Jülich circular path

	0.0	Jülich North	83 m above sea level NHN
		Line from Jülich (from 1992)
	1.3	Junction Rübenstrasse (from 1992)
		Bundesstrasse 56
	1.6	End of route according to Network Statement
		Rur
		Line from Jülich (until 1992)
	2.2	Kirchberg (near Jülich) North Handover DB
		Line to Aachen North (until 1982)
	2.6	Rst Eichhorn (from 1992)
		Bundesstrasse 56
		Highway 44
	5.2	Koslar	76 m above sea level NHN
	7.4	Barmen (b Jülich)
		Bridge over the Kirchgracht
	8.1	Merzenhausen	98 m above sea level NHN
	11.5	Ederen
		Bundesstrasse 56
		Bundesstrasse 57
		Geilenkirchen circular path from Alsdorf
	15.2	Puffendorf	108 m above sea level NHN
		Geilenkirchener Kreisbahn to Geilenkirchen

Swell:

The Jülich Kreisbahn was a municipal company owned by the former Jülich district in the Rhineland . The railway line operated by it from Jülich to Puffendorf was also popularly referred to as Jülich Kreisbahn or simply a circular path .

The route primarily served commuters and schoolchildren as a connection to the district town of Jülich as well as freight traffic , here mainly beet transport to the Jülich sugar factory . Passenger transport was switched to omnibus in 1971 . From January 1st, 1984, the Düren district railway took over the management. Freight traffic continued to decline over the years until the end of operations in 1999.

Since the official shutdown was initiated in 2007, part of the infrastructure - above all building structures and security technology - has already been dismantled. However, most of the track outside of the former terminal stations at Jülich Nord and Puffendorf is still there. Due to its very simple development, a maximum of 40 km / h was permitted on the line during its operating time, but the route itself, with its curve radii, allows for the most part 70 to 80 km / h with the installation of appropriate cant and signaling technology, so in this respect corresponds to the Rurtalbahn- Düren - Jülich - Linnich route . Only north-west of Kirchberg does a tight bend force you to drive more slowly. From a legal point of view, the route is still dedicated to rail traffic today (as of 2019) and could therefore be reactivated without first having to create building permits.

history

First plans

As early as 1901, the city of Jülich turned to the West German Railway Company (WEG) regarding the possibility of building a small railway line , as the WEG was already building or operating railways in the neighboring districts of Geilenkirchen and Bergheim ; The district of Düren also sought negotiations with the WEG. In its answer of October 24, 1901 to the then Jülich Mayor Vogt, the WEG submitted corresponding proposals to determine the costs for the further preparatory work. In Koslar based firm Schleipen & Erkens asked on November 14, 1901 Information regarding the possibility of a rail link and expressed interest in a stretch left the Roer by Koslar to realize a port of its paper mill here.

The mayor of Jülich favored a railway line from Jülich on the left of the Rur to Linnich or Lindern , as he informed the WEG in a letter dated February 1, 1903. In its reply, the WEG expressed concerns about a route to Linnich or Lindern, as this route would compete with the state expansion plans. On the other hand, the WEG favored a small railway line from Elsdorf via Jülich to Puffendorf , provided that the planned line of the Geilenkirchener Kreisbahn (GKB) from Geilenkirchen to Puffendorf would also be built with standard gauge. The mayor of Linnich also expressed his interest in a railway line from Jülich to Puffendorf; however, a stretch from Jülich - Linnich to the left of the Rur should still be included in the planning.

Overview of the planned Jülich - Elsdorf railway line on the Jülich district railway

Finally, the city of Jülich submitted an application to the royal railway minister for the Elsdorf - Jülich - Puffendorf route to be released. The questions posed in the reply of May 12, 1903 were subsequently dealt with. According to this, the normal-gauge line to be built should consistently receive its own track structure and the state railway should cross level at Jülich. The railway was to serve both passenger and freight traffic and for the latter it was to be connected to the state railway in Elsdorf and Jülich. In addition, the line in Elsdorf was to be introduced into the Kreis-Bergheimer-Kleinbahn and connected to the GKB in Puffendorf. In Puffendorf, it should be possible to reload between normal and narrow gauge. Transfer of people was planned to the state railway stations in Elsdorf and Jülich as well as to the GKB in Puffendorf. The entire 32 km long route should touch the places Puffendorf, Ederen , Freialdenhoven , Merzenhausen , Barmen , Koslar, Jülich, Stetternich , Rödingen - Höllen , Bettenhoven , Oberembt , Tollhausen , Esch , Angelsdorf and Elsdorf. In freight transport, the focus should be on the transport of agricultural products; industrial customers were only mentioned sporadically, including the paper mill in Koslar. In the decision of the Ministry of October 1904 it was stated that the Jülich - Elsdorf line was classified as important and could therefore only be built as a state railway line. The construction of the line from Jülich to Puffendorf, however, was approved.

