Brohltalbahn

This article deals with the Brohltalbahn, not to be confused with the similarly named Bröltalbahn .

Brohl – Kempenich
Route number (DB) :	9302
Course book section (DB) :	249c (1950)
Route length:	17.75 (formerly 23.83) km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Maximum slope :	50  ‰
Rack system :	Dept
Legend 23.83 Kempenich 438.3 m 20.28 Women Hp 418.0 m 18.75 Weibern Gbf 442.3 m 17.51 Angels 463.4 m (End of steep section) 15.79 Brenk (demand stop, first Phonolith) (Start of steep section, 5500 m) Oberzissen Viaduct (40 m) 11.96 Oberzissen 230.2 m 10.19 Niederzissen 199.0 m Viaduct A 61 7.38 Hamlet BE (demand stop) 5.54 Burgbrohl 149.1 m Tönissteiner Tunnel (95 m) Tönisstein Viaduct (120 m) 4.23 Bad Tönisstein 121.6 m 3.97 Schweppenburg-Heilbrunnen (demand stop) 2.95 Schweppenburg Gbf 97.70 m Route to the Rhine port (see below) 0.00 Brohl BE 66.6 m Swell:

The Brohltalbahn is a meter- gauge narrow - gauge railway between Brohl on the Rhine and Engeln in the Eifel. The route originally leading to Kempenich is still used today for 17.75 kilometers as a scheduled tourist train called Vulkan-Express and, to a lesser extent, for freight traffic.

history

Concession and railway construction

The West German railway company (WEG), based in Cologne , a subsidiary of the company Lenz & Co. , received on 19 August 1895, the concession to build a narrow-gauge railway in meter gauge for passenger and freight traffic from Brohl on the Rhine through the Brohltal by Oberzissen and on to Kempenich.

Historic share of the "Brohlthal-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft" from 1900

For railway construction and operation, she founded the Brohlthal Railway Company on January 22, 1896 , also based in Cologne. This initially remained in the possession of WEG with 100% of the share capital.

In 1898, after confirmation of the first concession, construction of the 23.83-kilometer Brohl Valley Railway from Brohl am Rhein to Kempenich in the Eifel began. The first, 17.5 kilometer long section from Brohl BE via Burgbrohl and Oberzissen to Engeln took place during an opening ceremony on January 14, 1901, and the entire section to Kempenich was completed almost a year later on January 2, 1902. The 5-kilometer-long steep section from Oberzissen to Engeln was initially designed as a rack and pinion section ( Abt system , two lamellas for the 1:20 gradient).

As early as November 12, 1897, the company had already received the right to a connection to the winter port in Brohl, which should enable direct ship handling. To their transport tasks train now on the removal of belonging Trass (mortar surcharge), hewn tuff from the winery quarries Phonolith as aggregate for glass production from the clamp head in Brenk, lava ( pumice stone ) and basalt - gravel . It also served to carry away the agricultural products in its catchment area as well as to supply coal for the Brohl valley industry and fertilizer for agriculture. Passenger traffic, on the other hand, only played a subordinate role.

Until World War II

Approved since 1897, the 1.95 kilometer long track connection to the Rhine port Brohl was completed in 1904. In Brohler Rheinhafen the rock could now directly from the quarries the valley Brohltal means of a crane and camber stage Barges are handled. The regular transshipment of the stone products of the Brohl Valley from the railway to transport ships ended in 1995 by court order. Since then, the port has only been used occasionally for transhipment purposes.

On October 31, 1907, a serious accident occurred on the viaduct near Oberzissen. A freight train with passenger transport (GmP) traveling down the valley without braking derailed and fell down the embankment. In addition to a few lightly injured travelers, there were six seriously injured and five dead.

In 1921 the previous owner, the West German Railway Company , parted completely with its stake in the Brohlthal Railway Company . The districts of Ahrweiler , Mayen and Adenau with a total of 55% became the new main shareholders , the other shares were held by a number of industrial companies in the catchment area. The new ownership structure favored the development of an extensive bus network, which the railway drove forward from 1927. From then on, this fulfilled both a feeder function to the railways and a supplementary function to their access offer.

The transport of standard-gauge freight wagons, which was previously carried out using trolleys , was only carried out with trolleys from 1928 onwards.

