Harz narrow-gauge railways
| Harzer Narrow Gauge Railways GmbH | |
|---|---|
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| Basic information | |
| Web presence | www.hsb-wr.de |
| Reference year | 2014 |
| owner | Harz district , the district Nordhausen , Wernigerode , Nordhausen , Harzgerode , Quedlinburg , Oberharz am Brocken , Harztor , Braunlage Tourism GmbH |
| legal form | GmbH |
| Seat | Wernigerode |
| founding | February 1, 1993 |
| Supervisory board | Peter Gaffert (Chairman) |
| Managing directors | Matthias Wagener |
| Employee | 260 |
| sales | EUR 12.774 million |
| Lines | |
| Gauge | 1000 mm ( meter gauge ) |
| railroad | 3 |
| number of vehicles | |
| Locomotives | 31 |
| Railcar | 10 |
| statistics | |
| Passengers | 1 million |
| Stops | 48 |
| Length of line network | |
| Railway lines | 140.4 km |
The Harz narrow gauge railways GmbH (HSB) , based in Wernigerode ( Saxony-Anhalt ) is a railway company , the one about 140 km network of mostly steam-powered narrow gauge lines in the resin as a railway infrastructure company and a railway company operates. Today it is the largest contiguous route network in Europe under steam. It is meter gauge , open all year round and consists of Harzquer- , Selketal - and Brockenbahn . The first letters of the routes also give the company the abbreviated name.
Three of the six terminal stations ( Nordhausen Nord, Quedlinburg and Wernigerode ) have a connection to the regular-gauge network of Deutsche Bahn . In addition to the Brohltalbahn and the Wangerooger Inselbahn , the Harz narrow-gauge railways are one of the last three narrow-gauge railways with freight traffic in Germany .
In passenger transport , the HSB is today mostly used by tourists and excursionists, such as hikers, the actual regional transport within the meaning of work and school transport plays an important role only in Nordhausen / Ilfeld and on the stretch Quedlinburg Gernrode (resin).
prehistory
Today's narrow-gauge railway network was created by connecting originally separate railway lines that belonged to two different railway companies:
Gernrode-Harzgeroder Railway Company
In 1887, the Gernrode - Mägdesprung line was the first narrow-gauge line in the Harz to be opened. It belonged to the Gernrode-Harzgeroder Railway Company (GHE). In the following years the route was extended and the route network enlarged. The GHE network included the routes from Gernrode to Harzgerode , Hasselfelde and Eisfelder Talmühle . Since the route follows the valley of the Selke river over a long section , the nickname “ Selke Valley Railway” was later added to the nickname “Anhaltische Harzbahn”.
Nordhausen-Wernigeroder Railway Company
In 1896 the second railway company that wanted to build a narrow-gauge railway through the Harz was entered in the commercial register. On December 22nd, 1898 the Nordhausen-Wernigeroder Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (NWE) opened the special train service on the Wernigerode– Brocken (Brockenbahn) section, the so-called Harzquerbahn (Wernigerode– Drei-Annen-Hohne –Nordhausen) took off on March 27, 1899 Total traffic on. On July 1, 1916, the company relocated from Nordhausen to Wernigerode.
Southern Harz Railway Company
The Südharz-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (SHE) was the third railway company in the Harz to use the meter gauge on the Walkenried – Braunlage / Tanne line.
The GHE and the NWE were subordinated to the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) on April 1, 1949 . The section of the SHE, Tanne – Sorge, located in the Soviet occupation zone, also came under the management of the DR. However, it has been shut down for many years.
The time of the HSB
On February 1, 1993, the non-federally owned railway company "Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH (HSB)" took over vehicles, routes, personnel, etc. from the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) and has since acted as a railway transport company (EVU) and railway infrastructure company (EIU). HSB's shareholders are the districts of Harz and Nordhausen , the municipalities along the route, the city of Quedlinburg and the Braunlage health resort . The seat is in Wernigerode , where the workshops are also located. Today the HSB maintains a meter-gauge route network of 140.4 km in length with 44 train stations and stops in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia .
