Weißeritztalbahn

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Freital-Hainsberg – Kipsdorf health resort
Route of the Weißeritztalbahn
Section of the route map of Saxony from 1902
Route number (DB) : 6966; sä. HK
Course book section (DB) : 513
Route length: 26.335 km
Gauge : 750 mm ( narrow gauge )
Maximum slope : 34.7 
Minimum radius : 50 m
Top speed: 30 km / h
   
Connecting track from Freital-Potschappel
   
-0.113 Freital-Hainsberg 184 m
Plan-free intersection - below
Dresden – Werdau railway line
Bridge (small)
0.973 Wild Weisseritz (46 m)
Bridge (small)
1.192 Rote Weißeritz (38 m)
   
1,583 At the Coßmannsdorf spinning mill
Stop, stop
1.620 Freital- Coßmannsdorf (formerly Bf) 192 m
   
1.995 Initially the Coßmannsdorf quarry
   
2.556 Rote Weißeritz (43 m)
   
2.941 Rote Weißeritz (38 m)
   
3.123 Rote Weißeritz (28 m)
   
3.170 Einsiedlerfelsen tunnel (17 m; removed in 1906)
   
3.196 Rote Weißeritz (30 m)
Bridge (small)
3,614 Rote Weißeritz (17 m)
Bridge (small)
3.760 Rote Weißeritz (15 m)
Bridge (small)
4.197 Rote Weißeritz (13 m)
Bridge (small)
4,286 Rote Weißeritz (17 m)
Bridge (small)
4,411 Rote Weißeritz (24 m)
Bridge (small)
4,550 Rote Weißeritz (24 m)
Bridge (small)
4,645 Rote Weißeritz (15 m)
Bridge (small)
4,728 Rote Weißeritz (13 m)
Station, station
5.175 Rabenau 249 m
Bridge (small)
5.195 Oelsabach (11 m)
   
5.391 Rote Weißeritz (29 m)
Bridge (small)
5,909 Borlasbach (12 m)
Stop, stop
6,758 Spechtritz (formerly Bf) 274 m
   
6,800 former route until 1912, conn. Malter dam
   
6.885 Anst cork mill Spechtritz
Bridge (small)
7.973 Bach bridge (20 m)
   
8,478 Seifersdorf Bridge (70 m; former route until 1912)
Station, station
8,660 Seifersdorf 301 m
   
9,926 Goldgrubenweg Bridge (45 m)
   
10.404 Anst dam construction cooperative
Station, station
10,820 Malter 335 m
   
11.244 Bormannsgrund Bridge (66 m)
   
13,800 former route until 1912
   
14.006 Rote Weißeritz (30 m)
   
14.322 Anst wholesale company
   
14.357 To the council mill Dippoldiswalde
Station, station
14,885
14,800
Dippoldiswalde kilometer jump +85 m 348 m
Bridge (small)
16,172 Rote Weißeritz (22 m)
Stop, stop
17.263 Ulberndorf 374 m
Bridge (small)
18,443 Rote Weißeritz (15 m)
   
18.505 First kitchen furniture factory
Station, station
18,820 Obercarsdorf 395 m
   
former route until 1924
Bridge (small)
20,140 Bundesstrasse 171 (16 m)
Stop, stop
20.730 Schmiedeberg-Naundorf 410 m
   
Instead of metal processing
   
21.731 Schmiedeberg Viaduct (170 m)
Bridge (small)
21.825 EÜ Schenkgasse (21 m)
   
Pöbeltalbahn (never completed)
Station, station
22.052 Schmiedeberg (Bz Dresden) ( Inselbahnhof ) 445 m
   
23.074 Initiation Schmiedeberg foundry; former route until 1924
Stop, stop
23.303 Bushmill 462 m
Bridge (small)
23.785 Rote Weißeritz (18 m)
   
25.400 Kurort Kipsdorf Ldst 517 m
End station - end of the line
26,137 Kipsdorf health resort 534 m

The Weißeritztalbahn is the second oldest Saxon narrow-gauge railway and the longest- serving publicly operated narrow-gauge railway in Germany. The route has led from Freital-Hainsberg near Dresden through the Rote Weißeritz valley to Dippoldiswalde since 1882 and to Kipsdorf in the Eastern Ore Mountains since 1883 . It was so badly damaged in the flood in August 2002 that it went completely out of service. After a long reconstruction, marked by many delays, the line from Freital-Hainsberg to Dippoldiswalde was put back into operation in 2008, the line from there to the health resort Kipsdorf on June 17, 2017, almost 15 years after it was devastated by the floods.

history

prehistory

A first rail project that planned a route through the valley of the Rote Weißeritz was presented as early as 1865. At that time, the construction of a main line from Dux to Dresden for the import of the high-quality North Bohemian lignite was discussed. Although an interest rate of six percent of the investment capital was calculated at the time if the project was implemented, it was never carried out. Reasons for this were probably the unresolved question of the alignment on the southern steep slope of the Ore Mountains, in addition to the high costs. The line was later built further west in the valley of the Freiberg Mulde as the Nossen – Moldau railway line .

A railway construction committee that has now been established in Dippoldiswalde continued to demand a railway in the valley of the Rote Weißeritz. Several projects envisaged routes extending the Albertsbahn ( Dresden – Tharandt ) and Possendorf ( Windbergbahn ) routes . Above all, a better way of transporting the pit timber required in the Freital hard coal mining was expected. None of these projects was implemented.

On April 11, 1876, the Dippoldiswalder Railway Committee again turned to the Saxon state parliament. A petition called for the construction of a railway from Dresden to Schmiedeberg at state expense. Ultimately, in December 1878, the surveying work for a standard gauge secondary railway from Hainsberg to Schmiedeberg began. The construction of a standard-gauge railway through the Rabenauer Grund turned out to be impossible because of the narrowness of the valley. Therefore, route variants from Niedersedlitz through the Lockwitztal via Kreischa and Reinhardtsgrimma to Dippoldiswalde were discussed . The disadvantage here would have been the need for a maximum incline of 25 per mille, in Rabenauer Grund 17 per mille was sufficient. In view of this, as with the Wilkau – Kirchberg line planned at the same time, a narrow-gauge version of the line was specified. With this decision, the Kgl. Saxon State Railways are completely new to technology, as the Bröltalbahn was the only narrow-gauge railway in Germany that was used for public transport.

Construction and opening

Hainsberg – Schmiedeberg

In the spring of 1880, surveying work began on the planned route, which lasted until autumn because of the bad weather. Then the negotiations for the expropriation of the land required for the construction took place. The entire route was divided into three construction lots, with the third lot not yet approved:

  • Lot 1: Hainsberg – Dippoldiswalde
  • Lot 2: Dippoldiswalde– Schmiedeberg
  • Lot 3: Schmiedeberg – Kipsdorf

The actual construction work on lots 1 and 2 began on July 16, 1881 with the groundbreaking at the Rabenauer Mühle. The construction work turned out to be particularly difficult in the narrow and rocky Rabenauer Grund. Experienced Italian workers were employed in the construction of the quarry stone walls - as was common at the time. Local companies with relevant references were hired to build the stone arch bridges.

The Mühlgrabenbrücke in Seifersdorf, built in 1882, is today the oldest concrete bridge in Germany (2008)

On October 9, 1882, the tracks of the first two sections to Schmiedeberg were finally completed. The first two locomotives arrived in Hainsberg five days later. The first test train with locomotive No. 1 drove to Naundorf on October 18, 1882. The actual acceptance test took place on October 20, the opening date being set for November 1, 1882.