In 1933, between Brohl Umladebahnhof and Brohl Hafen, it was equipped with a three- rail track so that standard-gauge vehicles could also use the port route . With technical progress, cogwheel operation on the steep section became superfluous and the rack was dismantled in 1934.

In the years that followed, economic difficulties and the war repeatedly led to temporary suspension of passenger traffic. From February 1945 the traffic was temporarily completely idle.

Decline, salvation and consolidation

Kempenich terminus in 1971

Phonolith freight traffic to the Rhine, for a long time the mainstay of the railway

The "first volcano express" 1984 in Engeln

In March 1953 the previous Brohlthal-Eisenbahn-Aktiengesellschaft was converted into a GmbH . The ownership shares changed in favor of a stronger municipal participation, now 72% fell to the districts of Ahrweiler and Mayen (from November 7, 1970 the district of Mayen-Koblenz ).

The remaining passenger train service, which has only operated between Brohl and Oberzissen since September 1960, had to be stopped on September 30, 1961 due to lack of profitability and lack of vehicles after accidents and wear and tear on the railcars. The existing bus operation of the BEG, which maintained an extensive network, took over the transport services from then on. Freight traffic increasingly migrated to the road, so that the line from Engeln to Kempenich was closed on October 1, 1974 and dismantled in 1976. The transport of standard-gauge freight wagons with trolleys was discontinued in 1978, two trolleys were only kept available for internal transport requirements.

Formed from the only remaining passenger car, the VB 50, a former railcar, and the D 4 diesel locomotive, excursions from Brohl through the Brohl valley and the Eifel heights to Engeln were offered for the first time on March 25, 1977 with the "Vulkan-Express".

But even this new business idea initially could not stop the decline of the railway, a closure of the Brohltalbahn for 1987 was still sought. It was only with the establishment of an interest group, which from then on supported the company on a voluntary basis, that it was possible to prevent the closure for 1987. But as early as 1991 the subject was up for debate again and a final solution was sought.

In the course of these considerations, the Mayen-Koblenz district retired as owner in 1991, and the Ahrweiler district became the sole owner of the Brohltal-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft . This remained the owner of the railway, but from 1992 the already active interest group Brohltal-Schmalspureisenbahn (IBS) was responsible for the entire railway operation on a voluntary basis, which founded the Brohlal-Schmalspureisenbahn Betriebs-GmbH on April 1, 1992 , which Officially leased infrastructure and facilities from BEG. In addition, the Betriebs-GmbH carries out freight and work train services across Germany on standard gauge .

As a reaction to the new operational conditions, the previous, communal Brohl Valley Railway Company (BEG) was split up in 1995 . The railway's own bus operation was spun off as the Ahrweiler Verkehrsgesellschaft (AWV) and remained with the Ahrweiler district. The BEG continued to manage the route infrastructure and operational facilities, but changed hands again. The Brohltal community became the new majority shareholder .

Data

Route section	length	Opening date	Gauge	Route length
Brohl Hafen - Umladebf - Brohl BE	01.95 km	1904	Three-rail track : meter gauge ( 1000 mm) & standard gauge (1435 mm)	Total distance: 23.83 km (until October 1, 1974) Remaining distance: 17.75 km (until today)
Brohl BE - Engeln, formerly with a rack section	17.50 km	January 14, 1901	Meter gauge (1000 mm)
Angels - Weibern Gbf	01.00 km	May 1, 1901
Weibern Gbf - Kempenich	05.10 km	January 2, 1902

Todays situation

Loading point for Phonolith containers. Behind it the former engine shed and to the right of it the three-rail track to the port

The Tönisstein Viaduct with the Vulkan-Express

Freight transport

Only the transport of phonolite from the quarry in Brenk to Brohl remained on the Brohl Valley Railway in freight traffic . The reloading of the phonolite from open freight wagons to transport ships in the Rhine harbor, which was practiced until 1995, was banned by a court judgment because of the dust pollution. Since the transshipment track above the harbor bunker has been dismantled with the exception of a remnant at the northern end, the bulk freight wagons originally used were no longer used except for three. Therefore eight of the eleven cars were sold. After an interruption of several years, freight traffic from Brenk to Brohl was resumed in 1999 with new rolling stock. In addition to the three diesel locomotives, flat wagons with containers purchased second-hand are used. They are loaded in Brenk and transferred to trucks for onward transport at Brohl's reloading station.

