Spreewaldbahn

Lübben / Goyatz - Straupitz - Lieberose / Cottbus
Historic postcard of the Cottbus Spreewald train station at the beginning of the 20th century .
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Maximum slope :	33.3  ‰
Minimum radius :	100 m
Legend 0.00 Lübben Central Station / Lubin Głowne Dwornišćo Spree Umflutkanal 4.76 Lübben East / Lubin Jutšo 9.99 Radensdorf / Radowašojce 11.34 Altzauche -Burglehn / Stara Niwa 13.92 Wußwerk / Wozwjerch 17.20 Neuzauche / Nowa Niwa 13.82 Goyatz transshipment port (freight traffic only) 13.78 Goyatz / Gojac 9.85 Siegadel / Sykadło 5.52 Waldow / Waldow 3.28 Laasow / Łas 20.37 0.00 Straupitz / Tšupc 24.80 0.00 Byhlen / Bělin 1.50 Loading point 7 3.40 Loading point 6 4.95 Gusteluch siding 5.95 Loading point 5 7.60 Liebitz -Burghof / Libice Grod (loading point 4) 8.70 Loading point 3 9.95 Loading point 2 Loading point 1 13.32 Lieberose City / Luboraz Město 16.13 Blasdorf 17.50 Jamlitz 19.12 Lieberose Spreewaldbahnhof, later Jamlitz 26.70 Rosenhof 28.05 Byhleguhre / Běła Gora North flood 30.61 Schmogrow / Smogoryov Big flow 32.13 Castle Youth tower / Borkowy Torm Młoźiny Little Spree Main Spree 33.91 Burg (Spreewald) / Borkowy (Błota) Südumfluter 37.44 Werben (Spreewald) / Wjerbno (Błota) 40.82 Ruben - Guhrow / Rubyn Gory 42.43 Briesen (near Cottbus) / Brjazyn 46.37 Sielow / Žylow ? Cottbus racing course 49.50 Cottbus Airport / Chośebuz Lětanišćo Connection PGH glass and mirror Connection to the tram depot 51.77 Cottbus Spreewaldbahnhof / Chośebuz Błośanske Dwornišćo

The Spreewaldbahn , in Lower Sorbian Błośańska zeleznica , was a meter- gauge narrow - gauge railway in the Spreewald , from whose operating center Straupitz the narrow-gauge railway lines led to Lübben , Goyatz , Lieberose and Cottbus . In the vernacular, the little train was called "Spreewaldguste", "Bimmelguste" or "Tschuchte".

Spreewaldbahn AG was also the name of the owner and temporary management company from 1933 to 1945.

The Spreewaldbahn was in operation for passenger traffic from 1898 to 1970 (remaining sections), for freight traffic on the remaining section Cottbus Spreewaldbahnhof - Cottbus Airport (three siding) until 1983 (change of gauge to standard gauge ). Freight traffic was gradually abandoned on all other routes by 1968. After that, all track systems were dismantled down to the last remnants of the Spreewald train station in Burg , where today there are various original vehicles in the outdoor area next to a restaurant in the station building. At the former train station in Straupitz, the "IG Spreewaldbahn" association is setting up an exhibition showing seven original Spreewaldbahn cars.

history

In the 1890s, plans were discussed to open up the Spreewald with a railway . However, this idea was not welcomed by everyone involved. Among the greatest supporters were the Count von der Schulenburg from Lieberose and the former district administrator of the Lübben (Spreewald) district , Ernst Otto von Houwald , while influential business people such as Rittmeister Ernst von Heynitz-Neuhausen argued against the railway.

The original idea of ​​a regular-gauge branch line failed due to the strict legal framework and the financing. It was therefore decided to use a 750 mm-gauge railway. However, since the intention from the beginning was to transport regular-gauge freight wagons on trestles , but the responsible railway directorate in Halle forbade this due to safety concerns with this narrow gauge, the project was finally carried out in meter gauge .

The Lübben-Cottbuser Kreisbahnen

As the owner of the Spreewaldbahn to be built, the Lübben district founded the Lübben-Cottbuser Kreisbahnen (official abbreviation: LCK ) on December 11th and 12th, 1896 with the participation of the independent city of Cottbus . The Cottbus district , which was also affected , rejected the project and was therefore not involved in it. The Berlin company Becker & Co was commissioned with the construction and operation of the railway with a contract dated December 21, 1896.

