Kasbachtalbahn

Linz (Rhine) -Flammersfeld
Route number :	3033
Course book section (DB) :	12427, 251k (from 1950), 194k (until 1950), 166m (until 1939)
Route length:	35.2 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Maximum slope :	57  ‰
Legend right stretch of the Rhine from Koblenz 0.0 Linz (Rhine) 0.3 Right Rhine route to Cologne Kasbach Viaduct Narrow gauge railway to the Naak quarry 2.3 Kasbach (previously Bf) 3.2 Steffens Brewery (since 1999) 8.9 Kalenborn 11.6 St. Katharinen ( Notscheid ) 14.1 Vettelschoss 16.8 Elsaff 19.8 Wiedmühle (until 1960 train station ) A 3 Wiedtalbrücke ( high-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main ) 20.0 Neustädter Tunnel (125m) 21.7 Neustadt (Wied) Wied , (3 ×) 25.4 Mettelshahn (1945 to 1950) Wied , (2 ×) 26.0 Peterslahrer Tunnel (156m) Wied 27.2 Peterslahr Wied 30.5 Oberlahr Wied , (3 ×) from Siershahn Wied 35.2 Flammersfeld ( Seelbach ; until 1945) to Altenkirchen (Westerwald)

Uerdinger rail bus of the Kasbachtalbahn in tourist traffic near Linz on the Rhine

Railway viaduct in Kasbach

Bridge of the Kasbachtalbahn near Kalenborn / Reifstein

Uerdinger rail bus in the Kalenborn terminus

The Kasbachtalbahn is a non-electrified, single-track branch line , which originally connected Linz on the right Rhine route with Flammersfeld ( Holzbachtalbahn ) for 35.2 km . It ran between Wiedmühle and Peterslahr in the valley of the Wied ; from Linz am Rhein to Kalenborn it is routed in the valley of the Kasbach .

Since April 4, 1999, the Eifelbahn Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (EVG) has been offering tourist transport with Uerdingen rail buses on the 8.9 km remaining section between Linz and Kalenborn . This takes place every hour on weekends from March to December and on Wednesdays between May and October .

The railway line is one of the steepest routes in Germany . The greatest gradient is 5.7%, the difference in altitude between Linz and Kalenborn is around 300 m.

history

Prehistory to 1912

Efforts to establish a rail link from the Rhine to the Westerwald began as early as 1876. One proposal was to build a narrow-gauge railway with 1000 mm gauge ( meter gauge ) from Neuwied through the Wiedtal to Neustadt (Wied) in order to transport the railway in the “Neustadt - Flammersfeld "acquired iron ore to the ironworks supply in Neuwied and Sayn and around from the numerous quarries derived basalt to the right bank railway line to bring. In addition, the railway should promote the general economic development of the region and thus counteract the migration of the smallholder population to the industrial centers. A continuation from Neustadt to Asbach should then create a connection to the Bröltalbahn , which was completed as a narrow-gauge railway in 1892 and led from Asbach to Hennef (Sieg) .

Another suggestion was to have the shortest possible route from Linz on the Rhine to the Wiedtal in order to also bring basalt to the Rhine. There was also interest in connecting to the Prussian state railway in the upper Wiedtal . Basalt AG, founded in Linz in 1888, told the Royal Railway Directorate in 1902 that it wanted to transport 150,000 t annually by rail from its quarries on the " Linzer Höhe ". The construction of the line from Linz with connection to the right bank of the Rhine via Neustadt to Seifen with connection to the Holzbachtalbahn as a standard-gauge and single-track railway was approved on July 6, 1905, construction began in April 1909. After three years of construction, the line was opened on October 1, 1912. The construction costs amounted to 7.5 million marks , a large part of this money had to be raised by the communities along the route.

Rack railway

The steep gradients of up to 57 ‰ in the sections between Kasbach and Kalenborn (difference in altitude about 300 m) and between Elsaff and Vettelschoss (difference in altitude about 200 m) made rack and pinion operation necessary on some of the routes . On the route to Kalenborn there were two cog railway sections with a total of 5,080 m, and to Vettelschoss there were also two sections with 3,620 m. On the two steep sections , the locomotives had to run at the end of the train, which is why the Lorscheid station (now part of St. Katharinen ) was designed as a terminal station . The freight trains coming from the direction of Flammersfeld had to be divided in Wiedmühle to train loads of 120 to 150 t.