Today the Brohltahlbahn is one of the last narrow-gauge railways in Germany with freight traffic .

passenger traffic

Today, only tourist trains (Vulkan-Express) run on the Brohl Valley Railway for passenger transport , with an almost daily service in the summer season. On Wednesdays and Fridays, scheduled GmPs are sometimes used, which enables the bundling of passenger and freight traffic. The locomotives currently (2017) are two diesel locomotives and since February 2015, after extensive restoration, the only surviving steam locomotive 11sm, which has been in service on the Brohl Valley Railway since 1906. Since the IBS repaired the original VB 50 passenger car a few years ago, along with some other vehicles, a historically authentic train formation is possible again. Further passenger cars for museum operations were acquired second-hand in Switzerland in the 1980s and 1990s (including from the Bernese Oberland Railway ).

• 

  The Vulkan-Express at Schweppenburg-Heilbrunnen

• 

  The station building of Burgbrohl (2013)

• 

  Vulkan-Express in Niederzissen train station

• 

  Cardboard ticket for the Vulkan-Express , validated with a punch

• 

  Interior of a 2nd class passenger car

Route descriptions

Valley section

View from the steep section towards the lower Brohl valley

Brohl BE - Angels - Kempenich

The scenic railway line has its starting point in the winding Rhine village of Brohl. After leaving the Brohl BE terminus station, which is a little above the valley floor, on the slope of the Dicktberg, it first passes the railway's own workshop facilities and then turns into the Brohl valley with a sharp left curve. The track now leads on a winding slope through the still narrow and rocky Brohl valley to the west. After the Bad Tönisstein stop, the route on the masonry Tönisstein Viaduct (120 meters long) changes the valley side before the 95 meters long tunnel is passed through. After a short time, Burgbrohl, the largest town in the valley, with its half-timbered and quarry stone station building is reached.

The further course leads along the edges of the settlement and over open spaces, with a steady gradient, towards Oberzissen. The initially narrow valley widens continuously. After crossing the Oberzissen Viaduct (40 meters long), one of the steepest adhesion railways in Germany begins with the steep section , with a 1000 millimeter gauge. On these last 5.5 kilometers with a gradient of 1:20, the route leaves the Brohl Valley and reaches the heights of the Vulkaneifel. From here there is a wide view over the landscape to Olbrück Castle .

The further route led from Engeln downhill again to Weibern, then partly on a slope to Kempenich.

Port route

Brohl BE - Brohl Harbor

Route to the Rhine port
Infrastructure with three- rail tracks in the reloading station
Route number (DB) :	9302
Route length:	1.95 km
Gauge :	1000 and 1435 mm
Legend Left Rhine route from Remagen 1.95 Brohl harbor 1.80 Brohl Rheinanlagen B 9 Brohl reloading station Range of Angels (see above) Brohl (DB) 0.00 Brohl BE 66.60 m Left Rhine route to Andernach

Disused transshipment facilities at Brohl Hafen, 2011

On the route from Brohl BE station to the Rhine port, which is just 1.95 kilometers long, both the left Rhine route operated by Deutsche Bahn and federal highway 9 must be crossed. Due to the hillside location and the proximity to the town of Brohl, this is only possible with several saw trips .

Like the route to Engeln, the connection to the port leaves Brohl BE station in a northerly direction. In a very confined space, the line first crosses Bundesstraße 412 via a level crossing and on a bridge Bahnhofstraße and DB line, before changing direction to Brohl transfer station . Here transport goods can be reloaded into standard gauge wagons or onto road vehicles. At one time, a trestle system or trolley pit enabled the transport of standard gauge wagons. At the edge of the reloading station there is also a five-seater engine shed for the Brohl Valley Railway, which is no longer used as such.

From the Brohl reloading station, the tracks are designed with three rails. After another change of direction, the trains cross Bundesstraße 9 in a technically secure manner. Along its edge, the trains first reach the Brohl Rheinanlagen stop and then the Brohler Rheinhafen.

In the 2018 summer season, the port railway with the Rheinanlagen stop will be used by scheduled passenger trains every Tuesday. It is possible to take the "MS Beethoven" passenger ship in the form of a combined ticket . B. to travel from Bonn to the Brohltalbahn.

Groups traveling to Brohl on a passenger ship can also change to the Brohl Valley Railway at the Rheinanlagen stop if they register in advance.

