Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld narrow-gauge railway

-0.228	Wilkau-Haßlau (connection to the Schwarzenberg – Zwickau route )	279 m

0.255	Rödelbach (20 m)
0.864	Rödelbach (31 m)
1.000	Wilkau-Haßlau Hp	281 m
1.260	Federal motorway 72
3.070	Culitzsch (until 1923/24)
3.670	Cunersdorf (b Kirchberg / Sachs)	307 m
4,479	Cunersdorf (b Kirchberg / Sachs) Hst	317 m
6.498	Kirchberg (Sachs)	335 m
7.228	Rödelbach (33 m)
7.300	Kirchberg Viaduct
7.499	Kirchberg (Sachs) Hp	348 m
7.642	Rödelbach (25 m)
8,873	Saupersdorf und Bf	370 m
8.126	Rödelbach (17 m)
8,443	Rödelbach (27 m)
9.280	Rödelbach (11 m)
10.052	Saupersdorf ob Bf	386 m
10.375	Rödelbach (10 m)
11.650	Hartmannsdorf (b Saupersdorf)	410 m
13,867	Oberhartmannsdorf (Sachs)	447 m
13,931	Rödelbach (10 m)
15.045	Bärenwalde (Sachs)	476 m
16.828	Obercrinitz	511 m
21.504	Rothenkirchen (Vogtl)	618 m
22,563	Bridge Wirtschaftsweg (13 m)
23,498	Stützengrün (formerly Oberstützengrün)	629 m
23.962	Great Sützengrüner Viaduct (119 m)
24,344	Overpass
24,536	Small column green viaduct (86 m)
24.900	Stützengrün-Neulehn (since 2001)
25,455	Stützengrün Hp	656 m
26,374	Schindanger Bridge (12 m)
26.970	Schönheide Nord (formerly Neuheide )	650 m
27.205	Sauerbach Bridge (12 m)
28.810	Schönheide Mitte (formerly Schönheide)	678 m
29,052	Overpass
29,192	Overpass
29.330	(Vertex)	686 m

29.850	Schönheide West (formerly Ober-Schönheide)

31.107	Egg bridge
33.002	EÜ farm road (12 m)
33.765	Mulde valley viaduct via federal road 283 / Zwickauer Mulde (162 m)
33.886	Chemnitz – Adorf
33.978	Zwickauer Mulde

34,303	Schönheide Süd (formerly Wilzschhaus )	596 m

	(Connection to the Chemnitz – Adorf route )
34.425	Zwickauer Mulde
36.235	Meadow house	633 m
37.030	Wilzsch
37.830	Underpass
37.918	Wilzschmühle	680 m
38.645	Wilzsch (13 m)
39.398	Tin hammer	738 m
41.143	Wilzsch (15 m)
41.517	Conn. Glassworks

41,560	Wilzsch (23 m)
41.634	Carlsfeld	816 m

The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld was the first, steepest and longest Saxon narrow-gauge railway . The approximately 42 kilometer long railway line with a gauge of 750 millimeters ran from Wilkau-Haßlau via Kirchberg and Schönheide to Carlsfeld continuously in the Western Ore Mountains , only at Rothenkirchen the line touched the Vogtland . The line, which opened in four sections from 1881, was one of the more heavily frequented narrow-gauge railways . Between 1965 and 1977 the traffic was gradually stopped.

Since the political turnaround in eastern Germany , two museum railway associations have been working on a partial reconstruction as a museum railway. So far, in addition to an approximately four-kilometer section of the route near Schönheide Mitte, the two railway stations at Schönheide Süd and Carlsfeld have also been partially rebuilt.

history

prehistory

In the middle of the 19th century , the transport links to the city of Kirchberg and its surroundings were extremely poor. Only one messenger post ran four times a week - daily from 1850 onwards - between Kirchberg and Silberstraße , which was supplemented in 1855 by a stagecoach that ran twice a day . Due to the boom in the textile industry in the Kirchberg area, the need for transport continued to increase from the 1860s. A further unchecked development of the textile industry stood in the way of water power as a means of propulsion, the use of which was not only limited, but also subject to seasonal fluctuations. A railway construction would have improved the connection to the up-and-coming Zwickau coalfield . In addition to the lower transport costs, this would have made the industry less dependent on hydropower, as it was previously difficult to import hard coal from other areas. Lignite imports from Bohemia, as they were typical for large parts of the Ore Mountains and the Ore Mountains foreland up to the 20th century and which were often a reason for the construction of railway lines, played no role in the Kirchberg area.

As early as 1864 a private company was granted the concession to build the railway, but the project, like another from 1875, was not carried out due to financial problems. In 1866/67 only a road was built between Wilkau and Kirchberg and in 1868 the Wilkau stop was set up on the Schwarzenberg – Zwickau railway line, which opened in 1858 , but with these measures the transport links from Kirchberg improved considerably.

In the Saxon state parliament in 1876/77 the idea of a narrow-gauge railway came up for the first time after the construction and profitable operation of a standard-gauge line through the parallel road appeared to be impossible. Although the route had already been approved, Kirchberg citizens submitted a petition in November 1877 because the performance of a narrow-gauge railway was questioned. The disadvantages inherent in the system were also pointed out, such as the labor-intensive reloading of all goods compared to a standard-gauge railway. The Saxon government pointed out the advantages that narrow-gauge railways, the construction of which had been approved in future according to a royal decree of November 5, 1877, would bring for the development of the state. The construction costs are lower and the train stations can be placed closer to the towns. Nevertheless, a majority in the state parliament was still not achieved for the narrow-gauge railway.

1879 was again made in the next decree on the construction of narrow-gauge railways, so alongside the train to Kirchberg the routes should Oschatz Mügeln-chub with a branch line to Wermsdorf , Hainberg-Schmiedeberg and Leipzig-Geithain (as only later built as standard gauge railway) built schmalspurig become. On the narrow-gauge railway, the option of extending to Saupersdorf and the possibility of being able to lay numerous sidings were positively highlighted. On March 2, 1880, the Wilkau – Kirchberg railway project found a majority, the construction, the cost of which was estimated at 705,000 marks, was decided, including an extension to Saupersdorf.

Route construction to Kirchberg and Saupersdorf

Kirchberg station around 1900

In April 1880, the preparatory work for Saxony's first narrow-gauge railway could finally begin. In the spring of 1881 the exact route was announced and the construction contracts were awarded. Construction work began on May 10, 1881 at the so-called "Hasenloch" with the erection of a retaining wall to the Rödelbach. Since a large part of the rails was laid on the edge of the Wilkau – Kirchberg road, there was no need for extensive earthworks and the work progressed very quickly. An average of 112 people were employed for the railway construction, the highest level was 226 in August 1881. The Kirchberg train station was first used on September 25, 1881 by a construction locomotive from the Lehmann company. After less than half a year of construction, the line and almost all of the buildings belonging to it were completed and inaugurated on October 16, 1881, with great public participation. Scheduled operations began on October 17, 1881. The first railway administration was established in Kirchberg. She took care of operational management and administration on the entire route with the exception of the Wilkau train station. Decisive for this was the "Order on the operation on narrow-gauge secondary railways of the Royal Saxon State Railways".

The Saxon Finance Minister Leonce von Könneritz invited the two chambers of the Saxon State Parliament to the narrow-gauge railway on November 30, 1881, the representatives were supposed to inspect the railway on site and convince themselves of its efficiency. Since the result was convincing, more narrow-gauge lines were approved in the future.

Work on the extension to neighboring Saupersdorf has been in progress since September of the same year. Although the new section of the route was very short (the length was less than 4 km), the construction turned out to be a very complicated matter, as numerous retaining walls and bridges were necessary along the Rödelbach . This explains why this short section Kirchberg – Saupersdorf could only be officially opened more than a year later on October 30, 1882. In the planned service, this piece was driven from November 1, 1882.

Extension to Wilzschhaus

Route near Hartmannsdorf (around 1900)

Already after the opening of the Wilkau-Kirchberg section, there were considerations to continue the narrow-gauge railway beyond Saupersdorf. Some of the affected villages still lacked the economic basis, only the brush industry around Schönheide and the Wernesgrüner brewery already existed, but since the 1880s the whole valley experienced a great boom in the course of the industrial revolution . At first there was no agreement about the line. There were various variants to choose from; so z. For example with various connecting stations on the Aue-Adorfer route. For a whole decade there was a dispute about the continuation via Schönheide to the Chemnitz – Aue – Adorf railway line opened in 1875 . After lengthy discussions, the construction of the railway to Wilzschhaus via Rothenkirchen and Schönheide was finally approved on March 12, 1890. The originally proposed route to Schönheiderhammer (from 1950 Schönheide Ost) with the option of further construction in the direction of Eibenstock turned out to be impracticable due to the great gradient within the village of Schönheide. A continuation to Rautenkranz station was also rejected. In the chosen route, the Wernesgrün breweries also had to lose because the place Wernesgrün was not taken into account. The decisive factor for the Wilzschhaus connection station was a petition from Carlsfeld, where they also wanted a rail connection. The expected construction costs were estimated at around 2.7 million marks.