The route was inaugurated on October 30, 1882 with a pageant for invited guests. The scheduled train service began the next day with initially three mixed pairs of trains between Hainsberg and Schmiedeberg.

Construction train with class IV K locomotive in Buschmühle station (1900)

Schmiedeberg – Kipsdorf

On October 22nd, 1881, the surveying work finally began on the remaining route to Kipsdorf. In the meantime, the Zwitterstocksgesellschaft zu Altenberg had requested a further extension of the route to Altenberg , but this was rejected because of the high costs. Altenberg later received a railway connection through the Müglitztal . The route above the Schmiedeberg train station, where the originally planned route would have required a maximum gradient of 40 per mille, proved to be unexpectedly problematic. It was not until April 3, 1882 that the meeting of the estates approved the extension to Kipsdorf.

On September 3, 1883, the railway was completed to today's end point Kipsdorf.

The first years of operation

Train with II K in the old Schmiedeberg station (around 1900)
Train with IV K 111 in Kipsdorf (1909)

From the beginning, the narrow-gauge railway was used actively by the population and the local industry. Although not originally planned, the majority of the trains soon had to be driven with a leader locomotive to cope with the volume of traffic. In addition, some stations had to be equipped with longer loading tracks as early as 1883.

A turning point was the flood of the century on July 29, 1897 , which left enormous damage to the route. Almost all of the 40 bridges of the Weißeritztalbahn were damaged or even completely destroyed. The reconstruction work began after a few days. On August 25, 1897, passenger trains were running again between Hainsberg and Rabenau. After just two months - on September 10, 1897 - the entire route was provisionally open again. The reconstruction work lasted until 1898, for example the retaining wall to the Weißeritz had to be completely rebuilt in the Spechtritz train station. Another flood, which damaged the track of the Weißeritztalbahn, occurred on September 14, 1899.

Hainsberg station was relocated around 100 meters in the direction of Potschappel between 1901 and 1911 as part of the renovation of the Albertsbahn . (This explains the negative kilometers at the starting point of the route.) The old platform roof was moved to Dippoldiswalde.

Already before the turn of the century, the introduction of the tried and tested rollbock traffic was planned on the Weißeritztalbahn in order to be able to transport standard-gauge freight wagons on the narrow-gauge trains. In 1902 the trolley pit was built in Hainsberg. Rollbock traffic initially only took place as far as Coßmannsdorf to operate the spinning mill and the quarry, as the necessary enlarged clearance profile first had to be produced in the further course of the route . In addition to increasing the track center distances in the stations, a number of rocky outcrops had to be removed. The tunnel at Einsiedlerfelsen was completely demolished in this context, since it was not worth widening the tunnel tube. In February 1907, the moving system in Hainsberg was rebuilt again for the planned use of the more modern trolleys . On June 12, 1907, a train with jacked up standard gauge freight cars finally reached Kipsdorf for the first time.

The construction of the Malter dam

The Malter dam ; the track of the Weißeritztalbahn has been running on the right bank since 1912
old route until 1912
Spechtritz – Dippoldiswalde
Route - straight ahead
from Hainsberg
Kilometers change
6.847 (Start of new construction route)
   
   
7.999 Rote Weißeritz (13 m)
   
8.176 Rote Weißeritz (13 m)
   
(New construction route)
   
8.790 Seifersdorf
   
8,919 Mühlgraben (10 m)
   
9.048 Mühlgraben (14 m)
   
10.600 Wendisch Carsdorf
   
(Location of the dam)
   
11.300 Malter Ldst
   
11.480 Malter
   
10,360 Rote Weißeritz (25 m)
   
Kilometers change
13,766 (End of new construction route)
Route - straight ahead
to Kipsdorf

The Malter dam was part of a flood protection concept that was implemented after the devastating flood of 1897. The dam was built between 1908 and 1913 below the village of Malter , which meant that the Weißeritztalbahn had to be re-routed between Spechtritz and Dippoldiswalde.

The communities of Oelsa , Wendisch Carsdorf and Oberhäslich had already requested a route through the Oelsabach valley when the Weißeritztalbahn was built. The more these places now hoped that the route to be covered would be built in the Oelsabach valley. On June 27, the three municipalities sent a corresponding petition to the Dresden-Altstadt district administration . Ultimately, this route was rejected because of the unfavorable incline and the planned construction of a dam in the Oelsabach valley.

Seifersdorf exit (2008)

The new route was planned parallel to the old one with an incline of 20 per thousand in the valley of the Rote Weißeritz. In 1909/10 the required parcels were expropriated. Shortly afterwards, construction of the new route began. The slope of the new route required extensive earthworks and the construction of four large bridges. In the area of ​​the reservoir, the track was laid two meters above the highest water level.

On April 15, 1912, the new route was opened with a special train. The old track from Spechtritz to the barrier wall was from then on still used as a connecting track to the construction site. A hiking trail was later set up there.

Realignment between Obercarsdorf and Buschmühle

old route until 1924
Obercarsdorf – Buschmühle
Route - straight ahead
from Hainsberg
Station, station
18.460 Obercarsdorf
Kilometers change
18,980 (Start of new construction route)
   
   
20.306 Rote Weißeritz
   
20.680 Naundorf b Schmiedeberg
   
20,832 Rote Weißeritz
   
21,194 Rote Weißeritz
   
21.520 Schmiedeberg
   
At the Schmiedeberg ironworks
   
22,899 Rote Weißeritz
   
Kilometers change
23.117 (End of new construction route)
Route - straight ahead
to Kipsdorf

After 1900 the foundry in Schmiedeberg, which still exists today, grew from a small business to a large company. As a result, the freight traffic for the foundry increased more and more. As early as 1907, the train station in Schmiedeberg had to be expanded to include longer crossing and loading tracks. There was no space for major expansions. Around 1910, Schmiedeberg station finally reached its capacity limit. Often goods had to be handled directly on today's federal highway 170 . Now the railway in Schmiedeberg, which was laid on the side of the street, increasingly proved to be a traffic obstacle. Because the distance between the tracks was too narrow, the crossing of trolley trains was also prohibited.

Schmiedeberg with the federal road 170 today; The railway line was on the right-hand side of the road until 1924

The first plans for relocating the railway from Schmiedeberg to the valley slope dates back to 1909. However, the implementation of the project only became reality in connection with the construction of the Pöbeltalbahn after the First World War . The required land was expropriated in the course of 1919.

Because of the high unemployment after the First World War, the construction work began in 1920 under the direction of the now founded Deutsche Reichsbahn as an emergency work, 125 unemployed people from Schmiedeberg and the surrounding area found new jobs on the construction site. In Schmiedeberg, a viaduct had to be built over the confluence of the Pöbeltal, otherwise the new route could do without major engineering structures. The construction work was delayed several times, on the one hand by the beginning hyperinflation at the beginning of the 1920s , on the other hand by snowy winters. On December 23, 1923, the construction of the line finally came to a complete standstill.

The work was not continued until April 1924 and continued into November. Finally, the integration of the new route into the Obercarsdorf station caused problems. There, the entire southern head of the station had to be rebuilt while operations continued. On December 1, 1924, the last train left the old Schmiedeberg station at 12:20 p.m. Then the new line in Obercarsdorf was finally integrated with the insertion of the already ready switch. The scheduled afternoon return train drove over the new route shortly after 3 p.m.

The old route was canceled shortly afterwards. It was completely dismantled on February 1, 1925. Today (2016) it is still used as a cycle path between Obercarsdorf and the confluence of the Pöbel valley.