Current vehicle inventory

Mallet locomotive 11sm, built in 1906

Vulkan-Express with diesel locomotive D1 ready to leave Brohl BE

The Vulkan-Express with railcar VT 30 at Engeln station (2008)

D 5 (formerly FEVE 1405) in Brohl

No.	design type	Manufacturer, year of construction / factory no.	at BEG since	Owner today	annotation
Steam locomotives
11sm	B'Bn4vt	Humboldt , 1906/348	1906	IBS	operational, type M.105
E 168	B'Bn4vt	Henschel , 1908/8915	2008	IBS	formerly CP , parked
Railcar
VT 30	Bo'Bo '	Fuchs , 1956/9053	1989	IBS	former WEG T30 , waiting for HU
Diesel locomotives
D 1	C.	O&K , 1965/26528	1965	IBS	operational
D 2	C.	O&K, 1965/26529	1965	BEG	operational
D 3	C.	O&K, 1966/26623	1967	BEG	switched off
D 5	B'B '	Henschel, 1966/31004	1998	GmbH	formerly FEVE 1405, a Henschel DHG 1100 BB , under repair
D 7	C.	LKM , 1967/250349	1992	GmbH	previously Helbra, LKM V 10 C , parked
Work vehicle
SKL 53	B.	Robel , 1977 / 54.13-6-AA257	2000	IBS	formerly DB Klv 53-0592
Standard gauge vehicles
D 8	B.	Jung , 1972/14128	2005	GmbH	formerly cement works Bonn Jung RK 8 B
V 65 Inge	D.	MaK , 1958/600139	2008	GmbH	formerly TWE V 65 ( MaK 600 D )
295 049	B'B '	Jung , 1975/14213	2013	GmbH	formerly DB 295 049
360 573	C.	Krupp , 1960/3969	2005	GmbH	formerly DB 360 573
BEG = Brohl Valley Railway Company IBS = Brohltal-Schmalspureisenbahn eV interest group GmbH = Brohltal-Schmalspureisenbahn Betriebs-GmbH

Former locomotives

Steam locomotive VI in front of the workshop at Brohl BE station (2007)

D 4 as RhB Gm 4/4 241 in Untervaz

No.	design type	Manufacturer, year of construction / factory no.	at BEG since	Whereabouts
Cogwheel steam locomotives
Z 1	C1 / bn4t	Esslingen , 1900/3025	1900	+1931
Z 2	C1 / bn4t	Esslingen, 1900/3026	1900	+1928
Z 3	B / an2t	Winterthur , 1898/1217	1900	+1922
Z 4	B / an2t	Winterthur, 1898/1218	1900	+1922
Z 5	C1 / bn4t	Esslingen, 1913/3682	1913	+1934
Adhesion steam locomotives
10 nm	B'B n4vt	Humboldt, 1904/236	1905	+1934
12 nm	B'B n4vt	Humboldt, 1920/1474	1920	+1964
I.	E h2t	Krauss , 1930/8488	1930	+1965
II	C'C h4vt	Hanomag , 1928/10570	1934	+1957	formerly Albtalbahn
III	E h2t	Jung , 1951/11502	1957	+1966	formerly Nassauische Kleinbahn "15" (2nd line-up)
IV	D h2t	Krauss, 1927/8399	1940	+1966	formerly State Forest Railway Ruhpolding – Reit im Winkl
V	D h2	Chrzanów, 1951/2135	1990	2008 to Malowa	PKP series Px48
VI	D h2	Chrzanów, 1952/2248	1990	2008 to Malowa	PKP series Px48
G 3	1'C n2	Krauss, 1914/6978	1924	+1957
G 4	1'C n2	Krauss, 1914/6979	1924	1937	at Kerkerbachbahn
Diesel locomotive
D 4	BB	MaK , 1958/401029	1972	1989	sold to RhB as Gm 4/4 241
220 015	B'B '	MaK , 1957/2000015	2010	GmbH	formerly DB 220 015 , sold to Museumseisenbahn Hamm e. V. as 220 023-6
220 053	B'B '	Krauss-Maffei , 1957/18297	2007	GmbH	Formerly DB 220 053 , here as D 9, sold to Deutsche Privatbahn GmbH in December 2015
Railcar
50		DWK , 1925/86	1925	1937	Conversion to VB 50
51		DWK, 1927/120	1935	+1964	formerly KBE
52		DWK, 1927/121	1937	+1962	formerly KBE