Station building in Straupitz, photo before 1909

The official start of construction took place with the laying of the foundation stone of the building yard building in Straupitz on March 16, 1897. From here the railway was built in several directions at the same time. After the first railway locomotives arrived at the Lieberos connecting station on August 3, 1897, and construction trains began to pull in the following period, the railway's first lines were officially opened on the first day of Pentecost, May 29, 1898. These were the routes Lübben Ostbahnhof – Straupitz – Byhlen – Lieberose connecting station, where there was a connection to the Cottbus-Großenhainer railway , and Straupitz – Goyatz.

The opening of the Byhlen – Burg section was delayed until June 29, 1898, as the dispute over the Schlossberg near Burg, an Iron Age circular rampart , was intended to be completely demolished in the original project. Ultimately, however, only an existing incision was allowed to be expanded for the railway, which made it necessary to relocate the route by around 60 meters from the planned route. The archaeological finds made during the expansion of the incision, for example Bronze Age crockery, coins, bones and the like, went to the Natural History Museum in Berlin . In 1917, the Burger Bismarck Tower was finally built on the Schlossberg, which then attracted further day trippers. After the bridges over the Spree and the Umflutkanal had been completed, the Lübben Ostbahnhof – Lübben connecting station section with a connection to the Berlin-Görlitz Railway was opened on October 23, 1898 .

Quarrels in the district of Cottbus, which led to lengthy judicial expropriation proceedings, delayed the opening of the section Burg – Cottbus Westbahnhof until the first Whitsun holiday, May 21, 1899. The Cottbus Westbahnhof was not originally planned and was only built as an emergency solution because the final one The route in the Cottbus city area has not yet been determined due to the planned renovation of the state train station. Ultimately, the Cottbus Westbahnhof – Cottbus connecting station section was officially opened on December 7, 1899. In Cottbus connecting station (today called Spreewaldbahnhof) there was a connection to the Cottbus state train station and thus to the Berlin – Görlitzer railway , the Cottbus-Großenhainer railway with the lines to Dresden and Frankfurt and the Halle-Sorau-Gubener railway with the lines to Guben , Halle / Leipzig and Sorau .

From May 1, 1904, the Goyatz – Goyatz Umschlaghafen am Schwielochsee, which only serves goods traffic, completed the Spreewaldbahn route network, but was also the first decommissioned section of the railway after the First World War and the first again dismantled in 1929 because the hoped-for coal transports were over the pits south of Cottbus never came about due to the lack of the planned but never realized extension of the Spreewaldbahn to Proschim . The extension from Goyatz to Briescht to the Lübben – Beeskow line of the Niederlausitzer Eisenbahn, which was still being planned at the time, was also never realized .

The Spreewaldbahn AG

Due to the poor economic situation of the Lübben-Cottbuser Kreisbahnen caused by the inflation of that time, the owner and operator converted the company into a stock corporation, which was ultimately carried out with the Spreewaldbahn Aktiengesellschaft Lübben (official abbreviation: Spwb ) through a contract of the shareholders dated August 16 1923 and entry in the commercial register in April 1924 was also established. The shareholders were the district of Lübben (69%), the city of Cottbus (25%) and the railway construction company Becker & Co. GmbH (6%). In 1924, the management was contractually assigned to Becker & Co. for a further 17 years.

In preparation for the planned but never realized extension of the railway beyond Goyatz to Friedland , the Spreewald Railway took up bus services on the Lübben – Goyatz – Friedland and Straupitz – Lieberose – Goyatz – Friedland lines in 1931. Since the potential passengers for the trip to Friedland largely preferred the bicycle, not least because of the frequent breakdowns of the bus, this connection was not profitable and was discontinued with effect from January 1, 1933.

Disputes between the operating company and the shareholders ensured that the operating contract was terminated prematurely on October 26, 1933, the district of Lübben and the city of Cottbus bought the shares in Becker & Co. and Spreewaldbahn AG itself became the operator of their railroad. On April 1, 1937, the railway department of the Brandenburg State Transport Authority took over management.