In operation of the Deutsche Reichsbahn until the end of the Second World War

For the Weißeritztalbahn, the 1920s and 1930s were primarily characterized by extensive modernization and capacity expansion of the line. With the commissioning of new, modern wagons and powerful locomotives, the line has now advanced to become the most modern Saxon narrow-gauge railway. The renovation and new construction of the Kipsdorf station carried out between 1933 and 1934 finally eliminated the last operational bottleneck on the line. From this point in time, passenger trains with up to 56 axles were permitted on the Weißeritztalbahn uphill and downhill. Especially in winter sports traffic, passenger trains consisting of 13 passenger cars and one baggage car ran as scheduled. These trains offered over 550 seats.

With the beginning of the Second World War , part of the staff was drafted into the Wehrmacht . As a result of this, train traffic was increasingly restricted in the course of the war. In the 1944/45 annual timetable, for example, there were only five pairs of passenger trains per day on the entire route. However, because of its distance from the front, the route was spared direct effects of the war.

With the occupation of the railway area by the Red Army , train traffic finally came to a complete standstill in May 1945.

The new beginning after the Second World War

The new beginning after the Second World War was difficult. Most of the locomotives were defective because repairs in the responsible Raw Chemnitz were initially not possible due to the severe war damage there. The railway staff carried out the necessary repairs themselves to enable at least limited operations.

Train traffic on the Weißeritztalbahn was resumed after the end of the war on June 15, 1945. The trains were mainly used for hamster rides , but also by commuters. For the time being, excursion traffic was out of the question. In 1946, part of the locomotives had to be given to the Soviet Union as reparations .

A considerable increase in traffic in passenger and goods traffic was recorded by the Soviet Wismut AG starting uranium ore mining in the Niederpöbel district in 1948. At the shift changes there were sometimes special trains that were reserved for the miners employed there. Traffic on the Weißeritztalbahn slowly normalized.

In the 1950s, the Weißeritztalbahn also largely regained its old importance in excursion traffic. In winter sports traffic, trains to or from the scheduled trains were again taken to cope with the enormous rush. In 1953 the timetable provided for a total of seven pairs of passenger trains every working day.

Decommissioning plans

At the beginning of the 1960s, investigations into their economic viability were carried out on all branch lines of the Deutsche Reichsbahn . In view of the Europe-wide trend towards shifting transport from rail to road, it was decided in 1964 to shut down all narrow-gauge railways in the GDR by 1975. For the Weißeritztalbahn, this decision meant that no more investments were made in the infrastructure.

The simplified branch line operation was introduced in the course of 1964 . From then on, the Seifersdorf, Obercarsdorf and Schmiedeberg train stations were no longer manned by dispatchers. In these stations, the points are set by the train crew, which increases the travel times of most trains. In the following years, only the most necessary maintenance work was carried out on the tracks and systems. Increasingly, speed limits have been set up in missing sections.

In this situation, the railway lost a large part of the travel volume to the faster bus routes that have now been set up. It seemed that the end of the train service was only a matter of time. Due to a lack of capacity, it was not possible for motor transport to take over the extensive excursion traffic on Sundays and public holidays in full.

A large part of the freight traffic was relocated to the Freital-Hainsberg and Freital-Potschappel wagonload nodes , but also to Dresden-Reick and Dresden-Friedrichstadt in the 1960s . As a result, the Seifersdorf, Malter, Obercarsdorf and Kurort Kipsdorf freight stations were closed from 1968. The narrow-gauge railroad was left with mass transports that motor traffic did not and could not take over. Extensive transports for the foundry in Schmiedeberg still had to be handled. Several companies in Dippoldiswalde, such as the Pflug-Hafernährmittelwerk or the Großhandelsgesellschaft (GHG), continued to receive truckloads.

Development from 1974

At the beginning of the 1970s there were increasing voices calling for some narrow-gauge railways to be preserved as a tourist attraction. On September 17, 1973, the main administration of the operations and traffic service decided to maintain seven narrow-gauge railroads in the GDR, including the Weißeritztalbahn. The Weißeritztalbahn should primarily be developed into a tourist attraction while maintaining regular passenger and freight traffic.

Track construction work in Malter (1980)

The investments that had not been made for decades could only be made up slowly in the next few years. Track renewals were limited to shorter sections in the following years. A general renovation of tracks and systems did not take place. Several times in the 1970s, the line was threatened with closure due to damage to the superstructure. This could only be averted through the commitment of the railway maintenance office and the use of volunteers. Typical for that time were work assignments by students who renewed track sections as part of student summers.

Exit of a freight train in Malter (1981)

The condition of the vehicles was still satisfactory in the 1970s. In view of the sometimes old age of the wagons, the Deutsche Reichsbahn planned to purchase new Bulgarian passenger wagons until 1979, but this was not possible for financial reasons. From 1977 onwards, the existing fleet of passenger coaches was fundamentally modernized. HL light signals were installed in Hainsberg, Dippoldiswalde and Kipsdorf.

The Reichsbahndirektion Dresden continued to strive to stop freight traffic. As in previous years, this project failed due to the lack of capacity in motor transport. For example, there was a lack of special trucks to transport the casting sand intended for the Schmiedeberg foundry . It was only after the oil crisis in the GDR in 1981 that freight traffic rose again due to the state-decreed shift of transport from road to rail. The freight trains to Dippoldiswalde often had to be hauled by two locomotives.

In the 1980/81 winter timetable, seven pairs of passenger trains were listed on working days. Five pairs of trains were used for excursion traffic on Sundays. There were no special winter sports trains - like those on the neighboring Müglitztalbahn .

An outstanding event in the history of the Weißeritztalbahn was the 100th anniversary celebration in 1983. During a festival week from August 27 to September 4, 1983, a large number of special trains ran, including the traditional Lößnitzgrundbahn .

After the political change in the GDR

Arriving freight train in Dippoldiswalde (1993)

The social upheaval in eastern Germany in 1989/90 was associated with considerable changes for the Weißeritztalbahn. Most of the companies in the catchment area stopped their production within a very short time, which led to a drastic collapse in passenger and freight traffic. For example, the foundry in Schmiedeberg and the kitchen furniture plant in Obercarsdorf ceased to be a goods customer. The railway continued to be important only in excursion traffic.

The imminent shutdown seemed imminent. Nevertheless, from 1991 to 1993, the Deutsche Reichsbahn still made enormous investments in the line and the vehicle fleet. All locomotives received major overhauls and the modernization of the rolling stock that had been ongoing since 1977 was brought to a close. In the summer of 1993, Gleisbau Bautzen GmbH carried out major renovations to the superstructure. A Czech track tamping machine was used for the first time .

In operation by Deutsche Bahn AG

A completely new situation arose when Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) was founded on January 1, 1994. The new owner sought to privatize or close the line as soon as possible. As a result of this development, the Weißeritztalbahn was placed under monument protection on March 14, 1994 by the State Office for Monument Preservation Saxony, including the vehicles.

The last loaded freight wagon is ready for collection at the scrap trade junction in Schmiedeberg-Naundorf. (December 22, 1994)

On December 31, 1994, the remaining freight traffic was finally stopped despite still existing demand. Most recently, transports were carried out for a scrap dealer in Schmiedeberg-Naundorf and several coal dealers in Dippoldiswalde and Schmiedeberg.