Bridges of the narrow-gauge railway over the Zwickauer Mulde and the control line at Wilzschhaus (around 1905)

After further preparatory work, the actual railway construction began on March 1, 1892. While the route to the Saupersdorf stone loading station had previously followed the Rödelbach at the bottom of the valley, the mountain character around the Kuhberg meant that numerous engineering structures and embankments were necessary. In addition to three viaducts, two at Stützengrün and one at Wilzschhaus, a few other smaller bridges had to be built. Some of them were built with stamped concrete , which was new at the time . Another problem was the boggy ground in places, which had to be drained. A comprehensive expansion of the Wilkau , Kirchberg and Wilzschhaus train stations was also started in order to be able to meet the new expected transport services.

Initially, work was only carried out on the substructure and the buildings; the superstructure was not started until 1893. After the line was approved by the building inspectorate on December 9, 1893 without any objections, nothing stood in the way of starting operations on December 16, 1893. The opening train had already traveled the route two days earlier. Some remaining work on buildings dragged on until the winter of 1893/94. Compared to the previous construction phase to Saupersdorf, the average number of workers had increased to 800; in April 1893, almost 1500 workers were the most employed. In December 1893, the Schönheide building section office was transformed into the new Schönheide railway administration facility for the administration; the border to the Kirchberg Bvw was at km 10,200. This made the railway the only narrow-gauge railway in Saxony on which there were two railway administrations. As in Wilkau, the Wilzschhaus station was not subject to the railway administration.

Further construction to Carlsfeld

Carlsfeld train station and town (around 1910)

Rammed concrete bridge, here the Wilzsch bridge at km 37.030 (2012)

Further south, the wood processing companies in Wilzschtal and the glassworks in Carlsfeld and Weitersglashütte on the ridge of the Ore Mountains have been demanding a rail connection since 1889 so that the raw materials required for glass production can be brought in cheaply and finished goods can be sold more quickly. The request was granted in November 1893, although the Saxon state parliament had concerns about profitability.

Preliminary work had been carried out since 1894, and construction did not begin until May 1896. In the narrow and steep Wilzschtal , the railway had to be literally glued to the slope, so that the construction of several dams, retaining walls and bridges was necessary. Nevertheless, a 50 ‰ gradient between Wilzschmühle and Carlsfeld , which was first used in Saxony in pure adhesion operation , could not be avoided.

Despite the difficulties mentioned, the construction work was completed quickly, and the last section of the narrow-gauge railway was ceremoniously opened on June 21, 1897 after the building was accepted on June 18, 1897. The construction costs were also not excessively high at 605,000 marks, so the costs for the kilometer of railway line were even around 10,000 marks below those for Wilkau-Wilzschhaus. Operation according to the timetable began on June 22, 1897.

With the opening of the line to Carlsfeld, it was the thirtieth new opening or extension of a Saxon narrow-gauge railway, the entire line was given a new abbreviation for a railway line, which is common in Saxony. For the narrow-gauge railway W ilkau– C arlsfel d it was now WCd , as the abbreviation WC had been used for the Walthersdorf – Crottendorf route since 1889 . With the opening, the border between the railway administrations in Kirchberg and Schönheide also changed. The Bvw Schönheide now began at route kilometers 15.004 and covered the entire narrow-gauge railway to Carlsfeld, with the exception of the Wilzschhaus station. At the same time as the construction of the railway to Carlsfeld, the entire line was equipped with Morse equipment.

Until World War II

Before the turn of the century, several drafts for a connection with the narrow-gauge railway Mosel – Ortmannsdorf opened in 1885 and on to Höhlteich station were drawn up; the last such plan was rejected in 1899. In addition to a difficult topography, three unsuccessful test drillings by the Oberzschocken union for hard coal around 1900 were decisive for the non-implementation of such expansion plans, as this extension would not have been economically viable.

Accident near Rothenkirchen (1903)

Damaged locomotive (IV K)

On the evening of August 16, 1903, a serious accident occurred when a train going downhill derailed due to excessive speed between Bärenwalde and Rothenkirchen. Three people were killed and more than 60 injured; According to other sources, there were only 42 injured, of which 12 suffered serious injuries.

While initially the operation according to the regulations for the narrow-gauge secondary railways of the Kgl. Sä. St. EB was carried out, the driving service regulation with six train registration points applied from August 1, 1907 . On the Wilzschhaus – Carlsfeld section, the simplified branch line service was followed immediately .

With the permission of the Royal Saxon State Railways, two Wernesgrüner brewery owners procured two private trolleys in 1907 . These were used between Rothenkirchen and Wilzschhaus, where they had a trolley pit built at their own expense. Public rolling vehicle traffic did not take place between Wilkau and Kirchberg until April 16, 1912. The operations service could be made much easier, since the cost-intensive manual reloading was largely eliminated. Due to weak rails or insufficient profile clearance, especially on bridges, it was not yet possible to carry out trolley traffic on other sections of the route. Only after corresponding changes was the use of trolleys increasingly expanded, for example in 1916 between Obercrinitz and Wilzschhaus.

In 1924 the Bvw Schönheide was dissolved and initially taken over by the Bvw Kirchberg, which was also dissolved in 1927. From then on, the Zwickau operations office was responsible for the narrow-gauge line to Wilzschhaus, from then on the Oelsnitz (Vogtl) railway office was responsible. With the restructuring of the administration and the operations service, the simplified branch line service was introduced on the entire route in 1927. This was accompanied by a change in the signaling system, trapezoidal panels could have replaced the entrance signals of the train stations, but the majority of the entrance signals were not dismantled until the 1960s. The changes in the management made it much easier because the train sequence could be increased. Previously, only one train was allowed to be in the respective train detection section, now crossings were also permitted on unmanned stations.

The section between Wilzschhaus and Wilzschmühle was also released for trolley traffic in 1927 with a reinforcement of the track, which could now accommodate the increased axle loads . Behind Wilzschmühle, however, due to the steep incline, no trolleys were allowed to be transported until operations were closed in 1967;

On the Saupersdorf ob Bf – Obercrinitz section, trolleys were used for goods traffic to the siding of the Colditz parquet factory from 1938, although the axle load was limited to 7.3 t. This exemption was extended in 1941 for service goods traffic and from 1944 all goods from Wilzschhaus were allowed to be transported on trolleys to Saupersdorf ob Bf. The limitation of the axle load continued.

In World War II

From 1939 to 1944 the superstructure was again thoroughly renewed, and this should be the last comprehensive maintenance work until it was closed; extensive steel sleepers were built in. From 1942 on, some Czech forced laborers were also used for this and as locomotive heaters.

Due to the location of the railway line in the Ore Mountains foreland and the Ore Mountains, little was felt of the direct effects of the war in remote south-west Saxony until spring 1945. Only due to the general decentralization of the armaments industry did the transport goods shift. Above all, the textile industry produced significantly less, instead the factories were used for arms production.

It was not until the US Army advanced from the west to Central Germany in April that train traffic in the lower section of the route to Hartmannsdorf was stopped after April 17, 1945. The last troops of the Wehrmacht and SS tried to stop the advancing American troops near Kirchberg with an improvised anti-tank barrier made of narrow-gauge vehicles. On April 25, the remaining operations on the upper section of the route ended, on the same day a pillar of the viaduct near Wilzschhaus was blown up. Before the blast, all the locomotives had been brought to the northern section of the route so that no more trains could run between Wilzschhaus and Carlsfeld. The already prepared demolition of the station bridge in Wilkau-Haßlau did not take place.

After the Second World War

Except for the destroyed bridge near Wilzschhaus, the line survived the Second World War without permanent damage. Since the Rödelbach valley had been occupied by the US Army since April 1945, but the area around Schönheide remained unoccupied after the capitulation on May 8th (see Free Republic of Schwarzenberg ), a resumption of train operations was out of the question for the time being. Only with the withdrawal of the Americans on July 1, 1945 in accordance with the provisions of the Yalta Conference and the entry of the Red Army was traffic resumed. Since no locomotive was available on the Wilzschhaus – Carlsfeld section, the 99 588 was brought to Wilzschhaus by the Pöhlatalbahn . From July 10, 1945, all train journeys for the southern section of the route were covered with this locomotive. Only in autumn 1945, after the completion of the repair of the viaduct near Wilzschhaus, the continuous train service could be resumed.

With the start of uranium mining, special passes were introduced around Aue and a restricted area was set up, which also affected the narrow-gauge railway from 1947. It was not until the beginning of the 1950s that the measures were relaxed and later lifted entirely.

Due to the July floods in 1954, the railway line was affected over a length of more than 2 km, especially in the section between Wilkau-Haßlau and Bärenwalde.

At the beginning of the 1960s, investigations were made for the introduction of a continuous rolling carriage traffic from Wilkau-Haßlau to Wilzschmühle. Although the structural changes required for this were only limited to replacing the two parabolic girder bridges with other narrow-gauge lines to be dismantled, relocating a few hundred meters of track and building a retaining wall, the project was not implemented. After just three years, the cost savings would have been greater than the investment. In the following period, efforts then concentrated on the early closure of the narrow-gauge railway.

The decline in the 1960s and 1970s

On July 14, 1965, the President of the Dresden Rbd was asked to carry out economic studies for all Saxon narrow-gauge railways. These investigations took place on the narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld between September 1965 and January 1966. An expert opinion on the distribution of tasks between road and rail transport was also issued in the 1960s. As a result, the consolidation of freight traffic on wagon load nodes and the discontinuation of unprofitable sections were required. In the long term, the transport tasks of the narrow-gauge railway should be completely taken over by motor transport .