The trains run daily according to the timetable. There are more than ten steam locomotives, seven diesel and three tram cars with two-power drive (from the Nordhausen tram ) in use. Steam locomotives operate regularly on all routes. Since April 2010 steam locomotive-hauled passenger trains have been operating regularly on the Stiege - Eisfelder Talmühle section of the Selketalbahn. There have only been railcars since 1996.
The most famous route is the Brocken Railway. Only trains hauled by steam locomotives on the route (Wernigerode -) Drei Annen Hohne - Brocken and back run on it in daily regular traffic. The regional traffic between Nordhausen and Ilfeld , on the other hand, was completely converted to diesel multiple units and (since May 1, 2004) also tram cars, with the exception of a pair of steam trains. In addition, the HSB still operates regular freight traffic from the Hartsteinwerk Unterberg (Selketalbahn) to Nordhausen transfer station (Harzquerbahn) with class 199.8 diesel locomotives and standard-gauge freight wagons jacked up.
On May 1, 2004, a connecting track was put into operation in Nordhausen between the Bahnhofsplatz stop of the Nordhausen tram and the Nordhausen Nord station of the Harzquerbahn. Since then, the above-mentioned dual-powered railcars have been running between Nordhausen Hospital and the HSB Ilfeld-Neanderklinik stop ( line 10 ) of the Combino duo type . In the non-electrified network of the Harzquerbahn, the drive is diesel-electric. The HSB diesel railcars also turn at the platform of the Bahnhofsplatz tram stop.
On April 18, 2005, work began on extending the Selketalbahn from Gernrode to Quedlinburg (length 8.5 km) after the DB AG had closed the Frose – Quedlinburg line and sold the Gernrode – Quedlinburg section to HSB. First of all, the Gernrode terminus on the Selketal line was converted into a through station . On March 4, 2006, the first train reached Quedlinburg station on meter gauge and since June 26, 2006 there has been scheduled traffic on the Harz narrow-gauge railways to Quedlinburg with three pairs of trains per day, two of which are usually hauled by steam locomotives. In Quedlinburg, platform track 3 was re-gauged, and a transfer and an additional stub track were built. There is a platform-level connection to the regional trains in the direction of Halberstadt .
In 2009, with the support of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, the regular-gauge steam locomotive 95 1027 was refurbished in the Meiningen steam locomotive works. This was discontinued at HSB and has since been used in museum train services on the Rübelandbahn . In the same year, the state of Lower Saxony tried to co-finance a connection of the city of Braunlage to the HSB network with top-up funds from the economic stimulus package II (see also the narrow-gauge railway Walkenried – Braunlage # Braunlage's efforts to reconnect ). However, this project was closed on April 29, 2010 due to the expected high costs. The construction of the new Schurzfell stop was started on November 30, 2009 in Nordhausen in order to further improve the boarding options for the Nordhäuser. The work lasted until shortly before Christmas 2009. It was mainly carried out during the nightly breaks in order not to obstruct traffic. The new stop was put into operation for the 2010 summer timetable.
In 2013, 1.1 million passengers used the trains. With 649,000 passengers, the Brockenbahn was by far the most popular route. On the Harzquerbahn there were 248,000 suburban traffic in Nordhausen and 103,000 passengers on the Selketalbahn .
| Passengers | about 1.2 million annually |
| Total route length | 140.4 km |
| • Harzquerbahn | 61 km |
| • Selketalbahn | 60 km |
| • Brocken Railway | 19 km |
| Bridges and culverts | 400 |
| tunnel | 1 |
| Level crossings | 202 |
| Train stations | 25th |
| Breakpoints | 22nd |
| lowest station | Quedlinburg, 121 m above sea level NN |
| highest station | Brocken, 1125 m above sea level NN |
Operating facilities
The three HSB locomotive depots with locomotive sheds - in Wernigerode and Nordhausen Nord also with turntable - coaling systems and the locomotive line are located at the stations Nordhausen Nord (responsible for Harzquerbahn), Wernigerode (for Harzquer and Brockenbahn) and Gernrode (for the Selketalbahn). The steam locomotives and diesel railcars are serviced and restored there.