In the mid-1990s, the Free State of Saxony made initial efforts to continue operating the route by means of a state-owned company. Ultimately, these plans failed and a privatization based on the model of the Zittau narrow-gauge railway and the Fichtelberg railway was favored. However, neither the Weißeritzkreis nor the neighboring communities showed any interest in taking such a financial risk. As a result, the Deutsche Bahn AG intended to cease passenger transport in 1998.

This project was only prevented by a transport contract that was literally negotiated at the last minute with the Upper Elbe transport association, which was being established. Nevertheless, Deutsche Bahn AG continued to stick to its intention to hand over the route to a private operator. On December 31, 2000, the DB subsidiary Mitteldeutsche Bahnreinigungsgesellschaft (BRG) took over the management of the Weißeritztalbahn.

At the end of the 1990s, the timetable showed a total of eight pairs of trains every two hours on weekdays . Another pair of trains only ran to Dippoldiswalde. Before the floods in 2002, the Weißeritztalbahn carried around 200,000 passengers a year.

The flood of the century in August 2002

Flood in Dippoldiswalde (August 13, 2002)
Undershot tracks in Ulberndorf (2002)

On August 13, 2002, the line was badly damaged in a flood , as it had been in 1897 . Especially in the Rabenauer Grund between Freital-Coßmannsdorf and Spechtritz, the tracks and bridge were largely destroyed. Between Buschmühle and the health resort of Kipsdorf, the flood had completely washed away the track in sections. Two less damaged sections could soon be rebuilt through donations from railway enthusiasts, so that special trips could take place there from 2003 to 2006.

The cost of repairing the entire route was estimated at around 20 million euros. The federal government and the Free State of Saxony each wanted to bear half of this. The groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction took place on September 14, 2004, five days before the 2004 state elections in Saxony . The actual start of construction was repeatedly postponed. A total of 30 million euros was available. It was agreed with the Free State that it will provide a further 9 million euros if the Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe provides another million euros due to additional costs.

On September 14, 2004 the railway was handed over to BVO Bahn GmbH . At that time it was already operating the Fichtelbergbahn and the Lößnitzgrundbahn . In June 2007, for tax and municipal law reasons, the decision was made to sell the land over which the railway line runs to the Weißeritzkreis for 206,000 euros . In return, the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe takes a 35 percent stake in BVO Bahn, which is now known as the Saxon Steam Railway Company (SDG).

On September 27, 2007, the Dresden Regional Council released a total of 17.8 million euros from the Federal Flood Aid Fund for the reconstruction of the Freital-Hainsberg-Dippoldiswalde section. These funds for the Upper Elbe Transport Association were linked to the condition that the rebuilt line would continue to operate for the next 20 years.

Reconstruction Freital – Dippoldiswalde 2007/08

On October 29, 2007, work on the reconstruction of the Freital-Hainsberg-Dippoldiswalde section began in Rabenau station. In Rabenauer Grund, only the narrow hiking trail could be used as an access road, which required particularly sophisticated construction site logistics. In a first construction phase, the retaining walls and bridges were restored so that the railway line itself could initially be used as a construction road. In August 2008, the laying of the new track began. The completely destroyed Spechtritz station received a new waiting hall, which was based on the historical model for monument protection reasons.

The less destroyed sections between Freital-Hainsberg and Freital-Coßmannsdorf as well as Spechtritz and Dippoldiswalde were completely renewed. In addition to the bridges, retaining walls and water drains were renewed and some new tracks were laid.

The scheduled train service between Freital-Hainsberg and Dippoldiswalde was resumed with the timetable change on December 14, 2008. Six pairs of passenger trains now run daily between Freital-Hainsberg and Dippoldiswalde at approximately two-hour intervals . The approximately 66,000 train kilometers annually are ordered by the Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe. In the first six weeks since it was restarted, over 2000 travelers per day were counted on the weekends. Sometimes the trains were increased to ten cars to cope with the rush. 1000 travelers were transported daily on working days. In the first year after the reconstruction, more than 185,000 passengers used the Weißeritztalbahn between Freital-Hainsberg and Dippoldiswalde.

Reconstruction to Kipsdorf

On April 3, 2009, the Saxon Ministry of Economics decided on further reconstruction up to the end of the Kipsdorf health resort. The tender for the construction work should only begin when the construction work on the first section to Dippoldiswalde has been completed and fully billed. At the time, the costs for rebuilding the first section were 7 million euros higher than planned. According to the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport , a financial item for the complete reconstruction of the route to Kipsdorf was planned in the state budget for 2011/12. In the meantime, the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe thought that the section between Dippoldiswalde and Kipsdorf should only be operated for tourism with the main focus on weekend traffic.

Poster of the IG Weißeritztalbahn at Seifersdorf station (2010)

There was still strong interest in the complete reconstruction of the line in the region. The special train service between Obercarsdorf and Schmiedeberg in December 2010 was used by 2,500 passengers. There were also economic reasons for complete reconstruction. According to the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe, the expenses of day and overnight guests who visit the region because of the train generate additional regional added value amounting to one million euros, which corresponds to the equivalent of 40 jobs.

In June 2011, Saxony's Economics Minister Sven Morlok (FDP) announced that the planning funds for the second section of the route had been released. There are 11 million euros in flood funds available for the railway line, and the Free State is providing budget funds of 2 million euros each in 2011 and 2012. According to the Ministry's press officer, this sum should fully cover the cost of the reconstruction.

In the second year of operation after the reconstruction, a total of 160,000 passengers drove the Weißeritztalbahn in 2011. This was a slight decrease compared to the previous year.

On January 31, 2012, the Saxon cabinet approved the construction and financing contract for the reconstruction of the line from Dippoldiswalde to Kipsdorf. 15.2 million euros were made available for this. The operating concept envisaged operation of the upper section on only 40 days a year. To compensate for costs, the train frequency between Freital-Hainsberg and Dippoldiswalde should be reduced to five train pairs.

Construction work in Kurort Kipsdorf station (April 2016)

On June 2, 2013, train operations had to be stopped again due to a flood event. There was damage to the track bed in particular on a 200 meter long section between Rabenau and Spechtritz. As early as June 9th, operations between Freital-Hainsberg and Rabenau could be resumed according to a special timetable. After the damage had been repaired, the entire route to Dippoldiswalde was again used as scheduled from June 15, 2013. The head of the infrastructure of the Saxon steam railway company told the Sächsische Zeitung: “The technical execution of the first construction phase has proven itself during the flood. You can certainly improve the details. ”Due to the long winter and the flooding, only 135,000 passengers were counted in 2013, 13 percent fewer than in the previous year.

On May 19, 2014, work began on the section to Kipsdorf in Schmiedeberg, with only a few bridges being repaired initially. The SDG did not start the public tender for the second construction phase until November 20, 2015. The bidding period ended on January 12, 2016; the construction contracts were awarded on February 22, 2016 to a bidding consortium of Saxon companies. According to the tender, work on the route began on March 1, 2016 and should be completed by September 30, 2016.

On November 30, 2016, the Oberelbe transport association decided at its association meeting on the future timetable, which provides for two continuous pairs of trains to the Kipsdorf health resort and another only to Dippoldiswalde. On twelve additional days a year, the timetable is condensed with two additional pairs of trains to Kipsdorf.

On May 11, 2017, the inspection run on the completed route took place in the presence of the State Commissioner for Railway Supervision. For the first time in almost 15 years, a steam locomotive came to the Kipsdorf health resort.