Ticket from the 1960s

Working groups were formed on site by the Deutsche Reichsbahn to develop drafts for changing modes of transport . All decision-makers who were affected by the changes in the context of the change of mode of transport were involved in these communities. A total of four such working groups were created for the sections Wilkau-Haßlau-Kirchberg, Kirchberg-Rothenkirchen, Rothenkirchen-Schönheide Süd and Schönheide Süd-Carlsfeld. In essence, the subsequent change of mode of transport was carried out according to the suggestions made in the plans.

Already during the construction of the line there was fear that the section Schönheide-Süd-Carlsfeld would not cover the costs. Since, in addition to the train crew, all trains always had to be manned by a driver and conductor for safety reasons and the train loads were limited by the steep incline, the section could never be operated profitably. On May 22, 1966, passenger traffic between Schönheide Süd and Carlsfeld was therefore stopped, as Carlsfeld had also been served by a bus line since 1958 and passenger traffic had declined noticeably since then. The section was last used by a freight train on July 14, 1967. The last wagons delivered on July 14th were returned later, and Wilzschmühle is said to have been used in freight traffic for a longer period of time. The most recently opened section of the route was thus closed first, and costs were calculated to be around 280,000 MDN per year. On April 2, 1969, another restricted trip to Carlsfeld was carried out for the production of the television film Sankt Urban . In 1969/70 the tracks on this section were dismantled while the buildings were re-used.

Due to the desolate condition of the tracks and bridges in the Kirchberg – Saupersdorf ob Bf area, this section of the route was closed on July 15, 1967. However, this section was not closed yet, and so the bus service was still officially operated as a rail replacement service . In 1969, the first investigations into the change of mode of transport were carried out for the Saupersdorf ob Bf – Rothenkirchen section. The bus traffic between Kirchberg and Saupersdorf ob Bf was no longer to be operated on behalf of the Deutsche Reichsbahn as a replacement rail service, but with its own route from Kirchberg to Saupersdorf to Rothenkirchen. The date for the suspension of passenger traffic was finally set for the first day of the new summer timetable. The last passenger trains ran on May 30, 1970, and on May 31, the bus took over all transport services with the new connection from Kirchberg to Rothenkirchen. Freight traffic was maintained until the end of the year, but only took place when required, so there were often no trains for days. The Kirchberg – Rothenkirchen section was officially closed on January 1, 1971, although smaller sections of the section that had not been used since 1967 had been dismantled since 1969.

1970s-style passenger train behind Schönheide on the way to Stützengrün (2010)

Freight traffic continued on Saxony's first narrow-gauge railway section Wilkau-Haßlau-Kirchberg until September 30, 1972, but two connections in Wilkau-Haßlau were served even longer. Although passenger traffic was not shut down until June 3, 1973, only a modest amount of traffic remained from January 15, 1973. The bus had already taken over the majority of the services. The last passenger trains ran on June 2, 1973 with great sympathy among the population. The section was then shut down and dismantled. In addition to the poor state of the superstructure, a road widening planned for 1974 was the reason for the cessation of operations.

Now there was only the remaining part between Rothenkirchen and Schönheide Süd. But here, too, travel was ended on September 27, 1975. Initially, the suspension of traffic was planned for 1974, but due to necessary changes, e.g. a. if the construction of a bus turning loop in Neuheide was necessary, this project was postponed several times.

The remaining goods traffic on the route to the Stützengrün brush factory - goods traffic to Rothenkirchen ceased on December 1, 1975 - was almost exclusively limited to delivering to the brush industry around Schönheide and Stützengrün. However, since the condition of the superstructure deteriorated more and more, the transports had to be stopped in the long run. The remaining stretch to Stützengrün should therefore be closed on April 1, 1977 due to the poor structural condition.

Since the narrow-gauge railway was still taking on important transport tasks for the brush industry, the factories were threatened with cessation of production. In April 1977 other transport options were created at very short notice, so that traffic on Saxony's first narrow-gauge railway was not ended until April 30, 1977. The remaining rolling stock was then moved to other narrow-gauge railways. Although the line was closed from May 1, 1977, it has not yet been closed. The last section was not closed until January 1, 1979, although the superstructure had already been dismantled since November 1978. The dismantling was interrupted by the winter of 1978/79. The remaining tracks were removed from the summer of 1979 to August of the same year.

Monument locomotives

RF6 trolley as a memorial at Rothenkirchen train station (2012)

99 516 before processing in Schönheide Mitte

After the closure, both the community of Rothenkirchen and the city of Kirchberg wanted to create a memorial for the narrow-gauge railway. In Kirchberg, as in Rittersgrün, there were plans for a “technical display system” that were later not pursued for financial reasons. The vehicles set up there for this purpose (the locomotive 99 581, two passenger coaches and a baggage car) were dismantled in 1983, the locomotive shed was demolished in 1987.

In 1976, the Rothenkirchen community took over 99 516 for 2,500 marks and set it up in front of the station building. However, the community was unable to maintain the monument locomotive and the condition of the vehicle deteriorated noticeably. It was not until a private initiative in the 1980s that the 99 516 was preserved, at least externally. At the beginning of the 1990s, a four-axle trolley was also set up in Rothenkirchen. Due to its poor condition, the municipality gave the locomotive to the Schönheide / Carlsfeld Museum Railroad in 1996. In 2003 it was made operational again.

The reconstruction as a museum railway

Museum Railway Schönheide e. V.

Timetable 2000/01

The Schönheide Mitte locomotive shed in operation again

Play media file

Special trip in December 2013 towards Neuheide

After the fall of the Wall , the idea arose in 1990 to rebuild parts of the narrow-gauge railway as a museum railway. To this end, the Museumbahn Schönheide / Carlsfeld e. V. founded in Schönheide. Initially the plan was to restore the stretch between Schönheide Mitte and Neuheide. This was favored by the still existing locomotive shed in Schönheide, which was extensively renovated, and the almost undeveloped route to Stützengrün.

On June 19, 1992, two class 99.51-60 steam locomotives were procured from the Deutsche Reichsbahn. A type V 10 C diesel locomotive from the Wilischthal paper mill was also bought. Various cars, both passenger and freight cars, were acquired in the following years either by the Deutsche Reichsbahn or by private individuals.

By December 1992, the line to Neuheide had already been completed with used superstructure material, so nothing stood in the way of a new opening in August 1993. It still took some time before the first steam locomotive could run again. The remanufacturing of one IV K was not completed until the summer of 1994, so that on July 21, 1994, a steam locomotive drove on the line for the first time since 1979 under its own power.

Two more rebuilt sections were later opened, on December 5, 1997 from Neuheide to the Stützengrün brush factory and on November 16, 2001 to the Stützengrün-Neulehn stop. Also in 2001 the name of the association was changed to Museumsbahn Schönheide e. V. changed, since the original goal of rebuilding the line to Carlsfeld was no longer pursued in 1998.

Friends of Historic Westsächsische Eisenbahnen eV

Another reconstruction project exists between Schönheide Süd and Carlsfeld with the Förderverein Historische Westsächsische Eisenbahnen e. V. , this association was founded in April 1999. In addition to the reconstruction of the Schönheide Süd – Carlsfeld section, one of the goals of the association is to run the museum on the standard-gauge route between Schönheide Ost and Muldenberg .

Carlsfeld Railway Station (2012)

First of all, from 2000 the independent heating house Carlsfeld was renovated and in 2003/04 some station tracks were rebuilt. A steam locomotive was in Carlsfeld again for the first time in 2003. The narrow-gauge tracks at Schönheide Süd station were partially rebuilt in 2007. The club center is to be located here in the future.

Tourism project Schönheide / Carlsfeld and the surrounding area

As part of the tourism project Schönheide / Carlsfeld and the surrounding area , presented in 2009, a museum railway network was to be created in four sections, in which the Schönheide Museum Railway and the Association for the Promotion of Historic West Saxon Railways should also be included. The goals were to connect the Schönheide Ost – Muldenberg section in Muldenberg to the standard gauge network, to rebuild the narrow-gauge line from Schönheide Mitte to Carlsfeld and to build a new narrow-gauge line to Wernesgrün. The total costs were estimated at € 18.6 million . This project was initially supported by the neighboring communities, the Erzgebirge and Vogtland districts . However, the municipalities involved declared in January 2014 that the project would not be continued. Ultimately, insufficient finances were the main reason for this decision.

Route description

course

Simplified elevation profile of the route

Bridge over the Rödelbach in Kirchberg (2018)

Curve and steep route on the Fuchsstein to Neuheide

After leaving the Wilkau-Haßlau station, which is 279 m above sea level. NN lowest point of the route you crossed the Rödelbach on a sheet metal girder bridge. The train should follow the valley to Bärenwalde station. Then the line crossed the rails of the standard gauge railway and ran from the Wilkau-Haßlau stop on the highway. From kilometer 3.4 the route came to rest on its own subgrade again to run parallel to the road again from the Cunersdorf stop. The road was only used again from km 4.12, and the so-called “rabbit hole” was passed here, where an almost 170 m long, sometimes over 6 m high retaining wall was built due to the risk of flooding. The narrow-gauge railway continued along the left side of the road as far as the Kirchberg train station - except for the bypass of a farm at 5.6 km.