The complete examinations and all repair work (except main inspections ) are carried out in the HSB railway depot Wernigerode Westerntor . For the main inspections, however, the locomotives and railcars are transferred to special repair workshops such as the Meiningen steam locomotive works . The HSB also offers guided tours through the Wernigerode Westerntor depot, which despite some modern technology is still a typical steam locomotive workshop.
Water cranes for taking water during a stay are located in all important train stations.
Traction vehicles
| Locomotives and railcars | DR series | old name | original number | today's number | operational | Place of use or storage | annotation | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam locomotives: | ||||||||
| 99 5901 to 5903 | 99 590 | NWE 11 to 22 | 12 | 3 | 2 | Reserve for special trains Wernigerode |
Mallet locomotives |
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| 99 5906 | 99 590 | NWE 41 II | 7, of which one was sent to the NWE after the First World War | 1 | Repair of the Meiningen steam locomotive works | Reserve for special trains Selketalbahn Gernrode |
Mallet locomotive |
.JPG)
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| 99 6001 | 99 600 | NWE 21 II | 1 prototype | 1 | Yes | Standard locomotive prototype Gernrode |
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| 99 6101 and 6102 | 99 610 | NWE 6 and 7 | 2 test locomotives, wet steam, superheated steam | 2 | 99 6101 planned for HU
99 6102 will be refurbished to be rollable |
Nordhausen North | Pfiifi and Fiffi |
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| 99 7222 | 99 22 | 99 222 | 3 | 1 | Yes | Harzquer- and Brockenbahn Wernigerode |
Standard locomotive, mostly in use with an old number |
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| 99 7231 to 7247 | 99 23-24 | 99 231 to 247 | 17th | 17th | 9 | 7 Wernigerode 1 Nordhausen Nord 1 Gernrode |
New steam locomotives |
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| Diesel railcar: | ||||||||
| 187 001 | VT 133 522 | GHE T 1 | 1 | 1 | No; Needs improvement | Reserve for special trips Wernigerode Westerntor |
.JPG)
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| 187 011 and 013 | - | KAE VT 1 and 2 | 2 | 2 | Yes | Wernigerode / Nordhausen |
.JPG)
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| 187 012 | - | MEG T 15 | 1 | 1 | No; currently in processing |
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| 187 015 | - | - | 1 prototype | 1 | No | Wernigerode western gate | Prototype of a new railcar |
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| 187 016 to 019 | - | - | 4th | 4th | Yes | Planned service Harzquer and Selketalbahn |
New rail car |
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| 187 025 | VT 137 566 | NWE T 3 | 3 | 1 | No; Deadline and waiting for repair | Wernigerode | Tow car |
.JPG)
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| 187 201 to 203 | 3 | 3 | Yes | Tram line 10 in the Nordhausen area | Combino duo twin-power urban rail car, SWN |
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| Diesel locomotives: | ||||||||
| 199 005 and 006 | V 10 C | 2 | 2 | No; 199 006 is waiting for repairs |
Nordhausen North | Permanent loan to IG Harzer Schmalspurbahnen e. V. |
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| 199 010 to 012 | Kö II | 3 | 3 | 1 | Wernigerode western gate | Conversion of standard gauge |
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| 199 301 | V 30 C | V 30 001 | 1 prototype (20 exported) |
1 | No | Ilfeld | Meter gauge prototype for the Indonesian State Railways |
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| 199 861… 892 | V 100 | 10 | 6th | 3 | on all routes Wernigerode / Nordhausen |
Modification of the standard track |
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Some of the locomotives are also in use with old numbers, e.g. B. 99 7236 (written to 99 236).