A scheduled passenger train reaches Kurort Kipsdorf (June 18, 2017)

On June 17, 2017, the State Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport Martin Dulig, together with other representatives of the state and the municipalities, opened the route with the symbolic average of the ribbon in Dippoldiswalde station. The minister emphasized in a special way "our commitment to the care and preservation of the historic railways" in Saxony. A total of around 40 million euros have been invested in the reconstruction, including around 17 million for the upper section. The district administrator of the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district, Michael Geisler, emphasized that the population along the route in particular had campaigned for the reconstruction. "The reconstruction is has the narrow-gauge railway to the region for the citizens a clear signal, the high value." The regular train service to Kipsdorf began in the afternoon of the same day and at about the same time of day, as on 13 August 2002 the train service because of the floods came to a standstill. The normal timetable with only two daily train pairs to Kurort Kipsdorf came into effect on June 19.

After two months of operation in the Kipsdorf health resort, the SDG drew a positive balance. In July 2017, around 10,000 more passengers took the narrow-gauge railway than in the same period of the previous year. Two thirds of the passengers buy tickets for the entire route. The previously feared reduction in demand in the Freital – Dippoldiswalde section has not yet been observed despite the thinned-out timetable.

In 2018, the number of passengers fell by 37,000 to a total of 155,000. According to operations manager Mirko Froß, the declines are primarily due to statistical reasons. In the past, the family day tickets with twelve passengers per ticket sold were included in the statistics, since they are valid for six people and at least the outward and return journey. According to the VVO press release, he puts the actual decrease at around 25,000 passengers.

From July 17 to November 15, 2019, the route between Dippoldiswalde and the health resort of Kipsdorf was completely closed again for the construction of the Weißeritz Bridge in the Obercarsdorf area. To expand the cross-section of the river, the span of the bridge was increased by three meters. The bridge thus meets the requirements for flood protection. The Free State of Saxony bore the costs of around 1.7 million euros. In 2019 the Weißeritztalbahn counted around 132,000 passengers.

From March 28 to May 16, 2020, rail operations were suspended without replacement due to the Corona crisis .

Route description

course

Simplified height profile of the Weißeritztalbahn

The Weißeritztalbahn begins in today's Freital district of Hainsberg. On the first kilometer of the route, the line initially follows the Dresden – Werdau main line, only at the confluence of the Roter and Wilder Weißeritz rivers does the narrow-gauge railway branch off from the standard-gauge route. From Freital-Coßmannsdorf the Weißeritztalbahn enters the rocky and narrow Rabenauer Grund. The track follows the course of the named Rote Weißeritz in many tight curves, the course of which is bridged a total of twelve times to Rabenau.

At the beginning of the Spechtritzgrund shortly after the Rabenau train station, the train passes one of the narrowest sections of the valley. Here are the two narrowest arches of the track with a radius of 50 meters. At the following stop at Spechtritz, the longer 25-per-thousand gradient begins up to the Malter reservoir. The track then runs almost flat along the reservoir to Dippoldiswalde.

From Dippoldiswalde, the route largely follows the parallel federal highway 170. Only between Obercarsdorf and Schmiedeberg does the route run on a hillside to avoid the center of Schmiedeberg. On this section is the Schmiedeberger Viaduct, the largest engineering structure on the railway. In the last few kilometers, the route climbs sharply again. Shortly before the terminus at Kurort Kipsdorf is the maximum gradient of 34.7 per mille (1: 28.8).

Operating points

Freital-Hainsberg train station

Freital-Hainsberg

Freital-Hainsberg train station (until 1965: Hainsberg (Sachs)) has been the starting point of the narrow-gauge Weißeritztalbahn since November 1, 1882. The gauge changing station got its current appearance during a renovation between 1903 and 1912. In addition to the locomotive deployment station and the former freight transport facilities, there are several sidings here. By 2018, the SDG wants to use state funding to build a new workshop for the maintenance and repair of locomotives and wagons. The station was opened on June 28, 1855 and elevated to a station on October 1, 1874. The station has already had four different names in its history, in detail these were:

  • until January 12, 1918: Hainsberg
  • until December 12, 1933: Hainsberg (Sa)
  • until September 29, 1965: Hainsberg (Sachs)
  • since September 29, 1965: Freital-Hainsberg

In Freital-Hainsberg there is a connection to and from the trains of the S-Bahn line S3 and the regional train line RB30 Dresden – Zwickau.

Freital-Coßmannsdorf

Freital-Coßmannsdorf stop

The Freital-Coßmannsdorf stop has existed since April 1, 1883. In 1887 it was moved to its current location in connection with the construction of the siding to the Coßmannsdorf spinning mill. In 1905 it was expanded into a train station so that train crossings could take place. As early as the early 1950s, Freital-Coßmannsdorf was dismantled back to the halt.

From 1935 to 1974, the terminus of a Dresden tram line was located directly at the stop . Instead, the buses of line A (formerly 3A) of Freitaler Stadtverkehr stop here today. Today there is the shopping center " Weißeritz-Park " opposite the stop , which was integrated into the building of the former worsted spinning mill Coßmannsdorf. The historical service building of the stop has been preserved in its original form and is a listed building. Today it is owned by the IG Weißeritztalbahn .

Rabenau

Rabenau station (2016)

Rabenau station has existed since the line opened. Due to a lack of space, the service buildings that were demolished in the 1970s were on a balcony above the Weißeritz.

Shortly after the opening of operations, the station had to be expanded for the first time due to the large number of travelers. In 1885 the no longer existing loading tracks in the Oelsabachtal were set up, which mainly served the chair construction industry in Rabenau and Oelsa. On January 1, 1970, Rabenau was closed as a freight station, and in 1981 the loading tracks were dismantled.

Train crossings took place in Rabenau as planned until the 1990s. The goods floor with the sloping gable end was demolished in December 2007. During the reconstruction in 2008, Rabenau received fallback switches due to its function as a crossing station . The fallback devices were expanded in 2019 and the signals deactivated.

Spechtritz

Spechtritz stop (2008)

Today's Spechtritz stop used to have a loading platform. It was dismantled in 1968 after general cargo traffic was discontinued. The short siding of the cork mill Spechtritz was located near the breakpoint and was still in service until 1986.

The high-rise buildings of the station - consisting of a civil servants' house and waiting hall - were completely preserved until the floods in 2002. At the beginning of 2008 they were demolished because of the flood damage. The waiting hall has now been rebuilt in its historical form.

Seifersdorf

Seifersdorf station (2008)

Today's Seifersdorf train station was put into operation in 1912 when the route had to be redrawn due to the construction of the Malter dam. The old train station was at the same height across the Weißeritz and can still be seen in the area today despite the overbuilding with garages. The high retaining wall to the Weißeritz, made of rubble stones, is remarkable. The high-rise buildings of the station are under monument protection. They are no longer completely preserved. A goods shed building was demolished in the course of reconstruction after the floods in 2002. The remaining buildings are now in the care of the IG Weißeritztalbahn.

Train crossings took place in Seifersdorf as planned until the 1990s.

Wendisch Carsdorf

The Wendisch Carsdorf loading point was on the route that was abandoned in 1912 at the height of the dam wall of the Malter dam . It was used exclusively for loading wood from the forests of the Dippoldiswalder Heide . For the eponymous town of Karsdorf , which is four kilometers away , the operating site was of no importance.

Malter

Malter station (2008)

Today's Malter station, like Seifersdorf station, was not built until 1912. It is particularly important for the arrival and departure of holidaymakers and bathers to the Malter reservoir.

The listed buildings of the station are no longer completely preserved. The listed goods shed was demolished in the course of the reconstruction in 2006.