The time as a state railway and under the Deutsche Reichsbahn

Dismantling of the last narrow-gauge tracks, Cottbus Spreewaldbahnhof (February 1983)

The second "dismantling train" with Tatra 148 of the NVA and trolleys, Cottbus Spreewaldbahnhof (February 1983)

The Spreewaldbahn was operated by various state authorities between 1945 and 1949. On October 30, 1945, she was confiscated under order number 124 of the Soviet Military Administration (SMAD). Due to the expropriation operated by the provincial administration without compensation on August 5, 1946, the Spreewaldbahn became state property. From April 1, 1949, the Spreewaldbahn was operated by the Deutsche Reichsbahn on its own account and under its own name.

The slow shutdown of the Spreewald Railway began on May 18, 1952, when passenger traffic on the Lieberose Stadt – Lieberose Spreewaldbahnhof section was stopped. The freight traffic on this section ended in 1957 and the official closure of renaming the station regelspurigen Lieberose in Jamlitz took place on 28 September 1958. The immediately subsequent route Byhlen Love Rose City was shut down on 18 October 1964, then dismantled. The dismantling was related to the use of the Lieberoser Heide as a future Lieberose military training area . The entire route Byhlen - Lieberose Spreewaldbf has been almost meaningless since the Second World War .

On the Lübben – Straupitz route, freight traffic was stopped on May 26, 1967 and passenger traffic on September 24, 1967. Freight traffic between Cottbus Airport and Goyatz ended on May 26, 1968, so there was no longer any freight traffic on the entire Spreewald Railway. Passenger traffic between Cottbus and Goyatz remained until the night of January 3rd to 4th, 1970, with train 456 from Cottbus Spreewaldbahnhof to Straupitz, the last passenger train ran on the tracks of the Spreewald Railway in heavy snow. With the exception of the Cottbus Spreewaldbahnhof - Cottbus Airport section, all Spreewaldbahn lines were dismantled by the summer of 1970. The remaining tracks were needed to operate the last three connections, the PGH Glas und Spiegel, the Cottbus airfield of the National People's Army (NVA) and the tram depot of the VEB Kraftverkehr Cottbus in Berliner Straße.

As a result of the oil crisis , which was also noticeable in the GDR, the airfield's oil heating plant also had to be converted to domestic energy sources. The remaining narrow-gauge tracks and the trolley system of the Spreewald station were dismantled after February 14, 1983 by pioneer units of the NVA. The airfield's newly built lignite heating plant then received a regular-gauge siding on the old narrow-gauge route. The last remnants of the Spreewald Railway were thus removed by May 1983.

Current developments

Rail track in front of the Burg Adventure Station (2006)

Steam locomotive of the Spreewaldbahn (DR number 99 5703), exhibited in the branch of the Spreewaldmuseum in the castle grounds of Lübbenau (2003)

The steam locomotive 99 5703 of the Spreewaldbahn and a combined luggage and passenger car from the original equipment of the Spreewaldbahn have been preserved in a museum. Since April 19, 1975, they have been exhibited together with many other Spreewald Railway utensils in a specially built hall as a branch of the Spreewald Museum in the Lübbenau Castle Park . The hall, however, had to be demolished; A new building was built for the exhibits at the Spreewaldmuseum Lübbenau on the Topfmarkt, where they have been freshly refurbished and shown to museum visitors again since 2012.

In the early 1990s, various plans to rebuild parts of the Spreewald Railway were discussed. These plans ranged from a steam-powered museum train between Straupitz and Burg or between Cottbus and Burg, to the extension of the 1000 mm-gauge Cottbus tram via its current terminus in Schmellwitz, via Sielow and the former Spreewald railway line to Burg. Corresponding plans, however, came to nothing, not least because of the unclear financing of such a project.

In 1995, an "adventure restaurant" was built on the site of the former Burg train station . In addition to the thematic orientation of the interior design on the railway (the drinks are brought to the tables by a model railway ), this also offers eight differently used, externally faithfully refurbished Spreewald Railway wagons outside. The facilities of the cars there are, however, fictitious (e.g. classrooms from the 1930s). In addition, there are a few other exhibits on the Spreewald Railway (original snow plow, draisine , signals and old wheel sets) on the outside area .