Also in October 1904, Schleipen & Erkens asked the city of Jülich again for information on the progress of the rail project.

Section of the plan of the Jülich - Puffendorf line with a direct route to Koslar and the transfer station in Jülich

The contract for the development of data for measurement and efficiency calculation was the engineer Radermacher in 1905. He proposed on 17 January 1906 the railway terminal in Jülich on the east side of the state railway to build to a direct connection to the narrow-gauge railway to the sugar factory Jülich to enable. This proposal threw the light rail project back further because of the need to cross over or under the state railroad tracks, whereupon the Schleipen & Erkens company tried to implement its own rail link. This should create a meter-gauge connection from its factory in Koslar to the state train station in Kirchberg and be operated electrically . Since such a rail link would have endangered the Jülich - Puffendorf project, the mayor of Jülich asked the regional president of Aachen to refuse the Schleipen & Erkens company approval. This should also prevent a fragmentation of rail traffic in the Jülich area. In the approval for the construction of the Jülich - Puffendorf small railway, however, the Ministry of Public Works of the City of Jülich made the condition that the connection to the state railway should be implemented at Kirchberg station.

The Aachener small course company expressed early interest in the 1907 construction of small railway lines in Jülich country. From the terminus in Dürwiß and Hoengen , electrically operated routes were to be built to Jülich and via Linnich to Lindern. For various reasons these plans were not pursued.

Construction of the circular path

After the approval was granted, the Jülich district entered into negotiations with Lenz & Co. GmbH, which already had experience with the construction of other small railway lines, such as the Düren district railway. The negotiations came to a positive conclusion in the spring of 1908 with the order to Lenz & Co. to build a standard-gauge railway from Jülich via Kirchberg, Koslar, Merzenhausen and Ederen to Puffendorf. In Puffendorf, a transshipment track was to be built to link it to the narrow-gauge Geilenkirchener Kreisbahn (GKB). Mostly Italian skilled workers were used in the construction. A direct transition from standard-gauge freight wagons to the GKB with the help of trolleys (as in Geilenkirchen ) or trolleys (as in Düren ) was not planned and was never implemented. As a result, the JKB route always retained the character of a dead end in freight traffic - all the more so when the GKB stopped freight traffic between Puffendorf and Alsdorf in 1953 and from the end of 1963 no longer served Puffendorf from Geilenkirchen either.

In June 1910, the contract for the construction and operation of the Jülich circular railway for the Jülich - Puffendorf line was concluded. The company was run by companies that belonged to the Lenz Group or that emerged from it: First the West German Railway Company , later the United Small Railways and the German Railway Company .

Traffic was opened on July 1, 1911 between Kirchberg Nord and Puffendorf without any special celebrations. There was a connection from Kirchberg Nord station to the neighboring Kirchberg station (near Jülich) on the Aachen Nord – Jülich line . There were initially four daily train pairs between Kirchberg and Puffendorf.

First years of operation

On September 14, 1912, the circular route was completely put into operation with the remainder of the Jülich Nord - Kirchberg Nord section, which ran parallel to the state railway. This was appropriately recognized with an opening ceremony. The number of daily train pairs rose to seven. The passenger traffic was mainly used to connect schoolchildren and commuters to the district town of Jülich; But there are also reports of bowling clubs that used the circular path to go bowling to Koslar. In 1913 98,000 people were transported; In 1914 106,077 people and 34,394 tons of goods were transported.

The First World War had - apart from traffic restrictions - no negative effects on the Jülich circular path. During the time of the so-called Regiebahn from 1923, the JKB line served as a connection from Jülich to Aachen in order not to have to use the trains of the Reichsbahn, which was under the control of the occupying forces. During the inflationary period , the number of trips was reduced to four pairs of trains from the summer of 1923.

On December 28, 1926, a new management contract between Lenz & Co. and the district committee of the Jülich district came into force. It stipulated that Lenz & Co. would continue to be responsible for the operation of the Jülich Kreisbahn, but would use the organization of the WEG; the local management was transferred to the GKB. All operating income flowed to the company Lenz & Co., which was to organize the business independently. However, a minimum of four passenger trains, at least two of which also transport goods, was agreed.

In 1928 the WEG transferred all rights and obligations for the management of the JKB to the Vereinigte Kleinbahn AG (VKA), Cologne. The contract came into force on January 1, 1928, whereby all agreements and agreements between the company Lenz & Co. and the Jülich District Committee from 1926 remained unaffected.

Second World War

During the Second World War , the JKB could continue to operate with restrictions. However, rail operations came to a standstill after several employees were killed in a low-flying attack in September 1944. The railway administration then brought the rolling stock to an alternative location. The other war events left serious damage to the railway. The station buildings in Jülich, Merzenhausen, Ederen and Puffendorf were completely destroyed. The Rur Bridge between Jülich and Kirchberg was also blown up in the course of the retreat battles.