The old station is now under the water level of the reservoir. It consisted of separate systems for passenger and freight traffic. In 1890, the Malter passenger stop was expanded to become a crossing station due to the sharp increase in train traffic.

Scheduled train crossings took place in Malter until the late 1960s. The crossing track has not yet been dismantled.

Dippoldiswalde

Dippoldiswalde station (2009)

Dippoldiswalde station is the most important station on the Weißeritztalbahn. In addition to two platform tracks, there are extensive facilities for freight traffic that have not been used since 1995. The island platform with a platform roof, which is unusual for a narrow-gauge railway, is remarkable.

The Dippoldiswalde station has been expanded several times during its existence. In 1905 the station was expanded to its present size in preparation for the introduction of rolling vehicle traffic. Curiously, a standard-gauge loading track was set up at that time, which was connected to the narrow-gauge track system with two trolley pits. The striking water station building was erected in 1913 and 1914, which is still used today to supply the locomotives with feed water when traveling uphill. Since another renovation in 1932, the crossing tracks have a useful length of 200 meters.

The SDG plans to transform the Dippoldiswalde station into a museum ensemble. In 2008, Dippoldiswalde station received fallback switches in accordance with its function as a crossing station.

Ulberndorf

Today's Ulberndorf stop has existed since the line opened in 1881. The originally 30 meter long loading track was extended in 1895 due to the heavy volume of goods. It was integrated into the track on both sides with switches. The wooden station building with service and waiting room was built in 1932 and demolished as part of the expansion of the B 170 after the floods of 2002.

The most important freight customer was the Ulberndorf wet cardboard factory, for which up to four freight wagons were made available around 1960. The loading track was used for the last time in 1971, and in 1979 the worn out points were removed.

Obercarsdorf

Obercarsdorf station (2008)

The train station in Obercarsdorf was once located directly on the village square. It was only moved to its current location in 1910 in connection with the expansion into a crossing station.

On May 4, 1971, Obercarsdorf was discontinued as a public goods tariff point, but the local rural trading cooperative (BHG) continued to receive truckloads. Until 1990, the siding of the Obercarsdorf kitchen furniture factory (today: Sachsenküchen) was located at the entrance to the station.

The buildings of the Obercarsdorf train station are almost completely preserved to this day. Train crossings still took place in Obercarsdorf until the 1990s.

Schmiedeberg-Naundorf

Today's Schmiedeberg-Naundorf stop was built as part of the re-routing in 1924. The originally existing loading track no longer exists. In its place there are now garages.

Schmiedeberg (Bz Dresden)

Schmiedeberg station (2008)

Today's Schmiedeberg station was also built as part of the re-routing in 1924. The integration of the unfinished Pöbeltalbahn to Moldau was prepared on its west side . However, the additional tracks were only partially built. In 1983, the area intended for the Pöbeltalbahn was sold to a community of citizens who built garages on it. The reception building was sold to a private owner in the early 1990s and is now used for commercial purposes.

Train crossings took place in Schmiedeberg until the 1990s.

Bushmill

Former factory connection of the Schmiedeberg foundry on July 7, 1990

The Buschmühle stop has existed since the line opened. Until the beginning of the 1990s, the freight trains to service the Schmiedeberg foundry ended here . In order to be able to move the locomotive after the connection service, the former loading track of the stop was renewed in 1988.

The station's facilities were only slightly damaged during the floods in 2002 and are still completely intact today.

Kurort Kipsdorf Ldst The freight yard in Kurort Kipsdorf was spatially separated from the passenger station for reasons of space. During its existence it was expanded several times, in 1926 the locomotive deployment point, which still exists today, was created. In 1935, the previously independent freight station was operationally combined with the passenger station.

The tracks were last used for cargo handling around 1970. The construction of garages was later approved here. In 2002 the planum of the former train station was largely destroyed by the floods.

Kurort Kipsdorf

Kurort Kipsdorf station (2009)

The Kurort Kipsdorf train station received its present appearance during a renovation in 1934. Instead of the old, cramped train station facility from 1883, a generously designed terminal station with four platform tracks was built.

As a special feature, the reception building has a driveway for the luggage trolleys, so in the past the luggage of the holiday guests could be brought directly from the car to the baggage claim area. Comparatively unique for German narrow-gauge railways is the fact that the station is equipped with its own high-level signal box; only the Bertsdorf station of the Zittau narrow-gauge railways still has one.

The reception building is now owned by the city ​​of Altenberg , which operates a community center in it .

Civil engineering

bridges

The new tied arch bridge near Rabenau under construction (October 2008)
The Bormannsgrund bridge spans a branch of the Malter dam (2013)
Simple sheet metal girder bridge at the confluence of the Borlasbach in the Rote Weißeritz (2008)

In the course of the route from Hainsberg to Kipsdorf, the route crosses 28 bridges, twelve of them between Coßmannsdorf and Rabenau alone. These are sheet metal girder bridges, stone arch bridges, concrete bridges (some with natural stone facing) and a tied arch bridge.

Weißeritzbrücken km 2.556, 2.941, 3.123 and 3.196

The four bridges were built in 1881 in massive stone arch bridges. The low train mass enabled a comparatively slim, elegant design that still meets the requirements of rail operations that have now increased. More recently, all bridges have been given a new reinforced concrete deck ; most recently the bridge at the hydroelectric power station at kilometer 2.556 in 2008.

The bridge after the former tunnel on Einsiedlerfelsen at kilometer 3.196 was completely torn away in the 2002 flood. In the course of 2008 it was rebuilt in a similar form as a reinforced concrete structure with natural stone facing.

Weißeritz Bridge km 5,391

The bridge at kilometer 5.391 is located at one of the narrowest points of the Rabenauer Grund immediately after the Rabenau train station. Because of its exposed location at a bend in the river, it was badly affected by the two major floods in 1897 and 2002.

The first bridge construction consisted of riveted sheet metal girders in arched construction, in 1931 it was replaced by a new three-span bridge made of straight sheet metal girders due to the necessary increase in axle loads. In autumn 2008 a new tied arch bridge was installed, which now works without piers in the river bed.

Seifersdorf Bridge

The 70 meter long bridge over the old route and the Weisseritz near Seifersdorf was built in 1911 as part of the re-routing of the Spechtritz – Dippoldiswalde section. It consists of reinforced concrete with a natural stone facing.

Goldgrubenweg Bridge

The 45-meter-long bridge over the Goldgrubenweg lies in the Spechtritz – Dippoldiswalde section, which was neutrated until 1913. Up until the 1990s, the bridge had a windbreak fence to prevent trains from derailing and overturning in the event of high lateral wind pressures. As part of the reconstruction work after the floods in 2002, it received a new vault seal.

Bormannsgrund bridge

Today the bridge over the Bormannsgrund leads over a branch of the Malter dam. Originally, the construction of a combined bridge for road and rail as a three-span sheet metal girder bridge was planned, but two separate bridges were built in stone arch construction. The 66-meter-long bridge was completed in August 1911. It consists of rammed concrete with natural stone facing. The Bormannsgrund bridge originally had a windbreak fence.

Schmiedeberg Viaduct

With a total length of 191 meters, the Schmiedeberg Viaduct is the longest bridge structure along the Weißeritztalbahn. The bridge was only built in 1920 as part of the re-routing of the Obercarsdorf – Buschmühle section over the confluence of the Pöbelbachtal in the Schmiedeberg area. Because of the high steel prices at the time, an arch bridge with eight arches made of reinforced concrete was built instead of the steel girder bridge originally designed . For optical reasons, the bridge was clad in natural stone.

tunnel

former tunnel near Rabenau

During the construction of the Weißeritztalbahn, a short, 17-meter-long tunnel was created in the Rabenauer Grund near the Einsiedlerfelsen. The breakthrough took place on October 11, 1881, and the tunnel was completed on April 5, 1882 when the keystone was set.