In 2008, the IG Spreewaldbahn association was founded in Straupitz to preserve the remaining Spreewaldbahn objects (re-established in 2010 due to formal errors in the first establishment). In the summer of 2010, he rebuilt a total of 40 meters of track at the former Straupitz station, on which the association's seven historic Spreewaldbahn wagons are to be exhibited after they have been refurbished. Their acquisition, transport to Straupitz and processing continues. In 2013 the track was extended by a further 40 meters, and in 2016 the entry signal from the direction of Cottbus was set up. In August 2017, the 4th Spreewald Festival (every two years) was celebrated. In addition, a small platform with an exhibition about the Spreewaldbahn has been built since 2010 .

In Goyatz , a Spreewaldbahn baggage car is also on display at the old train station.

The route network

During its greatest expansion - from 1904 to 1929 - the Spreewaldbahn lines reached a total length of 84.7 kilometers. The greatest inclines between Goyatz and Goyatz Umschlaghafen were 1:30 (33.3 ‰), which is why the locomotive always had to be coupled on the valley side, and 1:80 (12.5 ‰) on the rest of the network, where it was between Byhlen and Byhleguhre and between Byhlen and Lieberose. The smallest radius was 100 meters. The towing mass was limited to 300 tons.

The maximum permissible speed was 30 km / h, in turnout areas 20 km / h. From August 1, 1936 until the end of the Second World War, the maximum speed limit for multiple units and passenger trains with no more than two cars was increased to 40 km / h. On April 1, 1954, the maximum speed allowed on the Lübben – Straupitz – Cottbus route was raised again to 40 km / h. A speed limit of 20 km / h was applied to trains with roll stands.

Operating points

Regarding the operating points, it should also be mentioned that all stations with only one platform track (additional tracks were in front of or behind the platform) were defined as stops on the Spreewaldbahn . Since these were actually train stations (there were turnouts ), they are also listed as train stations in this list.

Entrance building of Spreewaldbahnhof Cottbus from the street side (2017)

The renovated station building in Burg (1999)

• Bahnhof Lübben Hauptbahnhof (originally: Lübben connecting station; from 1931: Lübben Spreewaldbahnhof), Lower Sorbian: Lubin Głowne Dwornišćo ; Connection station with 3 trolley pits, later trolley ramps; Kilometers: 0.00; DR abbreviation: Lbn ; Opening: October 23, 1898; Closure of narrow-gauge operation: September 24, 1967; Possibility of transition to regular-gauge trains
• Station Lubben East (originally Lubben Ostbahnhof), Lower Sorbian: Lubin Jutšo ; Stop with overtaking track and loading track; Kilometers: 4.76; DR abbreviation: Lbo ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: September 24, 1967
• Radensdorf railway station , Lower Sorbian: Radowašojce ; Stop with overtaking track; Kilometers: 9.99; DR abbreviation: Rdf ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: September 24, 1967
• Station Altzauche -Burglehn (originally: Burg rest), Lower Sorbian: Stara Niwa ; Stop with overtaking track; Kilometers: 11.34; DR code: Ab ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: September 24, 1967
• Wußwerk train station (from 1938; originally: Wusswergk), Lower Sorbian: Wozwjerch ; Stop with overtaking track; Kilometers: 13.92; DR abbreviation: Wn ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: September 24, 1967
• Neuzauche railway station (originally: Neu-Zauche), Lower Sorbian: Nowa Niwa ; Stop with overtaking track and loading track; Kilometers: 17.20; DR abbreviation: Nze ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: September 24, 1967
• Straupitz train station , Lower Sorbian: Tšupc ; Central multi-track station with several sidings, depot with six locomotive shed and one single motor car shed, operating center of the Spreewaldbahn; Kilometers: 20.37; DR code: Spz ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Byhlen train station (from 1938 to 1945: Waldseedorf), Lower Sorbian: Bělin ; Stop with overhaul track and switch connection for shunting work; Kilometers: 24.80; DR code: By ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Stop at Rosenhof ; Kilometers: 26.70; Opening :? ; Closing of operations: 1945
• Byhleguhre station (from 1938 to 1945: Geroburg), Lower Sorbian: Běła Gora ; Stop with overhaul track and switch connection for shunting work; Kilometers: 28.05; DR abbreviation: Byg ; Opening: June 29, 1898; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Schmogrow stop , Lower Sorbian: Smogorjow ; Kilometers: 30.61; DR abbreviation: Sgw ; Opening: June 29, 1898; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Stopping point Burg Jugendturm (originally: Burg Bismarck Tower), Lower Sorbian: Borkowy Torm Młoźiny ; Kilometers: 32.13; DR abbreviation: Bb ; Opening: "?"; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Burg (Spreewald) train station (originally: Burg), Lower Sorbian: Borkowy (Błota) ; Station with several loading and siding tracks; Kilometers: 33.91; DR abbreviation: Bug ; Opening: June 29, 1898; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Station Werben (Spreewald) (originally Advertise) Lower Sorbian: Wjerbno (Błota) ; Stop with overhaul track and 2 loading tracks; Kilometers: 37.44; DR code: Wbn ; Opening: May 21, 1899; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Ruben- Guhrow stop , Lower Sorbian: Rubyn Gory ; Kilometers: 40.82; DR abbreviation: Rg ; Opening: May 21, 1899; Operation cessation:
• Briesen railway station (near Cottbus) (originally: Briesen), Lower Sorbian: Brjazyn ; Stop with overtaking track and loading track; Kilometers: 42.43; DR abbreviation: Brn ; Opening: May 21, 1899; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Sielow station , Lower Sorbian: Žylow ; Stop with overtaking track; Kilometers: 46.37; DR abbreviation: Sow ; Opening: May 21, 1899; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Cottbus Rennplatz stop ; Opening: 1904; Operation setting: "?"
• Cottbus Airport train station (originally: Cottbus Westbahnhof), Lower Sorbian: Chośebuz Lětanišćo ; Kilometers: 49.50; DR code: Csf ; Opening: May 21, 1899; Suspension of passenger traffic: January 4, 1970; Closure of narrow-gauge operation: February 14, 1983
• Station Cottbus  Spreewaldbahnhof (1931; originally: Cottbus connection station), Lower Sorbian: Chóśebuz Błośanske Dwornišćo ; Connection station with 3 trolley pits, later trolley ramps; Kilometers: 51.77; DR abbreviation: Csp ; Opening: December 7, 1899; Suspension of passenger traffic: January 4, 1970; Closure of narrow-gauge operation: February 14, 1983; Possibility of transition to regular-gauge trains