Post-war years

After the war, Lenz & Co. was no longer able to continue the lease and VKA AG, Frankfurt, took its place. After the staff had at least partially returned, traffic was initially resumed between Kirchberg and Koslar. Since the Jülich Nord station was inaccessible due to the destroyed Rur Bridge, a temporary locomotive shed was built in Koslar station to service the vehicles. The railway administration was also housed makeshiftly in Koslar.

In April 1946 the traffic could be extended to Puffendorf again. Further reconstruction only began after the currency reform . The state of North Rhine-Westphalia gave a grant for the rebuilding of the Rur Bridge, which was destroyed in the war. The Jülich Nord - Kirchberg Nord section of the district railway could only be used again on June 27, 1950. State funds were provided for the construction of the station building and the locomotive shed in Jülich Nord and the waiting halls in Merzenhausen and Ederen.

On May 9, 1951, a new operations management contract was signed with Vereinigte Kleinbahnen AG, Frankfurt.

rationalization

In the summer of 1951, the permissible line speed was increased from 30 km / h to 40 km / h. In the spring of 1952, the JKB purchased the T 1 diesel multiple unit to streamline passenger transport . It was a two-axle, diesel-mechanical “Taunus” motor vehicle from the Aachener Waggonfabrik Talbot , but only one axle was powered. The then modern vehicle, the first of this type, was presented to the guests of honor at Aachen Nord train station . In addition to the political representatives from the city and district of Jülich, employees from Talbot, the VKA, the Federal Railway, the RWTH Aachen and of course the JKB were also present. The approval of the car by the Federal Railroad Commissioner took place in the newly built car hall of the Jülich-Nord station. In addition to the storage hall, a workshop and a small house for the workshop manager were also built.

From May 1952 the use of the new railcar was shown in the timetable. The passenger numbers in the passenger traffic of the JKB developed positively with the use of multiple units and increased from 80,000 passengers in 1950 to 97,000 in 1956. The fact that the GKB completely stopped passenger traffic on its Alsdorf - Puffendorf - Geilenkirchen route in May 1953 had an effect on the JKB did not have a negative impact, as the timetables of both companies were extremely thin compared to today's regional train routes, so that the number of people changing trains in Puffendorf was very low. For example, in the 1950 summer timetable, five trains per day and direction ran on both routes (even less on Sundays), so that in Puffendorf you sometimes had to wait several hours for a connecting train.

Loading ramps were built at the Ederen and Puffendorf train stations to accelerate the transport of sugar beet. The Jülich , Ameln and Elsdorf sugar factories made a financial contribution for this. At that time, sugar beet transport was the main source of income for the JKB.

The station building in Jülich Nord, which was destroyed in the war, was rebuilt from July 1953 to early 1954. At the same time, special funds amounting to 70,000 euros were invested in the repair of the superstructure. This repair work was carried out by the district railway's own track construction fleet, with the rest of the staff also helping. In 1954, the Jülich Kreisbahn got its own local management in Jülich after a joint management of Geilenkirchener Kreisbahn and Jülich Kreisbahn had existed until then. On October 1, 1957, the management was handed over from the United Kleinbahnen AG to the Deutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft (DEG) mbH in Frankfurt.

As the duration of the beet campaign was shortened significantly through the use of harvesters , the transport tasks on the circular path had to be completed in a significantly shorter time. In 1959, the JKB therefore acquired a new steam locomotive, which was added to the fleet as number 152. To make it easier to reload the sugar beets into the freight wagons, a conveyor belt for loading beets was procured in 1960. In 1961 the steam locomotive II B from the initial equipment of the JKB could be retired.

The 50th anniversary of the Kreisbahn on July 1, 1961 was honored by the local press with an article "The 'Heggeströfer' has a gold anniversary". On the occasion of the anniversary, there was also a special train, for which the T 1 had been decorated accordingly. In an article from 1964, the small railroad expert and publisher Wolfgang Zeunert characterized the JKB as “a modern and well-maintained company”.

In 1961, the district committee approved the procurement of another beet loading device. This, a lift and tilt platform, was stationed in Puffendorf station. On December 17, 1964, a new management contract between the Jülich district and DEG replaced the contract of May 9, 1951 of the same name. After its last run on July 29, 1966, the steam locomotive I B was decommissioned and initially parked at Jülich station. To replace the steam operation, the JKB also acquired a two-axle diesel locomotive with the number V34 from the MAK company in 1966 . However, due to several damage to the gearbox, it was sold back to the delivery company after a short time. On the other hand, a V35 machine of the same type procured in 1968 proved itself well and was in use even after the circular route was closed.