The narrow-gauge railway ran from Kirchberg to Saupersdorf through the middle of a densely built-up area. Numerous engineering structures were necessary due to the route along the Rödelbach and right past residential buildings and factories across the city. The only secured level crossing on the line was crossed. The road crossing just before the trip section 7.3 ( ⊙ ) secured a late 1930s established simple flasher system of the type Pintsch . It was only shortly before Saupersdorf und Bf that the narrow-gauge railway ran parallel to the highway in the direction of Rothenkirchen. 50.62221 12.52542

After Bärenwalde, the Western Ore Mountains were left briefly and the narrow-gauge railway touched a plateau in the Vogtland. The approximately six km long detour via Obercrinitz was chosen to avoid a steep incline between Bärenwalde and Rothenkirchen. From Rothenkirchen the narrow-gauge railway ran along today's federal highway 169 and then bypassed the foot of the Kuhberg from Stützengrün . Between Rothenkirchen and Schönheide the landscape changed again, instead of the agricultural areas that had dominated since Saupersdorf, forests now dominated the areas off the route. From Schönheide West, the 686 m above sea level. NN temporarily the highest point of the railway line, the route followed the valley of the Silberbach to Schönheide Süd.

Then the narrow-gauge railway led uphill in the Wilzschtal. In the narrow valley, the route had to cross both the country road and the Wilzsch several times. In the Carlsfeld station was 816 m above sea level. NN the highest point of the route, only the siding of the glassworks was a few meters higher.

Despite a supposedly favorable route - around 60% of the route led along streams and rivers - the route was anything but easy. Only around 5.5 km of the route ran horizontally, on almost 20 km of the route the gradient was at least 17 ‰, with over 4 km of it even more than 25 ‰.

A curve radius of less than 300 m was implemented over more than 15 km. Between Wilkau – Haßlau and Saupersdorf the minimum radius was 50 m in three places, between Saupersdorf and Schönheide, with one exception, 100 m or larger. Several arches with a radius of 80 m were necessary on the section to Carlsfeld. The maximum speed between Wilkau-Haßlau and Schönheide Süd was 25 km / h, from Schönheide South it was only 15 km / h. The curved tracks were designed with a maximum cant of 40 mm, in the 1960s the cant was reduced by 10 mm, since only 30 mm were permitted for routes with trolley traffic.

In the upper section between Schönheide Süd and Carlsfeld, the narrow-gauge railway had the greatest incline at 50 ‰. This approximately 700 meter long section near the Blechhammer stop was the steepest section of the route on the Saxon narrow-gauge railways ever used by steam locomotives. Similar inclination conditions were later realized in Saxony on the routes Eibenstock unt Bf – Eibenstock ob Bf (steep section Eibenstock) and Klingenthal – Sachsenberg-Georgenthal (here only on a short section with exclusive tourist traffic).

Operating points

Wilkau-Haßlau ⊙50.67592 12.51028

The reception building built during the station renovation in 1893 (2011)

Wilkau-Haßlau station (2016)

When the narrow-gauge railway was built, there was already a stop on the Schwarzenberg – Zwickau standard-gauge railway line , so the narrow-gauge railway systems were simply built between the standard-gauge systems. In connection with the opening of the route to Kirchberg, the previous stop was elevated to a station in 1882. Even before the opening in Wilzschhaus, the station was no longer able to cope with the demands. In 1885 an extension was approved, the beginning of which was to drag on for another seven years due to land disputes.

Even with the renovation of the station from 1893, the level crossings between narrow and standard gauge were retained, and the main track of the standard gauge always had to be closed for shunting work or train journeys. During the renovation work, the narrow gauge section was relocated about 300 m to the northwest, so the kilometers began with minus figures. The station also received a narrow - gauge turning point , which was extended again in the 1960s for the planned use of the new V 36K diesel locomotives . The turnout was often referred to as a segment turntable.

Initially referred to as Wilkau station, it was only given the new name Wilkau-Haßlau when it was incorporated in 1935.

Wilkau-Haßlau Hp ⊙50.67085 12.5247

Former location of Wilkau-Haßlau Hp of the narrow-gauge railway, left of the road (2016)

The Wilkau stop , renamed Wilkau-Haßlau stop in 1935 , was opened on October 15, 1882. Except for a platform and a sign, there were no buildings. Shortly before the station, the Rödelbach was crossed on a bridge, of which only parts of the abutments are visible today. The breakpoint was in the direction of Kirchberg between the "Kirchberger Straße" in Wilkau and the Rödelbach.

Culitzsch ⊙50.6546 12.52235

Former location of the Culitzsch stop in Rödelbachtal, left of the road (2016)

The Culitzsch stop - named after the small community of Culitzsch located about 1 km from the railway line - was opened, just like the Wilkau-Haßlau stop, on October 15, 1882. No waiting room was available for the travelers. When the winter schedule changed in 1923/24, the stop was closed due to the low frequency of traffic. It was located between "Kirchberger Straße" in a settlement belonging to Culitzsch and the Rödelbach. There is now a bus stop nearby.

Cunersdorf (b Kirchberg / Sachs) ⊙50.650394 12.520942

The Cunersdorf station (near Kirchberg / Sachs) was set up in 1922 as a depot for train crossings . It only served as an alternative point . A telephone booth was the only building, it was necessary because of the function of the station as a train registration office. The second track was used briefly in the 1930s as a non-public loading track by a nearby brickworks.

Cunersdorf train station (b Kirchberg / Sachs), view towards Kirchberg (2018)
Cunersdorf train station (b Kirchberg / Sachs), view towards Wilkau-Haßlau (2018)
Schematic track plan of the Cunersdorf train station (near Kirchberg / Sachs)

Cunersdorf (b Kirchberg / Sachs) Hst ⊙50.64512 12.51562

The Cunersdorf stop , renamed the Cunersdorf stop (b Kirchberg / Sachs) on October 1, 1888, was initially the only train stop when the line opened in 1881. At first it consisted of only two switches, a through track and a loading track connected on both sides. A waiting hall was only built in 1891 on the opposite side of the street. In 1892, together with a siding branching off in the area of the stops, a third track and another loading line were built. In the area of the stop there is now a bus stop, the two shelters of which are decorated with historical images of the narrow-gauge railway and the wooden waiting hall.

Cunersdorf stop, view towards Wilkau-Haßlau (2016)
Cunersdorf stop (2016)
Cunersdorf stop (2016), the waiting hall was between the red house and the bus stop
Cunersdorf stop with Ladestraße (left), view towards Carlsfeld (2016)
Cunersdorf, bus stop on the track side with the narrow-gauge railway (2016)
Cunersdorf, bus stop on the side of the waiting hall with the illustration of the waiting hall (2016)

Kirchberg (Sachs) ⊙50.62752 12.52084

Kirchberg station (2012)

The Kirchberg station was at the track opening in 1881 next to the station Wilkau the only station. The first expansion took place in 1888 when a separate goods shed was built. When the route to Wilzschhaus was opened in 1893, the facilities were expanded a second time. The initially single-track two-tier boiler house had to give way to a two-track four-tier boiler room. Another track was added to this in 1912 during the last major expansion. After that, the station remained almost unchanged in this form until the 1960s. The station also had seven sidings .

The station building and the goods shed are still there today, the locomotive shed was demolished in 1987. The station is now a station on the Saxony Steam Railway Route .

Kirchberg (Sachs) Hp ⊙50.62261 12.52886

The stop was on Gartenstrasse in the city center. Similar to the Wilkau-Haßlau stop, there were no high-rise buildings here either.

Kirchberg stop, view towards Kirchberg (2016)
Haltpunkt Kirchberg with Sun Bridge (2016)
Sun bridge in Kirchberg after the restoration (2016)
Bridge over the Rödelbach just behind the former Kirchberg stop (2016)

Saupersdorf and Bf ⊙50.61542 12.53786

Initially in operation in 1882 as a stone loading station Saupersdorf with two points, the name was changed to the Saupersdorf II stop in 1897 , before the name was again changed to Saupersdorf und Bf in 1930 . After the loading track had been shortened and a switch dismantled in the 1950s, the remaining dead-end track and the second switch were removed in 1962. Buildings were also not erected here because of a lack of space. Even the station sign was a little apart on a small bridge.

Saupersdorf unt Bf, view towards Wilkau-Haßlau (2016)
Saupersdorf unt Bf, view towards Carlsfeld (2016)

Saupersdorf ob Bf ⊙50.60598 12.54417

Initially opened as the Saupersdorf stop , the station was a terminus station until 1893, when the line to Wilzschhaus was opened. Initially, the operating site consisted of five tracks, a loading street and a reception building with an attached goods shed. In 1897 the name was changed to Saupersdorf I bus stop . The systems were expanded in 1913, and since there was no space for additional systems at the previous location between the street and Rödelbach, a new loading point was built across the "Auerbacher Straße" in the direction of Kirchberg. The previous third track was given up in favor of widening the road.