After the turn of the century, it was planned to transport standard-gauge freight wagons with trolleys on the Weißeritztalbahn. The prerequisite for this was a considerable expansion of the existing clearance profile . In this context, the tunnel was removed from May 28 to August 15, 1905 by the Deuben-based construction company Emil Partzsch . Today there is a cut in the place of the tunnel.

Vehicle use

Locomotives

Saxon IV K (99 608) in Seifersdorf (2006)
Standard locomotive 99 1746 in Dippoldiswalde (2008)
The IK 54 as a guest on the Weißeritztalbahn (2013)

In the first few years of operation, train traffic was initially handled with the relatively poorly performing triple- coupled IK locomotives. It soon became apparent, however, that these small locomotives were unable to cope with the increasing mass of trains. In 1885 the Kgl. Saxon. State railways therefore two locomotives from R. & W. Hawthorn from England. These locomotives, designated as II K , did not prove themselves. They remained on the Weißeritztalbahn until 1903 and 1909 and were then scrapped.

For over two decades, the IV K class (DR class 99.51-60), which was procured from 1892, was the main locomotive on the Weißeritztalbahn. Due to their bogie design, these locomotives were very curvy and at the same time unusually powerful. The IV K were nevertheless often overwhelmed by the long trains of winter sports traffic, so that leader locomotives were necessary.

Although they were not in use on the Weißeritztalbahn as planned, locomotives of the class V K were still to be found on the Weißeritztalbahn. The first three V K completed test runs on the line. The occasional use of three locomotives has been handed down, which were mainly used on the Müglitztalbahn , but occasionally ran on the Weißeritztalbahn due to the fact that both routes belong to the same machine office. In the period from 1918 to 1923, sources show the use of locomotives in the construction of the Malter dam in freight train service.

The VI K class (DR class 99.65-71) on the Weißeritztalbahn was used as the first powerful design after the First World War . These five-coupled locomotives based on the Gölsdorf principle remained on the Weißeritztalbahn until the early 1950s.

From 1928 onwards, the first standard locomotives of the DR class 99.73-76 were delivered to the Weißeritztalbahn brand new . This made it possible to transport the extra-long winter sports trains uphill with just one locomotive. This series is still characteristic of operation on the Weißeritztalbahn today. Only in the 1970s, as a result of the closure of the Trusebahn and the routes Schönfeld-Wiesa-Meinersdorf and Wilischthal-Thum, some new locomotives of the DR series 99.77-79 came to the Weißeritztalbahn. Since 2008, the SDG has housed three locomotives of both types in Freital-Hainsberg, with which the scheduled operation is carried out. When main inspections are due, locomotive swaps with the other two SDG railways are common.

Since 2002, a Romanian type L45H diesel locomotive has been on the Weißeritztalbahn, which comes from the Upper Silesian narrow-gauge network in Poland. It is used for shunting work, work trains or as a replacement locomotive for scheduled trains. During the reconstruction work in 2007/2008 and 2016/2017, it was used in construction train traffic.

dare

The cars used corresponded to the general Saxon building and procurement regulations for the narrow-gauge railways and could therefore be freely exchanged with vehicles on other Saxon narrow-gauge lines.

For decades, the Weißeritztalbahn was shaped by a large number of standard passenger coaches that had been delivered between 1928 and 1933. Until the 1980s, passenger trains often consisted of these vehicles of a single type.

Today only modernized Reko wagons are used in the scheduled passenger trains , which were rebuilt from 1977 to 1992 in the Perleberg factory department of Raw Wittenberge on the old chassis.

The Weißeritztalbahn as a test route

In the 1920s, the Scharfenberg coupling was tested on the Weißeritztalbahn

Because of its proximity to Dresden and its route profile, the Weißeritztalbahn served as a test route:

  • In 1885 two type II K locomotives from the English manufacturer Hawthorn came to the Weißeritztalbahn. They were designed as a more powerful successor to the comparatively weak IC. However, due to their heavy weight and the unfavorable design of the driver's cab, they proved unsuitable for use on the Saxon narrow-gauge railways.
  • In 1912, a train set with the new suction air brake type Körting was tested on the Weißeritztalbahn . As the system proved itself, the conversion of the vehicles of the Weißeritztalbahn began in autumn 1913. From 1914 the suction air brake was generally introduced on the Saxon narrow-gauge railways.
  • In 1922 two cars were experimentally equipped with a simple design of the newly developed Scharfenberg coupling and tested this from then on in operational use. In July 1925, the cars were presented together with the also converted IV K 99 597 at the traffic exhibition in Munich . Around 1927 a complete test train operated with the new coupling. As the new system proved its worth, the standard cars delivered from 1928 onwards were already delivered with Scharfenberg couplings.
  • From September 15 to October 20, 1947, the Orenstein & Koppel company from Potsdam-Babelsberg tested the four-coupled tender locomotive ГР 001 (GR 001) on the Weißeritztalbahn, which was intended for the forest railways of the Soviet Union . The test locomotive later remained in the fleet of the Deutsche Reichsbahn as 99 1401, it was used on the Glöwen – Havelberg route . By 1954, the Soviet Union received a total of 427 locomotives of this type as reparations .
  • On August 19, 1952, the new construction locomotive 99 771 completed its first test drive on the Weißeritztalbahn. By 1956, a total of 24 locomotives of this type were put into service for the Saxon narrow-gauge railways.
  • In the 1950s, performance measurements were taken on class IV K locomotives in order to obtain comparative data for a new diesel locomotive to be procured. A planned trial run of the Czechoslovakian T 47.0 series had to be canceled for technical reasons.
  • In May 1962 the new mainline diesel locomotives V 36 4801 and 4802 completed test drives on the Weißeritztalbahn. Due to technical defects, the two types that were never used as planned and were soon scrapped.
  • In 1982, a train set with KE air brakes operated for the first time on the Weißeritztalbahn . A little later it was generally introduced on the remaining Saxon narrow-gauge railways.

The IG Weißeritztalbahn

The "Interest Group Weißeritztalbahn e. V. “is a non-profit association of railway friends. It was founded in 1978 as "Arbeitsgemeinschaft 3/67" of the German Model Railway Association (DMV). In the first few years the association supported the railway maintenance department with the renewal of the track with voluntary work; later it dedicated itself to the maintenance of the station buildings. An important result of the association's work is the saloon car, which has been in use since 1980, which at the time was created from a decommissioned standard passenger coach.

After the floods in 2002, the association fought for the preservation of the Weißeritztalbahn with a variety of activities. A collection of donations was initiated in order to be able to rebuild at least some sections of the destroyed track. Between 2003 and 2006 the association organized special trips on the restored section between Seifersdorf and Dippoldiswalde.

The IG Weißeritztalbahn has its headquarters in the Freital-Hainsberg train station.