Suspension of passenger traffic

With the increasing motorization of the population in the 1960s, the number of passengers, which between 1948 and 1967 had always ranged between 75,000 and 100,000 people per year, slowly began to decline. In 1968 they were below 70,000 for the first time, in the following year there were only 62,000 people. For economic reasons, rail passenger traffic was therefore discontinued on May 23, 1971 and taken over by two bus routes:

4578: Linnich - Ederen - Siersdorf pit
4581: Jülich - Ederen - Puffendorf

Both lines were initially operated by the Deutsche Bundespost on behalf of the Jülich district - from January 1, 1972, the Düren district . With the expansion of the Aachener Verkehrsverbund (AVV) to the Düren district on January 1, 1979, they were assigned the AVV route numbers 78 and 81, respectively. From August 1, 1983, the Deutsche Bundesbahn, bus division, took over all of the German bus routes in the AVV area Federal Post. This means that the two bus routes 4578 and 4581 were also served by the train bus, still on behalf of the Düren district.

Takeover by the Dürener Kreisbahn

1985 memorial plaque installed by the DKB. However, the date of the takeover was January 1, 1984, not 1985 as shown

After the Jülich district was incorporated into the Düren district on January 1, 1972 , Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH (DKB) took over the remaining tasks of the Jülich district railway from January 1, 1984. This happened in accordance with the decision of the district committee on October 20, 1982. The then director of the DKB, Rolf Schorer, was appointed as the chief operations manager . In 1985 the station buildings in Merzenhausen and Ederen and the waiting hall in Kirchberg were extensively renovated. Boards with a brief overview of the history of the Jülich circular path were attached to the buildings.

In 1986 the following connections were served on the JKB:

Matzerath company, mineral oil sales, Jülich-Nord
Appel & Frenzel company, canning factory, Jülich-Nord
Rheinische Licht- und Kraftwerke, Jülich-Nord
Schleipen & Erkens GmbH, paper finishing, Koslar
Wilhelm Weuthen KG, fertilizer, Merzenhausen
Arnold Plum company, scrap and metal wholesalers, Puffendorf

Decline

A heavy blow for freight traffic occurred in 1980 when the Jülich sugar factory stopped accepting beets by rail. The remaining freight traffic gradually decreased over the years and was finally limited to the Jülich Nord - Kirchberg (b Jülich) Nord section until it was completely closed. Before that, there were irregular transports for the scrap dealer Plum in Puffendorf. The last freight traffic was in 1999, since then the route has not been used or maintained.

In 2000 the tariff points Merzenhausen, Ederen and Puffendorf were given up and blocked for passage.

In 2000, the passage over the Rurbrücke in front of Kirchberg (near Jülich) was blocked by the DKB.

In 2001 the signal systems on the route were switched off.

In 2002 a barrier was erected in front of the Barmen stop (near Jülich) .

In the summer of 2003, the tracks in the Puffendorf train station were removed and the area cordoned off by an Alsdorf scrap trading company.

In 2004, the tracks in Jülich Nord station were removed and the locomotive shed there and the former station building demolished. At the site of the engine shed, a parking lot was later built for the neighboring retirement home. The rest of the station area is a gravel desert. On October 12, 2015, an aerial bomb from the Second World War was recovered in the former station area, and in 2016 a row of houses was built on the narrow side of the station area facing Adolf-Fischer-Strasse (i.e. where the buffer stops were once located).

An official shutdown was initially refrained from, as a connection to the Euregiobahn network via Siersdorf was planned. The bridge in front of the Barmen stop was to be placed under monument protection. In Koslar there are plans to build over the site of the dilapidated Koslar train station . In mid-2007, the route was put out to tender by the DKB for closure. The DKB justified the sale of the line, among other things, with the humus penetration of the ballast bed and with maintenance costs of around € 17 million without own income.

In 2007 the signal systems on the line and at the level crossings were removed.
In 2010 the area of the Puffendorf train station was converted into a green area.
In 2016, the Ederen / Merzenhausen level crossing on the K 6 was dismantled.
In 2017 the rail bridge in Barmen was demolished due to structural defects.

Perspectives

A complete demolition of the line has not yet been completed (as of 2019), even if the tracks in the two endpoints of the line ( Puffendorf station, Jülich Nord station ) have long been removed and the line in the center of Koslar has been leased and turned into gardens or a supermarket parking lot was converted. In 2018 at least one of the leases in Koslar was terminated by the owner. At the beginning of 2019, plans for a so-called “brain train” were made public. This is to create a direct connection between the education and research locations Jülich and Aachen, with modern lightweight vehicles using the old JKB route and the planned Euregiobahn route Siersdorf - Alsdorf. The route should lead via Barmen ( Haus Overbach ) and also connect to the emerging Aldenhoven campus (Automotive Testing Center / test area for autonomous driving). It is to be financed, among other things, by federal funds for structural change in the Rhenish lignite district.

Route description

This line was only of local importance for Jülich, especially after 1963, when the subsequent Geilenkirchener Kreisbahn was completely shut down and the JKB end point Puffendorf formed a dead end for rail traffic. Architecturally, the Barmen Bridge, which was demolished in October 2017, is worth mentioning. There are reception buildings in the former Unterwegshalt Kirchberg Nord and Merzenhausen; the reception buildings in Jülich Nord, Koslar, Ederen and Puffendorf no longer exist.