• Straupitz train station , Lower Sorbian: Tšupc ; Kilometers: 0.00
• Laasow railway station , Lower Sorbian: Łas ; Stop with overtaking track; Kilometers: 3.28; DR abbreviation: Law ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Waldow train station , Lower Sorbian: Waldow ; Stop with overtaking track; Kilometers: 5.52; DR abbreviation: Wow ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Siegadel railway station (from 1938; originally: Sikadel; later: Syckadel), Lower Sorbian: Sykadło ; Stop with overtaking track; Kilometers: 9.85; DR abbreviation: Sgl ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Goyatz station (from 1938 to 1945: Schwieloch), Lower Sorbian: Gojac ; Station with several loading tracks; Kilometers: 13.78; DR abbreviation: Goy ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: January 4, 1970
• Goyatz railway station, transshipment port ; Loading station with transfer track and landing stage; Kilometers: 13.82; Opening: May 1, 1904; Closing of operations: after the First World War

• Byhlen train station (from 1938 to 1945: Waldseedorf), Lower Sorbian: Bělin ; Kilometers: 0.00
• Station Liebitz -Burghof , Lower Sorbian: Libice Grod ; Stop with overtaking track; Kilometers: 7.60; DR abbreviation: Lzb ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: October 18, 1964
• Lieberose  Stadt railway station , Lower Sorbian: Luboraz Město ; Station with several sidings; Kilometers: 13.32; DR code: Lis ; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: October 18, 1964
• Blasdorf stop ; Kilometers: 16.13; Opening: May 29, 1898; Closing of operations: May 18, 1952
• Jamlitz stop ; Kilometers: 17.50; Opening :? ; Closing of operations: May 18, 1952
• Lieberose Spreewaldbahnhof station (from 1931; originally: Lieberose connecting station , after the Jamlitz Spreewald Railway was discontinued ); Connecting station with 2 trolley pits; Kilometers: 19.12; Opening: May 29, 1898; Suspension of passenger traffic: May 18, 1952; Closure of narrow-gauge operation: September 28, 1958; Possibility of transition to regular-gauge trains

Due to the Sorbian origin of most place names, which was a thorn in the side of the government at the time, a number of place names were replaced by new German names in 1938. The bilingual designation of the stations was only introduced in the mid-1950s.

