Schinznacher Baumschulbahn
| Schinznacher Baumschulbahn | |
|---|---|
 Steam locomotive Emma in autumn 2008
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| Route length: | about 3 km |
| Gauge : | 600 mm ( narrow gauge ) |
The Schinznacher Baumschulbahn (SchBB), a steam-powered narrow-gauge railway on the premises of Baumschule Zulauf AG in Schinznach-Dorf , Canton Aargau , Switzerland , is the only steam railway in Switzerland with a gauge of 600 mm. The route network essentially leads in an approximately three kilometer long circuit through the park-like tree nursery area.
history
The country nursery Zulauf has existed since 1879. To simplify the transport of trees, earth, peat, manure and other components, a track system with a gauge of 600 mm was laid out in 1928. Motorized rail vehicles were dispensed with; the carriages were moved with muscle power. When motorized road vehicles such as tractors and small vans began to boom in the 1950s , the railway was initially no longer used and most of the track systems were removed. On the occasion of the centenary of the country nursery, it was proposed to revive the field railway . In 1977, the employees of Hermann Zulauf AG began with the reconstruction, and on April 13, 1978 public trips took place for the first time. Voluntary helpers were sought in newspapers and specialist literature for the operation of the railroad and were soon found. In 1980 they founded the Schinznacher Baumschulbahn association . He runs the railway in partnership with Zulauf AG. Steam trains run regularly on most weekends between April and October; not on Pentecost Sunday and Prayer Day.
Rolling stock
Steam locomotives
It was difficult to get rolling stock for a gauge of 600 mm. At the time, this track width was primarily chosen for field, forest and industrial railways.
- The "Taxus" is a former brigade locomotive from a series with more than 1300 copies for the so-called Army Field Railway Brigades . It was built by Krauss in Munich in 1917 and integrated into the Deutsche Reichsbahn in 1951 as a result of the expropriation of the Muskau Forest Railway . It came to the Schinznacher Baumschulbahn in 1977 with 16 freight cars .
- The two-axle “Pinus” also came to SchBB in 1977. It was built in 1937 by Henschel & Sohn in Kassel and was then privately owned in Limburg an der Lahn . It was drafted during the Second World War for rearmament purposes and was inoperable until it was taken over by the Sauerland lime industry in Messinghausen near Brilon in 1955 . In 1962 it changed hands again and came to the Nordmark gravel and gravel works in Lürschau near Schleswig. Around 1975 the light rail locomotives were decommissioned there.
- The "Sequoia" was built in 1944 by Maschinenbau und Bahnbedarf AG in Babelsberg . Its first owner was the German branch of Zuckerfabrik-Betriebs GmbH in Zichenau , north of Warsaw . (At that time Poland was occupied.) The later SchBB locomotive with the road number 194 was used between Witaszyce and Zagórów . There she received her tender for scheduled passenger traffic. At the beginning of the seventies, the steam locomotives in passenger transport were replaced by some even older diesel railcars. After a few special trips for railway enthusiasts and a final deployment during the sugar beet campaign in 1977, the Ty 3-194 came to the Schinznacher Baumschulbahn a year later.
- The largest steam locomotive is the Garratt " Drakensberg ", a SAR class NGG 13 locomotive imported from South Africa . It was built by Hanomag in Hanover in 1927/28 for the South African State Railways. A total of 12 locomotives of this series were produced. On February 14, 1986 it was put on the rails in Schinznach. The locomotive was restored in ten years of work and put back into operation in 1998. The locomotive was christened "Drakensberg" by the wife of the South African ambassador. At the moment (2010) the route network is under construction so that the "Drakensberg" cannot be used. The locomotive is still in working order. The "Drakensberg" is owned by the Schinznacher Baumschulbahn association.
- The "Emma" was built in 1925 as a construction steam locomotive by Robert Aebi, a well-known manufacturer of rail tractors. In 1941 it was bought by Holzverzuckerungs AG Ems (later Ems-Chemie ). After a long stint at "Oswald Steam Saturdayern", where the locomotive was restored true to the original, it was resold to a private person after "Oswald Steam Saturdayern" was dissolved. This brought the "Emma" to Schinznach-Dorf in 1992. The machine has now been acquired by the Schinznacher Baumschulbahn association.
- During the construction of the Rupperswil-Auenstein power plant , the construction company in charge was faced with the need to procure three additional steam locomotives for the works railway with a gauge of 75 cm. Since there was no opportunity to procure (used) second-hand vehicles , the SLM was given a corresponding order in March 1944. The later SchBB locomotive was called " Wildegg " at the time and was drawn in 1961 in Niederhasli . A Max Kuhn bought it in 1966 and saved it from being scrapped. He gave it to the school youth in Turgi , who named it "Molly" on August 26, 1967. It stood as a monument locomotive at Turgi station until it had to be removed due to renovation work at the station. In 1994 it was brought to Schinznach on loan.
- The "Lukas" was built in 1918 with the 7479 before the German company Orenstein & Koppel . It was brought to Schinznach from Lüsslingen train station in 1996 . The locomotive is also owned by the Schinznacher Baumschulbahn association.
- The "Kalahari" ( SAR class NG 15 ) comes from the Belgian locomotive manufacturer Franco-Belgé . It was built there in 1953 with the serial number 2686. Before she came to Schinznach in 1998, she was on regular service in South Africa . In 2008 the locomotive was sold back to South Africa.
- The "Antracita" was built in 1906 by the German company Jung with the 1032. It was acquired from a collection in Spain in 2012. The locomotive is also owned by the Schinznacher Baumschulbahn association.
The names of the locomotives " Lukas ", " Emma " and " Molly " refer to the children's book Jim Button and Lukas the Locomotive Driver , whereby the three locomotives were christened independently of one another and in the case of Molly and Emma were already called that when they were in arrived at the nursery.
Diesel locomotives
The SchBB owns six diesel locomotives. These are called "Syringa", "Azalea", "Paeonia", "Abelia", "Opalinus" and "Viola". They were also bought as second-hand. They are indispensable for maneuvers.
Passenger cars
The SchBB has 13 passenger train cars, three of which are wheelchair accessible.
Freight wagons
In 2013 two former brigade wagons of the German Army Field Railway were being rebuilt so that photo freight trains can be offered in the future.
Infrastructure
The site also has its own depot where most maintenance work can be carried out, as well as a collection of historical railway material. The route of the narrow-gauge railway extends over 3 kilometers and has a license from Baumschule Zulauf AG.
Training
In order to maintain regular and accident-free operation, association members are trained and checked internally. The regulations and examinations only apply within the nursery school area and not on public rail networks such as that of the Swiss Federal Railways.
The following types are trained:
- Company secretary / ticket counter (from 16 years of age)
- Conductor (from 16 years of age)
- Diesel engine driver only shunting trips (from 16 years of age)
- Heater (from the age of 18)
- Steam and diesel train driver (from 21 years of age)
Web links
- Schinznacher Baumschulbahn association
- Baumschulbahn on the website of Baumschule Zulauf AG
- Directions (PDF file; 262 kB)
Coordinates: 47 ° 27 '3.7 " N , 8 ° 8' 48.1" E ; CH1903: 653 401 / 255822