Jaklovce formerly Jekelfalva mh.
	5.756	Žakarovce formerly Zakárfalva
	7.542	Gelnica formerly Gölniczbánya
		since 1936 to Červená Skala

Gelnica – Smolnícka Huta

Course book range :

ČSD 43c (1961)

Route length:

25.429 km

Gauge :

1000 mm ( meter gauge )

Legend

	0	Gelnica formerly Gölniczbánya
		( Lane changing station ; connection from Margecany)
	1	Gelnica mesto z formerly Gölniczbánya város mh.
	8th	Prakovce formerly Prakfalva mh.
	12	Helcmanovce formerly Nagykunczfalva mh.
	16	Mníšek nad Hnilcom formerly Szepesremete
	20th	Smolnícka Píla formerly Szomolnokhutai fürész
	26th	Smolnícka Huta formerly Szomolnokhuta (Stoósz fürdó)

The Göllnitz Valley Railway ( ung. Gölniczvölgyi vasuti társaság ; GVT) was a private local railway in Slovakia . The route ran in the valley of the Hnilec ( Göllnitz ) from Margecany via Gelnica ( Göllnitz ) to Smolnícka Huta ( Schmöllnitzhütte ). The still existing section Margecany – Gelnica is normal gauge ; the continuation to Smolnícka Huta was a meter- gauge narrow - gauge railway that has been closed since 1965.

history

The entire line was opened on December 27, 1884. The operation was carried out by the Kaschau-Oderberger Railway on behalf of Gölniczvölgyi vasuti társaság , and from 1921 after its nationalization by the Czechoslovak State Railways (ČSD).

The Göllnitztalbahn was particularly important in the early years for the removal of the ores extracted in the Göllnitz Valley. The Marienhütte, which processed the ores extracted from Žakarovce, was located at the Žakarovce train station. From 1884 to 1899, a narrow-gauge, rack-and-pinion railway connected the mining facilities in the mountains with the Žakarovce railway station.

→ See also: Žakarovce industrial railway

With the establishment of Czechoslovakia after the First World War and the associated change in traffic flows, there was a great need for efficient east-west connections. In this context, the continuation of the Göllnitz Valley Railway as the main line parallel to the Slovak Ore Mountains to Červená Skala was planned. At the beginning of the 1930s, the construction of the difficult route began, which dragged on for several years.

In this context, the narrow-gauge railway between Gelnica and Mníšek nad Hnilcom was closed in 1935 and replaced by the new standard- gauge railway . The remainder of the narrow-gauge railway to Smolnícka Huta was retained, but travel was now handled by buses. The connecting station to the standard gauge was now Mníšek nad Hnilcom.

During the Second World War , passenger traffic on the narrow-gauge railway was resumed in 1940. The 1945/46 timetable shows six pairs of passenger trains to Smolnícka Huta every working day. In 1951 the railway stations Smolnícka Píla were renamed in Smolnícka osada and Smolnícka Huta in Smolník.

In 1961 travel was stopped again. Freight traffic was maintained until 1965, when the line was finally closed.

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