In addition to a siding in the station area, five siding on the line were operationally part of the station. Coming from Schönheide, Saupersdorf ob Bf was the end point of the trolley traffic on the middle section of the route due to the restricted clearance profile in the city of Kirchberg. With the closure of the Kirchberg – Saupersdorf section, the station was the end point from the direction of Schönheide from May 27, 1967. Due to the suspension of rail traffic on the Saupersdorf – Rothenkirchen section, the station went out of service on May 30, 1970. Today the reception building and the goods shed are used privately. The loading point was built over with garages.

Saupersdorf ob Bf, loading point (2016)
Saupersdorf ob Bf, loading point (2016)
Saupersdorf ob Bf, connection company Jehn (2016)
Saupersdorf ob Bf, reception building (2016)

Hartmannsdorf (b Saupersdorf) ⊙50.592459 12.546332

A platform and a waiting hall were the only constructions of the stop, which until 1916 was only called Hartmannsdorf stop . In the same year an expedition room was added to the wooden waiting hall. Today only the foundations of the waiting hall and the free access exist. The Hartmannsdorf volunteer fire brigade is now located near the breakpoint in the center of town.

Hartmannsdorf stop (near Saupersdorf), foundations of the waiting hall and exit (2016)
Hartmannsdorf stop (b Saupersdorf) (2016)
Hartmannsdorf stop (b Saupersdorf) (2016)

Oberhartmannsdorf (Sachs) ⊙50.57413 12.5409

Oberhartmannsdorf (Sachs) stop (2011)

In addition to a waiting hall with a luggage compartment, the high-rise buildings consisted of a car body, a step and a scale for road vehicles. At the beginning of the 1950s, a large timber-framed storage shed was built for the local farmers' trade cooperative . Both the waiting hall and the storage shed still exist today; wooden cladding was subsequently attached to the latter. The Oberhartmannsdorf stop was already on the Bärenwalde corridor, shortly after the Hartmannsdorf border. There is now a bus stop in the area.

Bärenwalde (Sachs) ⊙50.56853 12.52822

The station was a water station, so all uphill trains stopped here. The water came from a well on the mountainside. As early as the 1910s, a large water tower was to be built due to the insufficient water supply , but the planning was not carried out. When the well dried up completely in the 1950s, the water from the nearby stream was used from then on. Initially, a fire service pump was used as the pump; a stationary pumping station was only built in the last few years of operation.

In addition to three through tracks, the station also had a short stub track with a goods shed and a ramp. A reception building had not been built, only a wooden waiting hall with a service room was available. Originally the only crossing station between Rothenkirchen and Saupersdorf ob Bf, the station was equipped with entry signals, which were replaced by trapezoidal panels as early as 1927. The waiting hall no longer exists today, and the station area is largely built over with garages.

Bärenwalde station (2016)
Bärenwalde station (2016)

Obercrinitz ⊙50.56886 12.50516

In the early years, Obercrinitz station only had two tracks and four points. A waiting hall including free access was only built in 1899, but by 1905 the waiting hall had to be enlarged. A third track was added to the station in the 1930s. Between 1894 and 1965, a siding also belonged to the station, first it was used by a sand pit, after the Second World War it was taken over by the local farmers' trade cooperative . The waiting hall no longer exists today, and the station area is largely built over with garages.

Obercrinitz station (2016)
Obercrinitz station (2016)

Rothenkirchen (Vogtl) ⊙50.53784 12.50195

Rothenkirchen station (2012)

The station had a two-story brick entrance building and a goods shed. Other structures such as the water station, a loading ramp and a farm building were not built until the originally three-track station was extended by another track in the mid-1920s. In the 1960s, the previously independent station was converted into an unoccupied station and placed under Schönheide Süd station.

In the 1990s the water station and the goods shed were demolished, the reception building still exists today. The station is now a station on the Saxony Steam Railway Route.

Column green ⊙50.53303 12.52284

The station was opened as the Oberstützengrün stop, renamed the Stützengrün stop in 1901 and elevated to a station in 1905. A special feature was the one-storey station building, which was the only one on the route to be bricked up. At the turn of the century, a goods shed was built, which replaced a previously used car body. The track system initially consisted of only three switches and two tracks, but in the 1920s these, like the buildings, were expanded again. Since 1933 the station was run as a stop. On December 1, 1975, the station went out of service.

Former Stützengrün stop, view towards Rothenkirchen (2017)
Former Stützengrün stop, view towards Schönheide (2017)
Stützengrün stop, station restaurant (2016)

Stützengrün-Neulehn ⊙50.52465 12.53089

Stützengrün-Neulehn stop

The Stützengrün-Neulehn stop was only set up as the end point of the museum railway during the reconstruction and opened on November 16, 2001. Apart from a platform with a platform edge made of old sleepers and a station sign, there are no other systems.

Column green Hp ⊙50.52175 12.52791

Stützengrün Hp was set up on January 2, 1931 for the rush hour of the brush factory of the "Großeinkaufs-Gesellschaft Deutscher Konsumvereine".

As early as 1920 there was a loading siding for the village of Oberstützengrün . In 1925, the large connecting line of the consumer brush factory was set up, which had its own management from 1930. From 1942 to 1945 there was another siding, which was integrated into the connecting line in 1945. The brush factory had its own diesel locomotive for shunting work.

The Schönheide Museum Railway built the stop in 1997 with a changed track position. In addition to a transfer track, there is also a siding.

Stützengrün Hp, on the right the large building of the consumer brush factory (2011)
Stützengrün Hp with station sign
Stützengrün Hp in winter (2017)
Stützengrün Hp, track systems (2017)

Schönheide North ⊙50.515 12.51442

Schönheide-Nord stop (Neuheide)

It was opened in 1893 as the Neuheide stop . The station was opened for freight traffic in 1899 after the construction of a second continuous track and a butt track. In 1950, the station, which was in an arc with a 100 m radius, was renamed the Schönheide Nord stop. After the closure, the site was built over with garages in the 1980s.

When it was rebuilt as a museum railway, only one track was initially created, which was supplemented by a stump track in 1993. With the further construction in the direction of Stützengrün, a new dam had to be built up on the northern part in 1995 in order to be able to bypass the remaining garages. The track system was supplemented in 2006 by a bypass track. Today the stump track is used as an equipment transfer ramp for narrow-gauge vehicles on low-loaders.

Schönheide center ⊙50.50621 12.52074

Schönheide Central Station (2012)

The station Schönheide center (up to 1950: Schönheide ) was the biggest stop of the 1893 opened section Sauper village ob Bf-Wilzschhaus. In addition to a reception building, farm building, goods shed and coal shed, a four-track, two-track boiler house was also built. The first siding to a construction company, which was used until the 1920s, was built in 1895, with the station receiving another station siding. A second siding to a foundry was built in 1920, this connection was served until the end of operations in 1977.

The coal shed was demolished in the early 1970s. The rest of the buildings except the goods shed are still there today.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the station area was partially built over, so the Schönheide Museum Railway was only able to use a small part of it for reconstruction. Likewise, in Schönheide Mitte, as in Neuheide, there was initially no relocation track; it was not until April and May 1996 that the rebuilt tracks were provided with a relocation track. Since only a small part of the former station area can be used for the museum railway, a siding had to be built at the station entrance. The station is now a station on the Saxony Steam Railway Route.

Schönheide West ⊙50.50366 12.50948

Importance was the station Schönheide West (until 1950: Oberschönenbuch Heide ), especially for freight, more than 10% of the total volume of goods handled by the wayside was the station. When it opened, the station was equipped with three tracks; due to the heavy traffic, another track and a new loading line were built just three years after the opening. In 1920 the previous waiting hall was replaced by a massive two-storey reception building. After the station had only been used as a freight yard from September 29, 1975, it was closed on May 1, 1977.

In the 1990s, large parts of the station area were built over by a supermarket and the reception building was demolished in 1999.

Oberschönheide stop, photo around 1900
Westbahnhof Schönheide, condition after the reception building was demolished (2017)
Bf Schönheide West, loading ramp (2017)

Schönheide South ⊙50.4757 12.5141

Schönheide Süd station (2011)

The station Schönheide Süd (to 1950: Wilzschhaus ) is the lane change the station to the railway line Chemnitz-Aue-Adorf . It is located in the Mulde valley without reference to the village of Schönheide, only the small, eponymous Schönheide district of Wilzschhaus is nearby. After the closure of the narrow-gauge railway, the narrow-gauge section of the station was dismantled in 1979. The standard gauge systems, on the other hand, were used until 1995 and were then spared from being dismantled.

Recently, the Förderverein Historische Westsächsische Eisenbahnen eV (FHWE) has endeavored to rebuild the entire system in a way that is suitable for a museum. In this context, part of the narrow-gauge tracks was also rebuilt. The station is now a station on the Saxony Steam Railway Route.

Meadow house haus50.46095 12.52607

The Wiesenhaus stop was opened on April 1, 1901. It did not have any buildings, it only consisted of the platform and the station sign. Because of the extremely minor importance of the Neues Wiesenhaus settlement with only two houses, trains only stopped when needed.

