Small train in the Rheinpark
| Small train in the Rheinpark | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The second "western train" on the way
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| Route length: | 2 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 600 mm ( narrow gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Kleinbahn im Rheinpark is now an owner-operated park railway on the grounds of the first and second Federal Horticultural Show in Cologne , which is now used as a park ( Rheinpark ). The current railway with a track width of 600 mm was built for the BUGA 1971 and runs on a 2 km long circuit. In good weather it runs every 20 minutes, in bad weather there is no operation.
Today's park railway is already the second in the Rheinpark, as there was a park railway for the 1957 BUGA .
route
The approximately 2 km long route of the "Kleinbahn" has a double-track train station ( Tanzbrunnen ), two stops ( thermal bath and rose garden ), four switches and 23 level crossings, leads under two pedestrian bridges and has a double-track depot. At the thermal bath stop, directly in front of the Claudius Therme, is the thermal bath station. At the Rosengarten stop there is a children's bumper car, the Cologne youth park and a mini golf course. A station of the Rheinpark chairlift, which was closed in 2001, was once located here. The Tanzbrunnen train station is close to the large playground , which the small train passes without stopping, and directly at the “ Tanzbrunnen ” event area .
vehicles
In use at the Kleinbahn are:
- two western trains (5 cars each with a diesel locomotive based on an American steam locomotive ):
- Western train 1: yellow / green / red locomotive ( Schöma , make no. 4408) and 5 closed wagons (colors yellow / green / red), designed with motifs from the graphic series "Meine Tiere" by Otmar Alt
- Western train 2: Blue locomotive (Schöma, make no. 3590) and 5 white / red cars (1 open observation car and 4 closed cars with colored roofs).
- a Porschelok (type VWZ-600 - Year 1959), Benzinlok with industrial type of engine 616, the company Porsche , which is also in the front form a 356 Porsche as well as in overall shape and painting a TEE trainset is modeled. The locomotive comes from the Westfalenpark and has been in service in the Rheinpark since 2001. The restored vehicle, made between 1959 and 1971 by the Sollinger Hütte in Uslar near Hanover, is only used on special occasions.
history
Already during the first Federal Garden Show in 1957 there was a park railway with a track width of 381 mm and three steam trains from Krupp called "Rosenkavalier", "Männertreu" and "Fleißiges Lieschen", operated by the KVB , which attracted international attention. The trains survived the Second World War in the engine shed of the Cologne-Frechen-Benzelrath Railway . In the following year operations were discontinued for cost reasons, the trains were sold to Great Britain and the tracks dismantled. The "Busy Lieschen" has been running as "Black Prince" on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway since 1976 .
For the second Cologne Federal Garden Show in 1971, today's route was built with the current gauge of 600 mm. Porsche trains were used as vehicles. The following year, the Kleinbahn was leased privately (Henry Escher KG) and the Porsche trains were sold to Dortmund. A western train from Schwingel with five cars was purchased for the Rheinpark.
In 1981 the Cologne industrial clerk Karlheinz Potrz bought the Western train and the associated facilities (depot with gas station, train station and stops) from Henry Escher KG and began to expand operations. In 1985 the so-called DIEMA locomotive , which previously operated as a light rail locomotive in a peat factory , was added as a reserve locomotive and in 1992 another western train was added. In 1998 this train was repainted by Otmar Alt with motifs from the graphic series Meine Tiere .
In September 2001 one of the Porsche locomotives from Dortmund was purchased, which was already in use at the Federal Garden Show in 1971. The locomotive was refurbished in more than 2000 hours. Since then, this locomotive has been running on Sundays and public holidays and on special occasions on the small railroad through the Rheinpark.
depot
Shortly before the thermal bath stop is the double-track depot of the small train, whose appearance is reminiscent of a long car garage. All vehicles are parked, maintained and repaired here. At the entrance and exit of the depot there is a gas pump for refueling the locomotives. Until around 2000, the depot also had a rear entrance (saving maneuvering), which was shut down when the depot was modernized. Today it lies fallow and has already been partially dismantled.
Tickets
A round trip on the small train costs € 3.50 for adults and € 3.00 for children aged 2 and over, and a trip on a section of the route costs € 2.50. Wednesdays are family days, when adults and children pay only € 2.50 for a tour. The tickets are sold by the train driver. There is also a ticket office at Tanzbrunnen train station, which is only open on weekends.
literature
- Angela Horstman: Small but nice. The Kleinbahn in Rheinpark has been running for 65 years. In: Zeitschrift der Stadt Köln 38 (1993), no. 2, pp. 40–41.
