Rheinecker connecting railway
| Rheineck SBB – Rheineck valley station | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Timetable field : | 115c (1957) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Route length: | 0.816 km | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Power system : | 500 V ∆ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum slope : | 19 ‰ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimum radius : | 150 m | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Rheineck connecting railway was a tram that ran from 1909 to 1958 between the Rheineck train station and the Rheineck valley station of the Rheineck – Walzenhausen (RhW) mountain railway . It was the only standard-gauge tram in Switzerland and with a length of 672 meters it was also one of the shortest tram lines in the world. The operator was the RhW.
history
At the end of the 19th century, the municipality of Walzenhausen intended to establish a rail link to the neighboring municipality of Heiden . Since the project appeared to be too complex, a water ballast runway to Rheineck was built instead , which began operations in 1896. For topographical reasons, this could not be carried out as far as Rheineck station, but ended about 700 meters before at a valley station. The spa guests traveling to Walzenhausen therefore had to cover this route on foot. In 1899 a contract was signed with a haulage company so that a horse-drawn bus was available for the connection in the summer season .
In order to create a year-round connection to the mountain railway, the RhW decided to build a tram between the train station and the valley station. The space required for this was available with the straightening of the Rhine and the relocation of the Chur – Rorschach railway line . The company inspected the petrol railcars used there at various companies with the intention of being able to use such vehicles on the connecting railway. However, she preferred the establishment of an electrical company.
After the power plant company Bodensee-Thurtal had laid an electrical line in the Rhine Valley, the decision was made in favor of an electric tram. However, since the supplier announced that it would cut the power supply during overhaul work, the RhW also acquired a gasoline railcar as a reserve.
In spring 1909, construction work began on the 816 meter long single-track line, which was completed after a few weeks. Bottlenecks at the car manufacturer delayed the delivery of the vehicles and led to the opening date being postponed to October 2, 1909. The construction costs amounted to 184,810 francs , of which around a third was accounted for by the vehicle fleet. 23 percent of the costs were raised for the purchase of the property.
During the First World War there was a shift from tourism to local traffic. Since the petrol was heavily rationed, the surrounding, partly competing bus companies temporarily stopped their operations. The RhW, whose gasoline-powered railcar 1 was also unable to operate, thus recorded enormous growth in passenger and freight traffic . A similar development is also documented for the time of the Second World War .
After the war the breakdowns of both cars increased. Malfunctions in the engine of car 1 while at the same time inspecting car 2 required the use of buses on the connection in 1946 . In the following year, the great drought in the summer of 1947 resulted in a power shortage and in 1949 the axle of the electric railcar broke . Problems with the mountain railway that occurred at the same time led to the complete cessation of operations on both railways on May 1, 1958 and the replacement by Postbuses . At the same time, the conversion to a continuous railway began, which runs in the area of the former cable car as a rack railway and in the area of the former tram as an adhesion railway . The track width of 1200 millimeters corresponded to that of the cable car, the drive takes place since a 500-volt DC - catenary . The route was retained.
business
Timetable and tariff
The train mostly ran after the mountain railway, there was no regular timetable . The one-way trip cost 30 cents in the last full year of operation.
route
The total of 816 meter long track was single track running. An initially planned switch halfway along the route was not implemented because the wagons were able to carry out a complete circuit including goods handling while the mountain railway's water tanks were being filled. The rails were bought second-hand from different companies, so the different profiles caused the vehicles to run unevenly. The contact line systems were supplied by BBC .
The track began at a freight shed of the SBB northwest of the Rheineck station building. The train then ran between the SBB tracks and Bahnhofstrasse to the Rudenbach valley station of the mountain railway. The depot was probably located on a site between the SBB tracks and Bahnhofstrasse at the southeast end of the line.
dare
The RhW used two different railcars on the tram. In the wagon construction part, the two vehicles designed by SWS were largely identical. The length was 11.40 meters, the width of 2.96 meters. By exceeding the clearance profile , use on the SBB routes was expressly prohibited. The interior was divided into two parts and included a passenger compartment and a luggage compartment. Both wagons had pulling and pushing devices for moving freight wagons of the railroad . However, the RhW regulations indicate that only car 1 was intended for this transport, as the aim was to avoid overheating of the transformers in car 2.
Car 1 was powered by a Saurer gasoline engine, while car 2 was electric. Power was supplied via a two-pole 500-volt three-phase contact line , two pairs of roller pantographs were available for acceptance .
Both cars were scrapped with the union of both railways and dismantled on site.
literature
- Jörg Zimmer: The smallest of the little ones. The tram in Rheineck on Lake Constance . In: Tram magazine . Issue 3, 2011.
Web links
- Rheinecker connecting railway (RhW), 1909–1958. Tram Museum Zurich, archived from the original on June 11, 2009 ; Retrieved May 22, 2011 .
- The history of the RhW, 1909–1958. Tram Museum Zurich, archived from the original on June 4, 2011 ; Retrieved May 22, 2011 .
- Rheinecker connecting railway. ViaStoria, accessed May 22, 2011 .
- Josef Pospichal: Rheinecker connecting railway. Retrieved May 22, 2011 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b room: The smallest of the little ones . 2011, p. 78.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o The history of the RhW, 1909–1958. Tram Museum Zurich, archived from the original on June 4, 2011 ; Retrieved May 22, 2011 .
- ↑ a b Rheinecker connecting railway. ViaStoria, accessed May 22, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c d e room: The smallest of the little ones . 2011, p. 79
- ^ Josef Pospichal: Rheinecker connecting railway. Retrieved May 22, 2011 .
Existing routes: Jungfrau Railway 1898 | Gornergratbahn 1898 | Chemin de Fer de la Rhune 1914/24 | Corcovado mountain railway 1910
Lines that were later re-electrified: Veltlinbahn | Ferrovia Alta Valtellina | Mont Cenis Railway | Trento burner | Bolzano – Merano | Firenze-Bologna | TEL Tram Lugano 1896–1910 | StEB Stansstad – Engelberg 1898–1964 | BTB Burgdorf – Thun Railway 1899–1933 | SSS / SStB Schwyzer trams 1900–1914 | SBB / BBC three-phase operation Brig – Iselle 1906–1930 | Great Northern Old Cascade Tunnel 1909–1927 | RhW Tram Rheineck 1909–1958 | RENFE Gérgal – Santa Fe-Alhama 1911–1966 | SBB Sion – Brig 1919–1927 | EB Hasle-Rüegsau – Langnau 1919–1932
Earlier three-phase electrifications : Riffelalptram 1898–1960 | Hotel tram Évian-les-Bains 1898–1908 | Wöllersdorf military track 1902–1911 | BrMB Brunnen-Morschach Railway 1905–1969 | CFHMP Luchon – Superbagnières de Luchon 1912–1966 | Mühleggbahn 1950–1975 | RAG cog railway opencast mine Gruhlwerk 1927–1949
Test operations: Three-phase test operation from Siemens & Halske | Ganz test track on Óbuda Island | Three-phase test operation Brig – Iselle