Wiesenhaus stop around 1900
New Wiesenhaus, location of the former Wiesenhaus stop (2017)

Wilzschmühle ⊙50.45536 12.54492

Wilzschmühle stop

The Wilzschmühle stop , located at km 37.92, was designed as a crossing point between Wilzschhaus and Carlsfeld when the railway was built. A wooden waiting hall with a luggage room was available to protect the passengers, while a car body served as a goods shed. The passing track, which was provided with a safety switch in the direction of Wilzschhaus, also served as the loading track for the 30 m long side loading ramp, to which almost exclusively wood was shipped. Later, a nearby sawmill built a field railway with a 500 mm gauge to the stop.

The waiting hall, which was last in a very bad condition, was demolished in the 2000s.

Tin hammer ⊙50.44948 12.56261

Location of the former Blechhammer stop (right, 2017)

On June 22, 1897, the Blechhammer stop , which initially had no buildings, was opened. A bus shelter was only built for travelers in 1912. After the cessation of passenger traffic in May 1966, the bus shelter was brought to Carlsfeld, where it was set up as a switchman's booth. The breakpoint was particularly important for workers in a wood pulp factory, whose siding branched off in the immediate vicinity, and hikers, since Blechhammer only consisted of a few residential buildings.

Carlsfeld ⊙50.43524 12.58447

Carlsfeld Railway Station (2008)

In addition to the station building with attached goods shed, a 30 m long side loading ramp and two loading lanes, the four-track Carlsfeld station also had a small locomotive station. The independent wood-paneled boiler house was designed for a class IV K locomotive. The examination pit in front of the boiler house also served as a scale. As in Wilkau-Haßlau station, there was a turning point at the end of the track. As it was difficult to keep it free of snow and ice in winter, it was expanded in 1933 without replacement.

In the station area , the siding branched off to the Rüdiger & Scheibe glassworks ( ⊙ ), on which a total of 370 m of track and six switches were installed. It was served with around 6,000 t of fuel and raw materials annually until it ceased operations in 1967. 50.43464 12.58445

The facilities of the Carlsfeld train station were rebuilt in a simplified form by the FHWE in 2001.

Today the station area is used by the FHWE, which has rebuilt the track system in a modified form. While the boiler house is still largely in its original condition, the brickwork of the goods shed was plastered. All that remains of the siding is the arch of the bridge crossing under Morgenröther Straße, the rest of the siding and the glassworks have been demolished.

Sidings

Development of the number of sidings

The first siding of the narrow-gauge railway was built into a quarry in 1883. This was to remain the only one on the line until 1890, and 21 more were built by 1895. The maximum number of sidings used at the same time was reached in the second half of the 1920s with 41 such facilities. The line thus had the largest number of sidings among all Saxon narrow-gauge railways. The number remained relatively constant until the 1950s, only then did it steadily decrease.

Of the 48 sidings, 27 were distributed over the open road and 21 at operating points. 24 lay on the approximately 4 km long section between Kirchberg and Saupersdorf ob Bf. There a siding branched off every 170 m on average.

Civil engineering

In 1926 the list of all civil engineering structures comprised 415 entries, including four viaducts, 50 bridges, overpasses and underpasses, 325 locks and 36 walls.

The first bridges were built exclusively from iron or quarry stone, with technical progress many structures were made from rammed concrete . The same was true of the locks, initially made of rubble stone, but in the end they were built exclusively from rammed concrete - the most modern building material available at the time. Usually bridges with a clearance of 4 m or more were built as iron bridges, bridges up to 4 m as vault bridges . Only four overpasses deviate from this, which were built as vault bridges despite lengths greater than 4 m.

In addition to the numerous bridges, a lot of lining and retaining walls were necessary, together the length of the walls was more than 1700 meters. The majority of this was made up of the walls in the Kirchberg urban area and at the "Hasenloch" near Cunersdorf.

Viaduct Kirchberg km 7,300

This viaduct was built in 1882, the iron bridge girder had nine openings and rested on granite pillars.

Bridges km 7,642 and 8,126 ⊙50.62287 12.53034

Bridge km 8.126 in Kirchberg (2011)

The two bridges at kilometers 7,642 and 8,126 ("Sun Bridge") spanned the Rödelbach in the village of Kirchberg. They were made up of two parabolic girders and welded iron framework connections . This bridge construction was atypical for the Saxon narrow-gauge railways, only the hollow bridge of the narrow-gauge railway Mosel-Ortmannsdorf was designed in this way. The low clearance profile between the beams prevented u. a. the introduction of trolley traffic between Kirchberg and Saupersdorf.

Since the material used made it impossible to detect any damage in time, the two dilapidated parabolic girder bridges were the main reason for the closure of the Kirchberg – Saupersdorf ob Bf section tries to reduce the load on the structure.

The bridge at kilometer 7.642 was preserved after the tracks were demolished. Today it is the last iron bridge on the route that has been preserved in its original form.

Large Stützengrüner Viaduct km 23.962 ⊙50.52966 12.52152

Large Stützengrüner Viaduct (top left) and Small Stützengrüner Viaduct (bottom right)

The large Stützengrüner viaduct at 23.964 kilometers across the Weißbach was designed as a scaffolding pillar viaduct (" Trestle Bridge "). Here, superstructures designed as lattice girders lay on steel scaffolding pillars. Short sheet metal girders lay on the scaffold pillars themselves. The four bridge fields had a total length of 118.5 meters and a clear width of 20 meters. The height of the viaduct was 20.9 m. The viaduct cost 83,428 marks when it was built.

During the Second World War, rerailing devices were installed on both sides of both Stützengrüner viaducts and the Mulde valley viaduct, which were replaced by forced rails at the beginning of the 1960s .

After the line was closed, the municipality of Stützengrün planned to preserve it as a technical monument . For financial reasons, however, these plans failed. In the summer of 1981 the building was torn down to extract scrap. First of all, the superstructures and pillars were rolled off and cut up on the spot. The material was then removed using a cargo helicopter.

Small column green viaduct km 24.536 ⊙50.526664 12.527198

The Small Stützengrüner Viaduct at route kilometers 24.536 was of the same construction as the Large Stützengrüner Viaduct. Due to the shorter construction length of only 85 meters, it only had three bridge fields with a total height of 18 meters. It cost 49,174 marks. The demolition took place in the course of 1982 according to the same principle as the Great Stützengrüner Viaduct. The Stützengrün-Neulehn stop of the rebuilt museum railway is located nearby today .

Schindanger- ⊙ and Sauerbachbrücke 50.51944 12.51495 ⊙50.51397 12.51109

Schindanger Bridge

The Schindanger Bridge at km 26.373 and the Sauerbach Bridge at km 27.205 are two sheet metal girder bridges, they each cross a path. The clear width of the Schindangerbrücke was 12.5 m, that of the Sauerbachbrücke 12.2 m with a clear height of 10.2 m and 4.5 m respectively. The construction costs were around 14,000 and 6,000 marks, respectively.

During the Second World War, the sheet metal girders were exchanged for those of the re- tracked Müglitztalbahn . First, the superstructure was lifted, rotated and lowered to the valley floor with two derrick cranes , then the new superstructure was lifted after the abutments had been adjusted . Since the superstructures were also scrapped after the route was dismantled, two newly built bridge girders made of double-T girders had to be installed in 1992 .

Mulde Valley Viaduct km 33.765 ⊙50.47895 12.51068

Muldental Viaduct (around 1900)

With a total length of 162.1 m, this striking valley bridge at 33.765 kilometers was the largest bridge structure on the narrow-gauge railway. It consisted of seven bridge fields that rested on pendulum supports and two brick pillars. The superstructure over today's federal highway 283 and the Zwickauer Mulde was designed as a lattice box girder, all others as closed sheet metal girders. The six openings in the sheet metal girders each had a clear width of 18 m.

The Mulde Valley Viaduct was the only bridge that was damaged in World War II. Units of the Wehrmacht blew up a brick pillar on April 25, 1945, so that part of the superstructures fell into the depths. After the end of the war, the pillar was initially repaired temporarily with a stack of sleepers, and later it was rebuilt. The bridge was torn down and scrapped in 1980 except for the abutments and the two brick pillars.

business

From its opening until the early 1960s, the narrow-gauge railway always provided enormous transport services and was thus one of the most important Saxon narrow-gauge railways, only the traffic between Wilzschhaus and Carlsfeld was never particularly important. In contrast to other narrow-gauge railways, there was also no shutdown , which means that trains ran regularly even at night.

passenger traffic

In the first few years of its existence, the railway carried around 140,000 people annually, when it opened in Wilzschhaus in 1893, the number jumped to around 300,000, but then stagnated. Shortly before the outbreak of World War I , the number of travelers was around 500,000 per year. Until the 1920s, mostly mixed trains were operated and the passengers had to be patient due to the long shunting periods, especially at the stations in Kirchberg, Saupersdorf ob Bf, Stützengrün, Schönheide and Oberschönheide, the trains stayed for a long time.

Timetable 1936, u. a. with the accelerated passenger trains P 3776 and P 3797

The DR responded to the establishment of bus lines after the First World War with accelerated passenger trains, which only stopped at the heavily frequented stations Wilkau-Haßlau, Kirchberg, Saupersdorf ob Bf, Bärenwalde, Rothenkirchen, Schönheide, Wilzschhaus and Carlsfeld. The accelerated passenger trains covered the almost 42 km long route in around 145 minutes, so they reached an average speed of 15.9 km / h. These trains enjoyed great popularity and instead of the passenger traffic migrating to the bus as elsewhere, it remained on the narrow-gauge railway. In addition to the accelerated passenger trains, the abolition of mixed trains contributed to this, so that long shunting stops at the stations were no longer necessary. A few PMGs only drove at times of low traffic .