Special features of the railway

Typical of the Spreewaldbahn were the mixed passenger and freight trains, with which the majority of the services were provided. However, after the takeover by the Deutsche Reichsbahn, this type of operational management was abandoned and a strict separation was made between passenger and freight traffic.

Until September 30, 1930, the Spreewaldbahn also carried mail , in accordance with the relevant statutory ordinance from 1838.

Technical peculiarities

The Heberlein brake was originally used on the Spreewald Railway . In contrast to the usual practice, the brake line was not passed over the roof of the car but under the car. Between 1950 and 1953, however, they were converted to single-chamber air brakes of the Knorr type . Due to the large compressed air tanks and air pumps, the originally dainty looking locomotives were given a rather massive appearance. Many mainly two-axle freight wagons remained unbraked; they only received brake lines.

The passenger cars were heated by ovens during the entire operating time of the Spreewaldbahn. The conversion to steam heating planned at the beginning of the 1950s could not be implemented because the locomotives were not able to provide the required amount of steam. Instead, the oven systems installed under the cars were replaced by standard ovens that were located in the passenger compartments so that passengers could add coal themselves if necessary.

The carbide lighting of the locomotives and the kerosene lighting of the wagons were replaced by electrical lighting until 1955 after the takeover by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. Toilets were also only installed in most passenger cars between 1950 and 1953.

The license plates

The characteristic appearance of the Spreewaldbahn locomotives in the last two decades was not least shaped by the number plates, which were made by hand in the workshop in Straupitz. Only 99 5702 and 99 183 had conventional license plates cast in the Raw .

Also deviating from the norm, the front number plates of the seven locomotives of the original equipment were initially not attached to, but above the smoke chamber door. It was not until around 1958 that the central smoke chamber door locks were removed that the license plates were moved onto the smoke chamber door.

The vehicle fleet

The locomotives of the Spreewaldbahn were originally green with boiler bands that were set off in black with a yellow stripe. The chassis were red. After the Second World War, this color scheme was replaced by the black with red chassis, which is common on the Deutsche Reichsbahn.

Locomotives

The backbone of the Spreewaldbahn were seven small three-couplers from Hohenzollern AG for locomotive construction Düsseldorf-Grafenberg from the original equipment of the railway. The locomotives were named after the communities in which the railroad lived and were later given numbers. The sources give contradicting information about the time of the introduction of establishment numbers. In some cases, the date of conversion into a stock corporation is linked to the number allocation; Elsewhere, a letter from the Brandenburg State Transport Authority to the workshop in Straupitz dated November 13, 1937 is mentioned as an order for numbering. The responsible state authority later introduced a numbering scheme that was valid for all railways under its control. The new company numbers consisted of two two-digit number blocks separated by a hyphen, the first denoting the railway - 09 stands for Spreewaldbahn - and the second the serial number. Various information can also be found in the literature for its introduction; the years 1940 and 1946 are mentioned. After all, the locomotives were given Reichsbahn numbers from January 1, 1950.

The only mallet locomotive on the Spreewaldbahn was probably unnamed . It was bought second-hand in 1914 by Vering & Waechter , which had procured it from the Berlin locomotive builder Borsig for the Baden local railway from Müllheim to Badenweiler . At the Lübben-Cottbuser Kreisbahnen it was probably used in construction and freight train service. It was sold as scrap as early as 1926.

Steam locomotive 99 5633 of the Spreewaldbahn as "Spreewald" in Bruchhausen-Vilsen

The Spreewaldbahn snow plow converted from the chassis of a steam locomotive in the Burg Adventure Station

After the Second World War, a total of three foreign locomotives from East Prussia came to the Spreewaldbahn. There was no need for the two Lenz class i machines , so the chassis of one of the two locomotives was converted into a snow plow and the other locomotive was scrapped. The third 1'C locomotive of the Pillkaller Kleinbahn built by the Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik in Jungenthal was taken over by the Spreewaldbahn in 1947 with the number 09-27 in their vehicle fleet. The numbering of the locomotive changed several times; While the Deutsche Reichsbahn originally provided the number 99 5621 for them, it was given the number 99 5631 in 1950, which was changed to 99 5633 on April 23, 1954. After the Spreewaldbahn was shut down, the locomotive was refurbished by the Reichsbahn and then sold to the German Railway Association from Bruchhausen-Vilsen . The locomotive is still in use there today as the "Spreewald".