In the early years of the railway, four and later five rack-and-pinion locomotives were available for operation, which could also be used on the friction line. Pure adhesion machines were later purchased for the valley section. When technical progress made it possible to use heavy adhesion locomotives on steep stretches such as the Brohl Valley, the Brohl Valley Railway acquired such machines for the first time in 1904. These locomotives with the designations 10 nm, 11 nm and 12 nm (sm = heavy mallet ) were still in use as planned until 1964/1966. While the 10 nm and 12 nm locomotives were subsequently scrapped, the 11 nm came to the DGEG in 1968 , which exhibited this last original Brohl valley steam locomotive from 1977 in its narrow-gauge museum in Viernheim.

Former Brohltalbahn Lok V, in July 2016 in Melle

Diesel locomotives D 1, D 2 and D 5 entering the locomotive shed

For passenger transport, diesel powered railcars were purchased for the first time in 1926 , which could drive up the steep stretch without any problems.

As a special attraction in tourist traffic, two narrow-gauge steam locomotives with a tender of the PKP class Px48 were acquired in 1990 (locomotives V and VI ). However, their usability was limited due to the lack of approval for the steep stretch and the low tractive effort (from more than three cars a leader or diesel replenishment was necessary).

After the steam locomotives V (boiler damage) and VI (expiry of the deadline) were no longer operational, it was decided to buy back the original steam locomotive 11 nm ( Mallet locomotive ) from the DGEG and make it operational again. Thanks to the higher tractive force, steam operation can be made much more uncomplicated with this machine. In the absence of an area of ​​use for the two Polish steam locomotives, they were sold to the MaLoWa locomotive workshop . In addition, a mallet steam locomotive from Portugal (E 168) similar in design to the 11 nm was acquired. It is outwardly in poor condition, but technically it was better preserved at the time than the 11 nautical miles that were not yet operational at the time .

The no longer used as such roundhouse located in Brohl and now used as a roundhouse workshop. Another engine shed stood at the original end of the line in Kempenich.

literature

• Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (Ed.): Official station directory 1933. Reichsbahn Central Office for Accounting, 1933.
• Joachim Jakubowski: The Chronicle of the Brohltalbahn. Verlag Kersting, Niederkassel 1992, ISBN 3-925250-08-5 .
• Bettina Vaupel: Steam for the final spurt. The historic Malletlok is supposed to pull the "Vulkan-Express" again. In: Monuments . Magazine for Monument Culture in Germany, 21st vol. (2011), No. 2, p. 32 f.
• Gerd Wolff: 90 years of the Brohl Valley Railway. EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1991, ISBN 3-88255-530-0 .

Movie

• SWR: Railway Romanticism - The Brohltalbahn (episode 428)

Web links

Commons : Brohltalbahn  - collection of images

• Brohl Valley Railway
• Brohltalbahn photos
• Early documents and newspaper articles on the Brohltalbahn in the 20th century press kit of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .

German Photo Library :

• Routing Brohl-Oberzissen-Brenk (measuring table sheet from 1913)
• Routing Brohl-Kempenich (Map 1: 100000 from 1909)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ DB Netze - Infrastructure Register
2. ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
3. ↑ Homepage Vulkan-Express - History of the Brohltalbahn , accessed on November 21, 2015.
4. ^ Steam locomotive in Brohltal. Full steam ahead into spring. In: General-Anzeiger (Bonn). March 9, 2015, accessed March 11, 2015 .  
5. ↑ Restart of the narrow-gauge Mallet steam locomotive 11sm of the Brohltalbahn. Interest group Brohltal-Schmalspureisenbahn e. V. (IBS), archived from the original on January 19, 2012 ; accessed on March 15, 2014 .  
6. ↑ | Information and pictures about the tunnels on route 9302 on eisenbahn-tunnelportale.de by Lothar Brill
7. ↑ Take the ship to the train station. Vulkan-Express, accessed June 18, 2017 . 
8. ↑ ^{a b} Our vehicles. Brohltalbahn, March 13, 2013, accessed on March 11, 2015 .  
9. ↑ Vehicle portrait MaK 2000015. In: rangierdiesel.de. Retrieved September 3, 2017 .  
10. ↑ Vehicle portrait Krauss-Maffei 18297. In: rangierdiesel.de. Retrieved September 3, 2017 .  
11. ↑ Aerial photo from 1963 and picture from 2016