Initially, the T 26 type cogwheel steam locomotives were used . There were a total of 13 locomotives on the route. The rack and pinion operation was discontinued in August 1931 after class 94 locomotives with counter-pressure brakes had already been running from 1924 .

Accident in 1916

On December 30, 1916, an accident occurred in the Elsaf Valley in which three people were killed. This was caused by heavy rains, which damaged the railroad embankment near Elsaff in several places. A special security service was set up the day before, the trains were only allowed to run at reduced speed. Because of the increasing dam damage, the last passenger train from Linz below the Elsaff station (near Wöllsreg) could not continue its journey to Altenkirchen. A train from Altenkirchen picked up the transferring passengers. The Linz train drove back to Elsaff without passengers, the passenger cars were uncoupled there and the locomotive was supposed to go to Linz alone. During this trip she fell about 8 meters between Elsaff and Vettelschoss. The rain had washed away the track bed for a distance of 20 to 30 meters.

After 1945

95 027 while maneuvering during the event 100 years of the Kasbachtalbahn in October 2012 in Linz train station

215 086 with conversion car, type 4yg during the event 100 years of the Kasbachtalbahn in October 2012 in Linz train station

Due to the war, operations had to be stopped on March 11, 1945. After repair work, the trains were able to run from Linz back to Mittelelsaff on March 13, 1945 and from October 8, 1945 back to Mettelshahn (now part of Neustadt), where a provisional terminus was set up between Neustadt and Peterslahr.

On May 14, 1950, all operations on the Neustadt – Mettelshahn section were stopped.

Later - as stated in the 1957 summer timetable - only one pair of trains was used on the route Linz – Neustadt on weekdays, on May 29, 1960, passenger traffic on the remaining route was completely stopped, and freight traffic from Kalenborn to Wiedmühle remained until September 25, 1966 . Thereafter, this was limited to stone transport ( fused basalt ) in the section between Linz and Kalenborn, until this was also carried out for the last time on May 17, 1995.

Vehicle use

As of June 1966, the deferred steep stretch grade steam locomotives of the 82 series , the freight trains to the station up Kalenborn. At the same time also began to steep trails equipped diesel locomotives of the series V 100 , the steam locomotives to displace. At the end of 1968, only the class V 100 diesel locomotives were in service.

Tourist traffic (since 1998)

After Deutsche Bahn AG shut down the remaining Linz – Kalenborn line in 1997, the private Eifelbahn Verkehrsgesellschaft took over the infrastructure from DB AG in 1998. On April 4, 1999, tourist traffic was resumed with a historic Uerdingen rail bus ( 798 series ) suitable for steep routes under the name "Drachenland-Express", but shortly thereafter renamed the "Kasbachtalbahn". The vehicles from the 1950s only run on weekends and public holidays from Good Friday to the 4th Advent ( every hour) and on Wednesdays in the summer holidays of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate (every two hours ).

Occasionally special trips with steam locomotives are carried out. On 3, 6 and 7 October 2012 as part of the event came 100 years Kasbachtalbahn a special train with the strongest yet operational tank locomotive of the world 95,027 as sliding locomotive (during the ascent) and the diesel locomotive 215 086 with remodeling wagon type 4YG for use. Individual journeys were made with a shortened train and only the 215 086 as a pushing locomotive.

When tourist traffic began, the “Steffens Brewery” stop was re-established.

literature

• Konrad Fuchs: The development of the Westerwald by the railroad, in: Nassauische Annalen 72nd Volume, 1961. P. 143–159

Web links

Commons : Kasbachtalbahn  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Eifelbahnverkehrgesellschaft mbH (EVG)
• Timetable and further information
• Images of the tunnel portals
• Measuring table sheets from the Deutsche Fotothek :
  • Measuring table sheet 3099: Asbach, 1935 (Notscheid <-> Peterslahr)
  • Measuring table sheet 5311: Altenkirchen im Westerwald, 1946 (Oberlahr <-> Altenkirchen)
  • Measuring table sheet 5309: Honnef-Königswinter, 1948 (near Kalenborn / Kretzhaus)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Martin Krauss: Development of the Railway Infrastructure 1997/98, in: Bahn-Report 2/1999, p. 4–7, here: p. 6.