In 1956 the locomotive 99 183 came from the Eisfeld – Schönbrunn line to the Spreewaldbahn. Because of the high wear on the gears of the Luttermöller drive , these were removed and the locomotive was used as a 1'C1 'machine. Because of its high coal consumption, the powerful machine was known by the staff as "Fiery Isabella". In 1962 it was moved to the Gera-Pforten – Wuitz-Mumsdorf route .

In order to be able to use the NVA siding at Cottbus airfield that remained after the cessation of traffic more economically, the Deutsche Reichsbahn bought two used LKM - type V10C diesel locomotives from the Gotha chipboard plant and listed them as 100 905-9 and 100 906-7 into the stock. From 1973 they were called 199 005-0 and 199 006-8. After this meter-gauge remaining section had been re-gauged to standard gauge in 1983 , they were converted to the Harz Cross Railway.

Railcar

To increase efficiency, the Spreewaldbahn procured a two-axle diesel multiple unit with the number 501 from the Talbot company in Aachen ; the year 1934 or 1935 is given by various sources as the year of construction. It quickly became known for its large advertising label "Fliegender-Spreewälder". During the first few months he drove with an appropriately painted sidecar, which, however, often derailed and was then parked. The railcar was in use until it was parked due to extended axle sockets and damaged wheel tires shortly before passenger traffic on the Spreewaldbahn ceased - mostly on the Straupitz – Goyatz route or on the Straupitz – Cottbus evening service. In 1974 the vehicle with its characteristic design fell victim to the cutting torch .

Later the Spreewaldbahn received the 137 561 (ex T1 of the NWE) from the Harzquerbahn , which replaced the 99 183 at the Spreewaldbahn; whether this happened in 1961 or 1962 is stated differently in the sources. As the strongest vehicle on the Spreewald Railway, the diesel multiple unit was used as a locomotive in passenger transport. Later the vehicle had to go to Raw Wittenberge due to bent solebars and rust damage , where it was scrapped on October 2, 1969. Some sources date the end of the mission to 1963, others speak of a four-year period (until 1965).

Passenger cars

Restored passenger car at Burg Spreewaldbahnhof

Vehicles with 2nd and 3rd carriage classes were used for passenger transport on the Spreewaldbahn. With the class reform of 1956, both the fabric-covered upholstered seats of the former 2nd carriage class and the wooden benches of the former 3rd carriage class were replaced by synthetic leather-covered hard upholstered seats, so that the Spreewaldbahn now only had the new 2nd carriage class.

The original equipment of the railway consisted of two-axle wagons with open platforms from the Hofmann wagon factory in Breslau - four 3rd class cars, four 2nd and 3rd class cars and three 3rd class cars with mail and luggage compartments. In the following years five four-axle wagons with particularly wide entrances and load compartments were initially procured. These wagons were used as market wagons on the Spreewaldbahn.

In 1924 a series of four-axle passenger cars from the Sächsische Waggonfabrik AG Werdau was added. In 1928 four two-axle wagons were purchased from the Gotha wagon factory . These cars were used for excursions and were very distinctive with their car body width of 2.90 meters. In 1929, a further seven two-axle vehicles of a similar design were bought second-hand from Mittelbadische Eisenbahn AG . The arrival of a four-axle NWE passenger car, which came to the Spreewaldbahn via the former Salzwedeler Kleinbahnen, can also be dated to this time .

To replace the outdated two-axle vehicles, four-axle passenger cars from the Cranzahl – Oberwiesenthal and Freital-Hainsberg – Kipsdorf routes and a four-axle baggage car from the Reichenbacher Rollbockbahn were implemented in the 1950s . The necessary modifications were made in the Raw Karl-Marx-Stadt. Since the modernization of the Spreewaldbahn wagons took place at the same time, some of the vehicles also changed a lot from the outside, resulting in an extremely diverse vehicle fleet. After the cessation of passenger traffic, around a dozen four-axle passenger wagons went to the Harzquerbahn, where they initially served as a spare part donor and not until the 1980s were some of them modernized and used again.

Freight wagons used for passenger transport were sometimes referred to as 4th wagon class. For this purpose, five, later six, open two-axle freight wagons were equipped with wooden benches and fitted with shelves (= makeshift roof). At the Spreewaldbahn, these cars were called passenger summer cars and were used as reinforcement cars, especially on market days. In addition to the summer passenger cars already mentioned, two-axle and four-axle freight cars were also used as passenger baggage cars.