Jülich Nord train station

Vehicles in the Jülich-Nord station: Talbot railcars of the former Jülich Kreisbahn, rail buses (ex AKN) and EAKJ rail buses

The Jülich- Nord station was the home station of the Jülich district railway. It was designed as a dead end station , the tracks ended at Adolf-Fischer-Strasse. Passengers who wanted to reach the connections to the passenger trains of the Federal Railroad had to walk 50 m to Jülich station due to the lack of a direct rail connection . There were four tracks in the small station. The first ended at the front of the reception building, which was used as a youth center for a long time after the cessation of passenger traffic in 1971. The other three tracks ended in front of the long side of the station building at buffer stops. It was possible to move locomotives through switches. The station also had a loading track, which was used to supply an Aral tank farm shortly after the Second World War. The small station was supplemented by a two-room locomotive shed with an attached workshop, in which repairs were carried out on the vehicles. The station area was sold in 2004. The tracks were removed and the station building demolished.

The company Appel & Frenzel had a siding on the line at the distance kilometer 0.54 since 1967, which was replaced in 1977 by a new loading track with loading street. However, freight traffic was given up in 1999.

Rübenstrasse junction

Rübenstrasse junction in 2018, looking towards Jülich-Nord (left) or Jülich (right)

At the Rübenstrasse junction at km 1.364, the Aachen North – Jülich line from the Jülich station has merged into the JKB since 1992 . This enabled the DB transfer station in Kirchberg to be abandoned. The junction was later converted into an alternative junction and the former main track in the direction of Jülich-Nord was given a track block . This enabled the transfer trains from Jülich (DB) in the direction of Kirchberg and back to pass without having to change the switch at the junction.

Rurbrücken of the DB (left) and the JKB (right) in 2018

Shortly after the Rübenstrasse junction, the official end of the route was last at km 1.6, at the level of the RWE transformer station . The track ends at a buffer stop directly in front of the level crossing over Gereonstraße. From kilometer 1.6, the line is officially closed according to Section 11 AEG .

In the draft for the rail network usage conditions (SNB) of the Rurtalbahn, the circular route up to kilometer 1.6 is still included. However, shortly after the Jülich train station, the track was overgrown and not easily passable.

Originally, the lines of the Kreisbahn and Bundesbahn ran parallel to these kilometers and crossed the Rur 600 m further over two three-chord bridges . The northern bridge was intended for the Jülich Kreisbahn, the southern one for the Bundesbahn. The bridges were built to replace the ones destroyed in the war in 1950. In 1992 the federal railway line was swiveled to the JKB line.

In the summer of 2000 the former federal railway bridge was overhauled and converted into a pedestrian / cycle path bridge to expand the cycle path network along the Rur. The other bridge for the JKB is dilapidated and closed.

Kirchberg railway station (near Jülich)

Plan of the Kirchberg train station in 1910

Former Kirchberg railway station in 2018

Shortly after the Rurbrücke, the station facilities of the Kirchberg station began at 2.2 km. Strictly speaking, up to 1992 there were two train stations with extensive track systems and two reception buildings. The Kirchberg-Nord station of the Jülich district railway (towards the exit of the town) and the Kirchberg station of the federal railway (towards the center of the village). The track systems just mentioned merged because Kirchberg originally linked two lines: the Aachen North – Jülich line (once operated by the Aachener Industriebahn Actiengesellschaft , later: Aachen-Jülich Railway , opened) and the Jülich District Railway , opened in 1911, which was the first only ran from Puffendorf to Kirchberg. There was a connection from Kirchberg Nord station to the neighboring Kirchberg station on the Aachen Nord - Kirchberg - Jülich state railway line; on September 14, 1912, the remnant Jülich Nord - Kirchberg Nord followed, which partly ran parallel to the state railway.

The station was of special importance for the JKB because it served as a transfer station to the Federal Railroad until 1992. For this reason, there were more spacious tracks here than at the other stations on the route. The JKB had three tracks with a usable length of at least 230 m in their station, one of which was provided with a scales.

The DB had a bypass track that was directly connected to the first platform track of the DB train station and several loading tracks, two platforms and a large reception building on the Aachen-Jülich railway company side, which had to be demolished in early 2000 due to its severe deterioration. Today the area belongs to a company and is fenced, the track of the DB was converted into a bicycle route. A badly dilapidated car of unknown origin stood on the site of the former Kirchberg train station until 2009.

Waiting hall Kirchberg 2018

After the Bundesbahn withdrew from Kirchberg, only three tracks (including the main line) of the Jülich district railway remained. These are now heavily overgrown. The track scales in the JKB area have not yet been removed either. In the area of the DB train station, only one edge of the platform reminds us that there used to be a train station here.