Movie

literature

  • Holger Drosdeck: Eastern Ore Mountains - The Weißeritztalbahn. Freital-Hainsberg narrow-gauge railway - Kipsdorf health resort . SBBMedien, Zittau 2009 ( Dampfbahn-Magazin Spezial 3, ISSN  1866-2374 ).
  • Rainer Fischer, Sven Hoyer, Joachim Schulz: The wagons of the Saxon secondary railways . EK-Verlag, Freiburg i. Br. 1998, ISBN 3-88255-682-X .
  • Siegfried Gerhardt: The terminus of the Weißeritztalbahn . In: Petra Binder (Ed.): On roads, rails and paths. Country calendar book 2011 for Saxon Switzerland and the Eastern Ore Mountains. Schütze-Engler-Weber-Verlag, Dresden 2010, ISBN 978-3-936203-14-1 , pp. 55-58.
  • Gustav W. Ledig, Johann Ferdinand Ulbricht: The narrow-gauge state railways in the kingdom of Saxony . 2nd increased and improved edition. Engelmann, Leipzig 1895 (Reprint: Zentralantiquariat der DDR, Leipzig 1987, ISBN 3-7463-0070-3 ). - Full text online .
  • Friedrich Polle: Guide through the Weißeritzthal to Schmiedeberg and its surroundings. Secondary railway Hainsberg - Kipsdorf . Huhle, Dresden 1885 ( digitized version )
  • Erich Preuss, Reiner Preuss: Narrow gauge railways in Saxony . transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-613-71079-X .
  • Hans-Christoph Thiel: 100 years of the Weißeritztalbahn . In: Modelleisenbahner 32 (1983) 8, pp. 4-7.
  • Hans-Christoph Thiel: The Weißeritztalbahn - narrow-gauge railway Freital-Hainsberg-Kurort Kipsdorf . Kenning Verlag, Nordhorn 1994, ISBN 3-927587-21-4 .
  • Hans-Christoph Thiel, Christian Eißner: Under steam again - reconstruction of the Weißeritztalbahn after the August flood of 2002 . Edition Sächsische Zeitung, Redaktions- und Verlagsgesellschaft Freital-Pirna, Freital 2008, ISBN 978-3-936642-04-9 .
  • Stefan Müller: Anecdotes and stories about the Weißeritztalbahn . Bildverlag Böttger GbR, Witzschdorf 2018, ISBN 978-3-937496-89-4 .

Web links

Commons : Weißeritztalbahn  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. STREDA - Total distance directory DBAG; Status: February 1, 2003
  2. Kenning, Stein: The old Weißeritztalbahn. Kenning publishing house, Nordhorn, 2014
  3. ^ German course book - annual timetable 1944/45
  4. Thiel 1994, p. 71
  5. Thiel 1994, p. 80
  6. Thiel 1994, p. 72ff.
  7. Winter timetable 1980/81 of the Deutsche Reichsbahn - valid from September 28, 1980 to May 31, 1981
  8. Germany's oldest public narrow-gauge railway. In: weisseritztalbahn.de. IG Weißeritztalbahn, accessed on July 10, 2016 (history of the Weißeritztalbahn).
  9. ^ Course book Saxony of DBAG - valid from May 30, 1999
  10. ^ Dresdner Latest News from June 6, 2007, page 23
  11. Domokos Szabó: District takes over tracks. In: Sächsische Zeitung , June 6, 2007, online as PDF; 43 KiB ( memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ).
  12. Press release of the SDG of August 21, 2008 ( Memento of December 1, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 54 KiB)
  13. Press release of the SDG from October 8, 2008 ( Memento from March 20, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 686 KiB)
  14. 2009 timetable in the DBAG online timetable - valid from December 14, 2008
  15. ^ Sächsische Zeitung, Dresden edition, January 28, 2009
  16. a b News from the Weißeritztalbahn ( memento from June 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), press release from SDG and VVO, October 8, 2009 (PDF; 50 KiB).
  17. Jana Klameth: The Weißeritztalbahn line is being built to Kipsdorf. In: Saxon newspaper. April 4, 2009, accessed July 10, 2016 .
  18. ^ Government stands to continue building the Weißeritztalbahn. Dresdner Latest News from January 25, 2011
  19. There is money for railway construction to Kipsdorf. Freitaler Zeitung from June 22, 2011
  20. Newstix: “Successful balance for Lößnitzgrundbahn and Weißeritztalbahn: more than 400,000 passengers on a narrow track” February 8, 2012
  21. Press release of the Saxon State Government from January 31, 2012
  22. Press release of the VVO from June 7, 2012 ( Memento from December 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 80 KiB)
  23. Blog at www.weisseritztalbahn.de
  24. Sächsische Zeitung of June 14, 2013: Weißeritztalbahn runs again - 600,000 euros damage to the route
  25. ^ Sächsische Zeitung of June 7, 2013: Weißeritztalbahn flood victims again
  26. Floods spoil the balance sheet for Saxony's small railways . In: Saxon newspaper . February 11, 2014 ( paid online [accessed February 11, 2014]).
  27. Weißeritztalbahn: Second construction phase started. In: railway magazine . No. 7 , 2014, ISSN  0342-1902 , p. 21 .
  28. Public invitation to tender for the reconstruction of the Weißeritztalbahn 2nd BA on the single-track route 6966 (750 mm gauge) between Dippoldiswalde - Kipsdorf.
  29. ↑ Starting signal for the reconstruction. In: sz-online.de. February 25, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016 .
  30. "The Weißeritztalbahn is complete again: Train reaches Kipsdorf" on dnn.de.
  31. VVO press release of June 17, 2017
  32. Timetable Weißeritztalbahn 19.6. – 9.12.2017  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.weisseritztalbahn.com
  33. Mandy Schaks: It rolls . In Sächsische Zeitung , Politik, from 19./20. August 2017, p. 9, Dippoldiswalde edition of August 18, 2017, also online , accessed on August 27, 2017.
  34. VVO press release of February 6, 2019
  35. Press release of the SDG from July 16, 2019
  36. Mixed balance on the narrow gauge , Dresdner Latest News from 8./9. February 2020, p. 23
  37. "SDG stops driving on all routes" on the SDG website
  38. Press release of the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe from May 13, 2020
  39. DVV Media Group GmbH: Saxony / Weißeritztalbahn: New workshop in Freital-Hainsberg . In: Eurailpress . ( eurailpress.de [accessed on May 20, 2017]).
  40. Thiel 1994, p. 100
  41. Thiel 1994, pp. 100f.
  42. ^ Infothek Sächsischer Landtag, printed matter 14151, page 83, petition 05/04318/4 http://edas.landtag.sachsen.de/viewer.aspx?dok_nr=14151&dok_art=Drs&leg_per=5&pos_dok=201
  43. Thiel 1994, pp. 106f.
  44. Thiel 1994, p. 107f.
  45. Thiel 1994, p. 108
  46. Thiel 1994, p. 108f.
  47. Homepage Kurort Kipsdorf
  48. Thiel 1994, p. 34
  49. Thiel 1994, p. 39
  50. Thiel 1994, p. 19
  51. Thiel 1994, p. 65
  52. ^ Hans-Christoph Thiel: Freital-Hainsberg-Kipsdorf narrow-gauge railway . Kenning Verlag, Nordhorn 1996, ISBN 3-927587-67-2 , p. 105.
  53. Description of the Lxd2-358 on www.tabor.wask.pl
  54. Fischer, Hoyer, Schulz 1998, pp. 154–158
  55. Fischer, Hoyer, Schulz 1998, p. 150f.
  56. Thiel 1994, p. 30
  57. ^ Hans-Christoph Thiel: 100 years of the Weißeritztalbahn. In: Der Modelleisenbahner 8/1983, p. 7.
  58. Interest group. In: weisseritztalbahn.de. IG Weißeritztalbahn, accessed on July 10, 2016 (club history).
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on March 13, 2009 in this version .