Freight wagons

Two old freight wagons of the Spreewaldbahn in the adventure station Burg (2008)

The initial equipment of the Spreewaldbahn included four types of two-axle freight cars with uniform chassis - seven covered, 24 open freight cars, five pairs of turntable wagons and twelve low side cars , which were later supplemented with stakes . By 1911, the wagon fleet was expanded with further covered two-axle vehicles and turntable wagons of the same types, as well as four covered four-axle vehicles. After the takeover by the Deutsche Reichsbahn, eight open two-axle vehicles and two open and two covered four-axle vehicles were transferred from other routes to the Spreewaldbahn. Most of these wagons were already retired in the 1960s, as at that time the goods traffic was almost entirely handled by trolleys. Most of the cars were sold, not infrequently to private individuals who then used them as sheds or similar, the rest were scrapped between 1959 and 1970.

30 pairs of roll stands were also part of the initial equipment of the Spreewaldbahn. Their stock was increased to 45 pairs over the next few years. However, since they were designed for the relatively light freight cars of the turn of the century, they had to be reinforced in 1938. In 1953 they were replaced by two different types of trolleys ; various sources indicate numbers between 40 and 64. Only for the Lieberose Stadt – Lieberose Spreewaldbahnhof route were five pairs of roller stands that were preserved until 1958.

In addition, the Spreewaldbahn had 15 regular-gauge freight cars - six of them covered and seven open - until it was taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn.

other vehicles

Rail bike of the Spreewaldbahn in the adventure station Burg (2006)

Four railway master cars were part of the original equipment of the Spreewaldbahn. These were small low side cars without couplings, which were pushed by hand and could easily be lifted off the track.

The Spreewaldbahn originally also had a draisine , which was no longer included in the inventory from 1924. Instead, two rail bikes were listed here.

In the late 1920s or early 1930s, Spreewaldbahn AG acquired an Opel car and converted it into a rail vehicle in the workshop in Straupitz. For this purpose, the axles were exchanged for railway wheel sets and a turning device was installed. The vehicle was never approved for the railway, but still ran - probably mainly between Syckadel and Straupitz to transport milk, but sometimes also for passengers. In 1937 the vehicle was still there; nothing is known about his whereabouts.

On June 15, 1931, the Spreewaldbahn AG acquired a Magirus brand omnibus . Its high susceptibility to failure and, last but not least, a manufacturing defect, the crooked rear axle, which caused exceptionally high wear, made the vehicle extremely unprofitable. Therefore, the bus was sold again in 1936.

See also

• Spreewaldbahn No. 1 to 7

literature

• Harald Großstück: The Spreewaldbahn - a chronicle . Series From the home history of the city of Cottbus and the surrounding area , issue 1. City archive Cottbus, German Model Railway Association of the GDR, AG 2/15 “Spreewaldbahn” (publisher). Cottbus 1988.
• Erich Preuß : The Spreewald Railway . Traffic history series . transpress Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Berlin 1992 (3rd revised edition). ISBN 3-344-70737-X .
• Manfred Weisbrod: The Spreewaldbahn - country, people and railroad . Eisenbahn Journal series , special 8/94. Hermann Merker Verlag, Fürstenfeldbruck 1994. ISBN 3-922404-57-X .
• Reiner Preuß , Erich Preuß: Narrow-gauge railways in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg - routes, vehicles, operation , pp. 151-155. Archive series of German small and private railways . transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 1996. ISBN 3-344-71023-0 .
• Erich Preuß: Everything about the Spreewald Bahn . transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 2010. ISBN 978-3-613-71390-1 .

Web links

Commons : Spreewaldbahn  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• The Spreewaldbahn - a documentation
• Interest group Spreewaldbahn eV
• Railway lines in Brandenburg: Spreewaldbahn
• Museums in Brandenburg: Spreewaldmuseum Lübbenau
• BB14 (Lübben–) Straupitz – Cottbus (formerly Spreewaldbahn) on bahntrassenradeln.de
• Early documents and newspaper articles on the Spreewald Railway in the 20th Century press kit of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Not yet included in the winter course book 1951/52, included in the summer course book 1957

Coordinates: 51 ° 54'22.7 "  N , 14 ° 11'7.4"  E