The waiting hall of the JKB (Königshütte) is still preserved, but in a dilapidated condition after the last renovation in 1985. The association Dorfgemeinschaft Zukunft Kirchberg eV has set itself the task of restoring the building. It should be the starting point of a historical circular route through Kirchberg. For this purpose, the association rented the building from the Kreisbahn for a symbolic price. The area around the waiting hall has already been cleared and a bicycle parking space has been set up in front of the building. Donations from the association's Advent market in 2016 have already gone into the renovation of the waiting hall.

Eichhorn junction

Former Eichhorn junction in 2018

A few meters behind the Kirchberg train station is the Eichhorn corrugated cardboard factory. The Eichhorn company used to have a connection via the DB track. The connection was made via a loading / siding. One track supplied a goods shed, the loading gate of which faced the DB track. The goods shed is still preserved today. The company had two additional tracks, which could be bypassed by two switches.

When the DB withdrew, the Eichhorn siding was connected directly to the JKB track at km 2.6. The Eichhorn company has not been served by rail for years; since then, goods have been transported by truck.

Koslar train station

Plan of Koslar station in 1911

The Koslar station of the JKB was in today's town center on the Kreisbahnstraße at kilometer point 5.2. The two-track station had a small reception building. In the station there was temporarily a bypass track and a track that was connected to a wooden shed shortly after the Second World War, which served as a temporary locomotive shed and workshop as a replacement for the Jülich systems that were destroyed in the war. There is now a parking lot on the site of the locomotive shed. The site of the recently dilapidated reception building has now been rebuilt.

Plan of the track network on the Schleipen & Erkens company premises in Koslar, 1911

A siding to the Schleipen & Erkens paper mill branched off from the aforementioned bypass. At times, the connection ensured a considerable volume of goods. The siding from the train station to the paper factory, like the track network on the company premises, was licensed as a private railway. There were extensive track systems on the site of the factory, with a shunting tractor being used at times for internal traffic and, from 1968, a diesel locomotive (Schöma, 68 hp). On the outskirts of Koslar there was a short siding for the Koslar mill until the beginning of the 1960s.

Barmen stop (b Jülich)

Shortly after the Barmen (b Jülich) stop, established in 1952 at kilometer point 7.4 , the route crossed the Kirchgracht on a massive arched bridge. Along with the Rur bridges, this bridge was the architecturally most interesting work of art on the entire route and was to be placed under monument protection. In September 2017 it became known that the holding company of the district of Düren (BTG), as the owner, wanted to tear down the bridge due to its dilapidation. According to the BTG, the necessary security measures would have been associated with great effort and would not have guaranteed the long-term preservation of the bridge. The bridge was finally torn down at the end of October 2017.

Merzenhausen station

Merzenhausen station building in 2018

The Merzenhausen train station is located about 500 m north of the town in the open field at kilometer 8.1. Its importance in passenger traffic was secondary, mainly the handling of agricultural products for the neighboring rural trade in Weuthen. In the station there is a small service and shed with a notice board about the history of the Jülich circular railway. In the station area there is a bypass siding with an attached butt siding that ends with a buffer stop directly on the street.

A mobile beet loading system has been on the site since the 1960s, which was heavily frequented during the beet season, but steadily declined in importance in the 1980s and has not been served by rail since 1999. Today goods are transported by truck.

The station building, renovated by the DKB in 1985, is now used privately.

Ederen station

Ederen station 1986, view in the direction of Jülich: Steam locomotive 24 009 being transferred to a special train, to the right of the locomotive the trapezoid panel

Former Ederen railway station in 2018

The station is on the southern outskirts of Ederen on the county road to Freialdenhoven at kilometer point 11.5. The station comprised a small service and storage building that was built in 1953.

The track system consisted of the main track, a bypass and a stub track. At this dead end there was a long concrete ramp. Since the 1960s, there has been a mobile lifting and tipping platform at the end of the high ramp for faster loading of sugar beet. In addition to the beet transport, two sawmills took care of occasional transports.

The station building was last extensively renovated in 1985 by the DKB. After the line was closed, it fell into disrepair and was demolished in April 2017 because it was dilapidated.

Puffendorf station

Special trip between Puffendorf and Ederen in front of the dump of the Emil Mayrisch mine near Siersdorf, 1997

Plan of the Puffendorf train station in 1910

The Puffendorf station at kilometer 15.3 was the end point of the Jülich circular path. At the same time the highest point of the route was reached here. There was a large station building in Puffendorf, which was completely destroyed by the effects of the war in 1944. It was not rebuilt, but replaced by a small bus shelter. At the peak of operations there were five stump tracks in Puffendorf station, two of which could be bypassed each other. The western stump track served as a loading track for the then still much smaller junkyard and at times also as a loading track for a mobile lifting and tilting platform for loading beet, the eastern stump track was a 130 m long beet loading ramp.