With the beginning of the Second World War, passenger traffic continued to increase. On the one hand, there were no bus connections, on the other hand, numerous companies with numerous employees were producing in the vicinity of the railway that were important for the National Socialist war economy. Since after 1943 the timetable was heavily thinned out due to the war, many trains were often overcrowded. After the war, the war timetable came into force again for the time being due to a shortage of materials and war-related damage, and passenger traffic even increased due to the numerous hamster trips . After these had subsided, mining started in 1947. Because of the mining of uranium ore around Tannenbergsthal by the SAG Wismut , many miners were dependent on the railroad. Only with the reduction of funding and the creation of factory traffic within the SAG Wismut did traffic calm down again. While transport services were already declining elsewhere, the range of trains on the narrow-gauge railway was even expanded. Passenger cars were also transported by freight trains again.

In the 1960s, the number of travelers fell sharply, caused by the switch to the bus, which is now running in parallel again, or to private transport . The extension of travel times in the 1970s due to numerous slow-speed sections, due to the poor structural condition of the railway systems, allowed more and more travelers to use other means of transport and, in the long term, led to the discontinuation of the remaining passenger traffic in 1975.

Rail mail traffic

Simultaneously with the respective line openings, the postal traffic was also taken over by the narrow-gauge railway. For this purpose, separate rail mail cars were used as so-called A-Bahnpost . Only on the Wilzschhaus – Carlsfeld section this was quickly stopped, on the one hand the volume of mail was low, on the other hand the incline only allowed limited train loads, which made it difficult to place a rail mail car in the train set. From now on a postman accompanied the mail to and from Carlsfeld in the baggage car. When the post office had to pay a fee for the transport of its wagons from 1925, a proportional transport fee was charged here.

In contrast to almost all other Saxon narrow-gauge railways, where the A-Bahnpost was discontinued in the 1920s / 30s and the resumption only took place during and after the Second World War, rail mail traffic was operated continuously on the narrow-gauge railway.

At the beginning of the 1950s, an average of 20 mail bags and 500 parcels were transported every day. In addition, there was loose letter mail that was reworked and money mailings from industry. On individual days, the value of the money sent was over 200,000 marks.

Even if mail was carried longer by rail than with the majority of the Saxon narrow-gauge railways, individual tasks have already been given up. Since 1955, the post in the direction of Carlsfeld has been transported by motor vehicle, the rail post car then only ran from Wilkau-Haßlau to Schönheide Mitte. The concentration of the postal traffic took place from autumn 1957, and on February 17, 1958 the postal traffic was completely stopped.

Freight transport

Most of the income came from freight traffic. For example, in 1894, with the volume of around 90,000 tons transported, it was in second place of all Saxon narrow-gauge railways. The Kirchberg train station played a large part in this, where around 40% of all goods were handled. By the turn of the century, the tonnage carried rose to around 200,000 tons per year. This amount remained relatively constant until the end of the 1950s, only with the gradual shift of transport to the road did the volume of goods decrease again. But even in the 1960s, a huge volume was still transported by narrow-gauge railroad (example 1964: around 160,000 tons).

Ratio of transport services in 1964

After the cessation of coal transports, the narrow-gauge railway was practically only operated for the brush works and VEB Elektromotorenwerke Thurm in the late 1970s . For the time being, there was no alternative to the railroad, especially for transporting logs. It was not until April 1977 that opportunities were created for this at short notice, since the traffic was inevitable due to the poor condition of the track.

Transport goods

Mainly fuel, logs for brush production and some sawmills, agricultural goods (fertilizers and the like), building materials, pig iron and materials for the glassworks in Carlsfeld were received. Mainly products of mechanical engineering companies, granite stone, textile goods, sawn timber and glass were shipped.

Although the paper industry was an essential element of the economic structure in the Ore Mountains, the transport of raw materials from and goods for the paper industry was always insignificant on the narrow-gauge railway despite the good starting conditions - water power and wood were sufficiently available. There was only a connection to a wood pulp factory at route kilometers 39.298 .

Vehicle use

Adapter from central buffer to Scharfenberg coupling

The vehicles corresponded to the general principles of the vehicles procured for the Saxon narrow-gauge railways. Locomotives and wagons were therefore freely exchanged for other narrow-gauge railways as required. While the vehicles remained on a railway line for a long time until 1945, there has been a lively exchange of vehicles since the Second World War.

All vehicles initially had the Heberlein brake , the Körting suction air brake was introduced in the 1930s, but the last Heberlein braked vehicles were not parked until the 1960s. After the Müglitztalbahn had been re- gauged , vehicles with the Scharfenberg coupler came onto the line for the first time in 1938; previously only the central buffer coupler had been used. A corresponding adapter - the so-called "elephant head" - was therefore used when the train was formed with the two types of coupling.

Locomotives

Class IV K (99 516 of the Schönheide Museum Railway)

First, the three extra-neubeschafften for the locomotives came to the genus I K (series 99750-752) is used. By 1893, the number of locomotives was gradually increased to six. With the opening of the Saupersdorf ob Bf – Wilzschhaus section in 1893, two locomotives of type IV K (series 99.51–60) were used for the first time. The III K was also used on the narrow-gauge railway from 1895, but, as on the other routes, did not prove itself here either. The short stays were mostly limited to the narrow-gauge railway Mosel – Ortmannsdorf , whose locomotives were subordinate to the narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau – Carlsfeld, or the machines only served as a reserve.

At the turn of the century, the I K were gradually given to other Saxon narrow-gauge railways or scrapped. In 1927 the last engine of the 99.750-752 series was parked and after that only the 99.51-60 series locomotives were used. These machines dominated the picture until their final shutdown in 1977. A machine from the 99.67-71 series was tested in the 1930s, but it turned out to be too heavy for the bridge structures and the superstructure.

Around two thirds of all 96 IV Ks ever built were used on the WCd, 19 machines were delivered directly from the factory to the narrow-gauge railway. One of the locomotives used - the 99 573 - never ran on a different route. Factory-commissioned in 1910, the locomotive was in service until 1970. After that, the machine served as a heating locomotive in Plauen ob Bf station for two years and was scrapped in 1975.

In addition to the steam locomotives used as planned, some diesel vehicles were also used for test drives or transfers to the narrow-gauge railway. In addition to six diesel multiple units intended for export in 1926, a V 36 K series locomotive also completed a short test drive.

Since it was rebuilt as a museum railway, other series of locomotives have operated to this day. The railcar VT 137 322 has also already been used.

dare

The car maintenance took place in Kirchberg in the early years, in 1903 the workshop was relocated to Wilkau. Initially, only a standard gauge wagon box served as accommodation there, a permanent building was not erected until the 1930s. Another possibility for repairs arose in Wilzschhaus in 1927.

Passenger cars

The Royal Saxon State Railways built six passenger cars for the new narrow-gauge railway . These two-axle cars each contained a second and a third class compartment. By 1887 the number had grown to 15 such cars. The first four-axle passenger cars were extended to Wilzschhaus in 1893. These vehicles were still equipped with skylights . With the introduction of the four-axle vehicles, the two-axle passenger cars disappeared relatively quickly. From around 1910 the four-axle skylight cars and the remaining two-axle cars were quickly replaced by the new four-axle passenger cars with wooden planking built on an all-steel frame. The wooden planking was often replaced by sheet metal cladding in the 1950s.

Since the opening of the last section towards Carlsfeld in 1897, around 30 passenger cars have been stationed on the WCd. Only after various sections were shut down from 1966 onwards did this constant number of passenger cars decline. After the shutdown, the vehicles were handed over to other departments, used as a basis for Reco vehicles or scrapped.

Genus 711 of the K. Sä. St. EB
DR company number: 970-318
built in 1907, with central buffer coupling and adapter head on Scharfenberg coupling
Type 720 of the K. Sa. St. EB DR company number: 970-369
built in 1913, with wooden planking
Type 729 of the K. Sa. St. EB DR company number: 970-621
built in 1928 (replica of the Saxon type), for loads

Baggage cart

Baggage car 974-320, this car was already on the line before it was shut down, identical carriages came onto the narrow-gauge railway after 1910

Instead of separate baggage cars , the two-axle boxcars were initially used. Only when it opened to Wilzschhaus did a two-axle baggage car come onto the route. By 1895 the number had grown to five such vehicles. With the use of four-axle baggage carts from the 1910s onwards, the two-axle vehicles were either given up or scrapped until 1945.

Mail car

Initially, a two-axle self-made mail car of the Royal Saxon State Railways was used, which was later supplemented by a two-axle car of type Ib. In the 1920s the self-made mail car was taken out of service, from the 1930s a four-axle type IIb mail car was on the narrow-gauge railway.

After the Second World War, the post office rented a four-axle baggage car because of the two obsolete vehicles and converted it into a makeshift post car. In November 1950, Waggonbau Bautzen then delivered two new four-axle vehicles, but there were numerous deficiencies in use. Because of the shortcomings and the increasing shift of mail transport to motorized transport, the two cars were to remain the only new post cars for narrow-gauge railways.