Guest locomotives and multiple units from other meter-gauge railways were used several times for various celebrations.
Fleet
The HSB fleet consists of reconstructed, newly built and historically reconditioned cars. Wagons that have been taken over from Saxon narrow-gauge lines can be recognized by the couplings that are guided by bogies and swing out in the arches. With the exception of a few traditional vehicles with suction air brakes, the number of vehicles has been air braked since the 1980s.
In addition, the HSB has two dining cars , which are set in some trains on the route (Wernigerode -) Drei Annen Hohne - Brocken and the pair of trains Nordhausen Nord - Drei Annen Hohne - Brocken. Typical Harz meals and drinks are served in the dining car.
There are trolleys for the work train service and new trolleys for the freight trains to the Unterberg hard stone works . Rollbock pits only exist in Nordhausen. The regular-gauge tank wagons, which are mainly parked on trolleys in the Drei Annen Hohne and Brocken train stations in the summer months, are not used to transport water to the Brocken, but merely to fight fires in and around the Harz National Park .
Narrow-gauge freight cars - with the exception of baggage cars and the rail convertible - are no longer used regularly. The remaining ones are mostly looked after in museums. The HSB are currently the only non-federally owned and the only narrow-gauge railway in Germany that has its own relief train .
Philatelic appreciation
After a series of stamps “Narrow Gauge Railways in the GDR” had been issued in 1983/84, Deutsche Post AG issued the special stamp “125 Years of Narrow Gauge Railways in the Harz Mountains ” on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the opening of the first narrow-gauge railway in the Harz - the Selketalbahn in 1887 “Worth 45 euro cents. The date of issue was February 9, 2012. The brand was drafted by communication designer Horst F. Neumann and industrial designer Gerda M. Neumann from Wuppertal.
Lore
The written records of the Nordhausen-Wernigeroder Railway Company and the Gernrode-Harzgeroder Railway Company are in the Dessau department of the Saxony-Anhalt State Archives .
literature
- Literature from and about Harz narrow-gauge railways in the catalog of the German National Library
- Matthias Bethke, Wolfgang Finke, Hans Schweers: The vehicles of the Harz narrow-gauge railways . Schweers and Wall, Aachen 2003, ISBN 3-89494-120-0 .
- Dirk Endisch: From GHE to HSB - tradition and innovation on meter gauge tracks in the Harz Mountains. Volume 2: The Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH . Dirk Endisch, Stendal 2011, ISBN 978-3-936893-70-0 .
- Klaus-Jürgen Kühne: Everything about narrow-gauge railways in the Harz . Transpress, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-613-71344-4 .
- Gerhard Zieglgänsberger, Hans Röper: The Harz narrow-gauge railways . Transpress, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-71103-6 .
Web links
- Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH (HSB)
- Interest group Harzer Schmalspurbahnen (IG HSB)
- Tradition of the NWE in the holdings of the Reichsbahndirektion Magdeburg in the state archive of Saxony-Anhalt, Dessau department
- Transmission of the GHE in the holdings of the Reichsbahndirektion Magdeburg in the State Archives Saxony-Anhalt, Dessau department
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b About us
- ↑ Federal Gazette : Annual financial statements for the financial year from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014
- ^ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Official Journal of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of July 8, 1916, No. 34. Nachrichten, p. 224.
- ^ Off for plans to expand the Brocken Railway to Braunlage to the west ( memento of March 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), Goslarsche Zeitung of April 29, 2009
- ↑ 2013: Harzer Schmalspurbahnen look back on an eventful and successful business year , March 11, 2014
- ↑ Level crossing in Drei Annen Hohne is now secured with a guard. Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH, March 1, 2018, accessed on November 30, 2018 .