In the first half of the 20th century, the meter-gauge Geilenkirchen circular railway ran through Puffendorf on the Alsdorf - Baesweiler - Setterich - Puffendorf - Immendorf - Geilenkirchen route. The line between Alsdorf and Puffendorf was closed in 1953. Until then, Puffendorf had two train stations next to each other. Due to the different track widths of the two railways, it was not possible to use a station together. The vernacular still tells, intentionally ambiguous, that one drove “from Puffendorf to Geilenkirchen by railcar ”.

Former Puffendorf train station in 2018

Even if there was no track connection due to the different gauges, there was still a reloading option to the Geilenkirchener Kreisbahn. To this end, a stump track led from the GKB train station opposite across the street to next to the JKB loading track. The reloading option existed until 1963, as the GKB stopped transporting goods to Puffendorf at that time. A transfer option for passengers in passenger traffic was no longer given when GKB ceased passenger traffic in 1953. Instead, the station was served by buses from the Heinsberg district works .

The entire station area was sold to the scrap metal recycling company Plum (Alsdorf), which used the area as a scrap yard, after the rail traffic was stopped. Up until the second half of the 1990s, scrap was occasionally delivered and delivered using the circular path. In 2003 the entire area of the scrapyard, including the tracks there, was cleared and in 2010 it was converted into a green area. The track that is no longer used has since ended in front of the former station area.

JKB locomotive fleet

Talbot railcars in Jülich-Nord station

When operations started, there were two steam locomotives, four passenger cars, two mail / baggage cars (other sources only write of one baggage car) and 13 freight cars. Two of the three steam locomotives on the Jülich Kreisbahn have been preserved in the Netherlands:

Locomotive 1 ^B (Bn2t) from the initial equipment, built by Humboldt in 1910, is being refurbished to be operational by the Spoorweg-Maatschappij Zuid-Beveland (SZB).
Steam locomotive 152 (1'C h2t locomotive, type ELNA 5 , built by Henschel & Sohn , Kassel 1927) is now running at Museum Buurtspoorweg (MBS) between Haaksbergen and Boekelo.

The Jülich Kreisbahn had two diesel locomotives, the V 34 and V 35, one after the other. Both G 320 B locomotives were built by MaK . The V 34 was returned to the manufacturer after transmission problems and replaced by the V 35. The V 35 is still in use at Rurtalbahn GmbH .

T 1 on a special trip in Zülpich 2014

In 1952, Talbot purchased a Taunus diesel multiple unit to streamline passenger transport . Today the railcar belongs to the Rurtalbahn and is available for special trips after a refurbishment.

literature

Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, OCLC 256317770 .
Wolfgang Nass: The Jülich circular path. The history of the Kleinbahn Jülich-Puffendorf. Verlag Schweers + Wall, Aachen 1978, ISBN 3-921679-07-9 .
Gerd Wolff: German small and private railways. Volume 4: North Rhine-Westphalia, southern part. EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1997, ISBN 3-88255-660-9 , pp. 9-18
Bernd Franco Hoffmann: Disused railway lines in the Rhineland. Sutton-Verlag, Erfurt 2014, ISBN 978-3-95400-396-9 .

Web links

Commons : Jülich Kreisbahn - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH: Book timetable valid from 01.06.1997 (timetable archive of the EAKJ) . Düren, S. 85 .

↑ ^a ^b Rail Network Conditions of Use of Rurtalbahn GmbH - Special Part (SNB-BT). (PDF) Retrieved May 10, 2018 .

↑ Rail network conditions of use of the Rurtalbahn GmbH - special section (SNB-BT). (PDF; 73 kB) Retrieved February 25, 2012 .

↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .

↑ Wolfgang Nass: The Jülich circular path . Schweers + Wall, Aachen 1978, p. 113 .

↑ Wolfgang Nass: The Jülich circular path . Schweers + Wall, Aachen 1978, p. 67 .

↑ The revival of the old Jülich circular orbit, article in the Aachener Zeitung online from August 22, 2019. Accessed on September 22, 2019 .

^ Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 5 .

^ Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 6 .

^ Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 7 .

^ Map of the German Empire, sheet 429 Düren with drawing of existing or planned routes. Retrieved August 1, 2017 .

^ Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 9 .

^ Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 10 .

^ ^A ^b ^c Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 11 .

↑ Route: Kirchberg-Puffendorf (via Bourheim, Koslar, Merzenhausen) [overview map of the Jülich district, sheet of the Preuss. Land survey with drawing of the Kleinbahn Jülich-Puffendorf]. Retrieved August 1, 2017 .

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 13 .

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d ^e Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 14 .

^ ^A ^b ^c Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 16 .

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 22 .

^ Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 20 .

^ Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 23 .

^ Official timetable for Western Germany, summer timetable May 14. - 7.10.1950, publisher: Deutsche Bundesbahn, General Operations Management West, Essen, tables 245q and 245r

^ ^A ^b ^c Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 24 .

^ ^A ^b Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 26 .

↑ Wolfgang Zeunert: The Jülich circular path . In: Modern Railway . tape July 10th -August. Alf Teloeken Verlag, Düsseldorf 1964, p. 34-35 .

↑ History - AVV. Retrieved October 29, 2017 .

^ ^A ^b Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 31 .

^ ^A ^b Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 46 .

^ ^A ^b Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 47 .

^ ^A ^b Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 44 .

↑ Jülich bomb was under the tracks for 70 years, AN article from October 12, 2015. Accessed on September 22, 2019 .

↑ Barmen. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved October 16, 2007 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2
^ Jülich North - Puffendorf (Jülich Kreisbahn). Retrieved November 10, 2012 .
^ Richard Reuters: Ederen / Merzenhausen level crossing is being dismantled. In: www.ederen.de. June 6, 2016, accessed June 27, 2017 .
↑ "Koslarer skepticism accompanied Bahn plans" , article in the Dürener Zeitung of 7 September 2019
↑ On the old tracks - the “Brain Train” from Aachen to Jülich. Retrieved September 25, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b The Barmen railway bridge is a thing of the past. Retrieved October 31, 2017 .
↑ Route: Kirchberg-Puffendorf (via Bourheim, Koslar, Merzenhausen) [site plans with route] Map set consisting of sheet 3-sheet 17 a various sizes 1: 1,000 col. Print and corresponding profile plans Map set consisting of sheet 3-17 a div Sizes 1: 1 000 lengths, 1: 100 heights Col. pressure. P. 1 , accessed October 28, 2017 .
↑ Environment, public space and transport. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 25, 2018 ; accessed on April 24, 2018 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
↑ Advent market supports train houses. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b route: Kirchberg-Puffendorf (via Bourheim, Koslar, Merzenhausen) [site plans with route] Map set consisting of sheet 3-sheet 17 a various sizes 1: 1,000 col. Print and corresponding profile plans map set consisting of sheet 3-17 a div. sizes 1: 1 000 lengths, 1: 100 heights col. pressure. P. 7 , accessed October 28, 2017 .
↑ Due to defects, the railway bridge over the Kirchgracht is being torn down. Retrieved October 31, 2017 .
↑ Richard Reuters: Today a piece of Ederen history disappears. In: www.ederen.de. April 11, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017 .
↑ Route: Kirchberg-Puffendorf (via Bourheim, Koslar, Merzenhausen) [site plans with route] Map set consisting of sheet 3-sheet 17 a various sizes 1: 1,000 col. Print and corresponding profile plans Map set consisting of sheet 3-17 a div Sizes 1: 1 000 lengths, 1: 100 heights Col. pressure. P. 20 , accessed on August 1, 2017 .
↑ Talbot-Taunus goes on its second maiden voyage. (No longer available online.) In: az-web.de. August 28, 2009, formerly in the original ; Retrieved August 30, 2012 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2

[1] Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH: Book timetable valid from 01.06.1997 (timetable archive of the EAKJ) . Düren, S. 85 .

[SNB2019Entwurf-2] Rail Network Conditions of Use of Rurtalbahn GmbH - Special Part (SNB-BT). (PDF) Retrieved May 10, 2018 .

[3] Rail network conditions of use of the Rurtalbahn GmbH - special section (SNB-BT). (PDF; 73 kB) Retrieved February 25, 2012 .

[4] Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .

[5] Wolfgang Nass: The Jülich circular path . Schweers + Wall, Aachen 1978, p. 113 .

[6] Wolfgang Nass: The Jülich circular path . Schweers + Wall, Aachen 1978, p. 67 .

[7] The revival of the old Jülich circular orbit, article in the Aachener Zeitung online from August 22, 2019. Accessed on September 22, 2019 .

[8] Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 5 .

[9] Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 6 .

[10] Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 7 .

[11] Map of the German Empire, sheet 429 Düren with drawing of existing or planned routes. Retrieved August 1, 2017 .

[12] Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 9 .

[13] Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 10 .

[JKB75-11-14] A ^b ^c Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 11 .

[15] Route: Kirchberg-Puffendorf (via Bourheim, Koslar, Merzenhausen) [overview map of the Jülich district, sheet of the Preuss. Land survey with drawing of the Kleinbahn Jülich-Puffendorf]. Retrieved August 1, 2017 .

[JKB75-13-16] A ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 13 .

[JKB75-14-17] A ^b ^c ^d ^e Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 14 .

[JKB75-16-18] A ^b ^c Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 16 .

[JKB75-22-19] A ^b ^c ^d Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 22 .

[JKB75-20-20] Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 20 .

[JKB75-23-21] Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 23 .

[22] Official timetable for Western Germany, summer timetable May 14. - 7.10.1950, publisher: Deutsche Bundesbahn, General Operations Management West, Essen, tables 245q and 245r

[JKB75-24-23] A ^b ^c Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 24 .

[JKB75-26-24] A ^b Anton Gülden, Rolf D. Schorer (editor): 75 years Jülich Kreisbahn 1911–1986 . Ed .: Dürener Kreisbahn GmbH. Düren 1986, p. 26 .