After the post traffic was discontinued, the vehicles were used as the basis for meter- gauge Reko passenger cars, the two resulting wagons are still in use today on the Harz narrow-gauge railways .

Freight wagons

Such wagons of the type GGw were used on the narrow-gauge railway from 1901. Here the service car 97-15-03 of the Schönheide museum railway.

The freight car park also consisted of two-axle wagons at the beginning. When the company opened in 1881, there were 17 open and seven boxcars. Like the passenger cars, these cars were mostly manufactured by the Royal Saxon State Railways themselves in Chemnitz. From the 1890s onwards, two-axle turntable wagons were procured for the transport of wood , and around 1910 two-axle hinged - lid wagons were added that were made from open freight wagons.

The first four-axle freight wagons came onto the line around the turn of the century, but the two-axle vehicles could not be dispensed with for the time being. In the 1930s, numerous four-axle wagons on the re- tracked Heidenau – Kurort Altenberg railway (Müglitztalbahn) were put on the narrow-gauge railway. This enabled the number of old two-axle vehicles to be significantly reduced, but various two-axle vehicles (especially the turntable wagons) were in use until the 1960s. With the cessation of traffic on the Kirchberg – Saupersdorf ob Bf and Schönheide Süd – Carlsfeld sections in the 1960s, most of the freight wagons were superfluous and given to other narrow-gauge railroads or scrapped, because the rest of the freight traffic was mostly carried on roller carts.

Trolley

Four-axle trolleys with 8.00 m (left) and 9.00 m driving platform length in Schönheide Süd, loaded with an open freight wagon and a flat wagon

The two private trolleys procured in 1907 had a load capacity of 25 tons and were 5.5 m long traveling platforms. Public trolley traffic was started with four-axle vehicles, also 5.50 m, four-axle trolleys with an 8.00 m platform length came onto the route from the beginning of the 1930s. In the 1960s, four-axle trolleys with a length of 9.00 m were stationed in Schönheide Süd.

Six-axle vehicles with a 7.80 m platform length came on the narrow-gauge railway in 1969, but these derailed quite often. As a consequence, the top speed was limited to 10 km / h, and numerous six-axle rolling vehicles were converted into four-axle vehicles by removing the middle axle of each bogie.

Since the axle base of the standard-gauge freight wagons was getting larger, the vehicles with a 5.50 m platform length could be used less and less. At the beginning of the 1970s, these trolleys therefore disappeared completely from the route; previously, for the most part, only four-axle standard-gauge freight cars were transported on two trolleys, connected with a short coupling rod.

Service vehicles

Snow plow 97-09-58 in Zittau (2011)

The narrow-gauge railway had a maximum of five service vehicles at the same time . Initially, four cars were stationed in Kirchberg and one vehicle in Wilkau-Haßlau. With the closure of the Wilkau-Haßlau-Kirchberg line, the number of vehicles was reduced by two.

Located in the Western Ore Mountains with guaranteed snow in winter, the railway also needed a snow plow. The vehicle, which was completed on January 17, 1917, was stationed in Kirchberg until 1955, then in Schönheide Süd. The vehicle was transferred to the narrow-gauge railway Cranzahl – Kurort Oberwiesenthal in 1978 , and has been in use on the narrow-gauge railway Zittau – Kurort Oybin / Kurort Jonsdorf since 1988 .

literature

Gustav W. Ledig, Johann Ferdinand Ulbricht: Wilkau – Saupersdorf – Wilzschhaus line . In: The narrow-gauge state railways in the Kingdom of Saxony . 2nd increased and improved edition. Engelmann, Leipzig 1895, ISBN 3-7463-0070-3 , p. 32 ff . ( Digitized in the Dresden State and University Library - Reprint: Zentralantiquariat der DDR, Leipzig 1988).
Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld , regional traffic history: Volume 2 , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1995, ISBN 3-88255-418-5
Author collective: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld. Jacobi, Fraureuth 2007, ISBN 978-3-937228-24-2
Holger Drosdeck, Michael Kapplick: The Schönheide Museum Railway - 15 years of museum railway operation on 750 mm gauge between Stützengrün and Schönheide 1993-2008. Jacobi, Fraureuth 2008, ISBN 978-3-937228-47-1
Holger Drosdeck, Wilfried Rettig: The Aue – Adorf railway and the narrow-gauge Wilzschtalbahn Schönheide-Süd – Carlsfeld. Jacobi, Fraureuth 2009, ISBN 978-3-937228-00-6
Karl Wolf and Ludger Kenning: Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld. The first and longest Saxon narrow-gauge railway. (= Secondary railway documentation. Vol. 14), Kenning, Nordhorn 1995, ISBN 3-927587-42-7

Web links

Commons : Schmalspurbahn Wilkau-Haßlau – Carlsfeld - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Museum Railway Schönheide. Saxony's oldest and once longest invites you to… Museumsbahn Schönheide eV, accessed on April 25, 2013 .
Welcome. Förderverein Historische Westsächsische Eisenbahnen eV, accessed on April 25, 2013 .
WCd - narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau - Carlsfeld. Wilkau-Haßlau - Saupersdorf upper train station. www.stilllege.de, accessed on April 25, 2013 (pictures from today's status).
Interesting facts about the Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld narrow-gauge railway. Retrieved April 25, 2013 .
Narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld on OpenStreetMap (still incomplete). Retrieved October 11, 2015 .
Museum Railway Schönheide on OpenStreetMap. Retrieved October 11, 2015 .
Historical pictures from the Wilkau-Kirchberg section on www.drehscheibe-online.de

Footnotes

↑ Route data on www.sachsenschiene.de

^ ^A ^b Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld , p. 6

↑ Martina Schattkowsky (Ed.): Erzgebirge - Cultural Landscapes of Saxony Volume 3 , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2010, p. 99 f.

^ Rainer Karlsch, Michael Schäfer: Economic history of Saxony in the industrial age , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2006, p. 90 f.

↑ Martina Schattkowsky (Ed.): Erzgebirge - Kulturlandschaften Sachsens Volume 3 , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2010, p. 100 f.

↑ Andreas W. Petrak: The narrow-gauge railway Wolkenstein – Jöhstadt - secondary line documentation 68 , Verlag Kenning, Nordhorn 2006, ISBN 3-933613-78-7 , p. 22

↑ Andreas W. Petrak: Left and Right of the Ore Mountains, Volume 2: edition bohemica - Through Bohemia's Hain and Flur Himmelkron, ISBN 978-3-940819-00-0 , p. 18

^ Günter Baldauf: Die Flöhatalbahn , Altis-Verlag, 2nd extended edition, Friedrichsthal 2001, ISBN 3-910195-30-X , p. 19

↑ ^a ^b Erich Preuß , Reiner Preuß : Schmalspurbahnen in Sachsen , transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-613-71205-9 , p. 12

↑ Eibenstock did not get a direct train connection until 1905 with the railway line Eibenstock unt Bf – Eibenstock ob Bf .

↑ Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 2: secondary and narrow-gauge lines, railway systems, accidents and anecdotes, EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2002, p. 92 f.

↑ ^a ^b Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 2: secondary and narrow-gauge lines, railway systems, accidents and anecdotes , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2002, p. 93

↑ Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 2: secondary and narrow-gauge lines, railway systems, accidents and anecdotes , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2002, p. 94

↑ ^a ^b ^c Holger Drosdeck, Wilfried Rettig: The Aue – Adorf railway line and the narrow-gauge Wilzschtalbahn Schönheide-Süd – Carlsfeld , p. 94

^ Stefan Rasch, Rainer Heinrich, Holger Drosdeck: Schmalspurbahn Mosel – Ortmannsdorf - The History of the Mülsengrundbahn 1885–1951 , Förderverein Westsächsische Eisenbahnen eV 2010, p. 12

^ Rolf Vogel : The Lugau – Oelsnitzer coal field . Ed .: Förderverein Bergbaumuseum Oelsnitz / Erzgeb. eV Hohenstein – Ernstthal 1992, p. 176 ff .

^ Dresdner Latest News from August 19, 1903, p. 2 digitized

↑ Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carl Field , 1995, p 117

↑ Claus Schlegel: Railway accidents in Saxony - From the beginnings to 1945 in the shadow of railway history Volume 6, Ritzkau AG - Verlag Zeit und Eisenbahn, Pürgen 2002, ISBN 3-935-101-00-7 , p. 96

↑ Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carl Field , 1995, p 104 f.

↑ ^a ^b ^c Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 2: secondary and narrow-gauge lines, railway systems, accidents and anecdotes , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2002, p. 99

^ Rainer Karlsch, Michael Schäfer: Economic history of Saxony in the industrial age , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2006, p. 223 f.

^ Rainer Karlsch, Michael Schäfer: Economic history of Saxony in the industrial age , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2006, p. 224 f.

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: Die Schmalspurbahn Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld , 1995, p. 115

↑ Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, main lines, vehicles, depot and high-rise buildings , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2001, p. 99

^ Author collective: Die Schmalspurbahn Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld , p. 173 f.

↑ Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld , p. 182

↑ ^a ^b Dirk Lenhard, Gerhard Moll, Reiner Scheffler: Die Sächsische IV K - Die Reichsbahn-series 99 ^51-60 , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2004, ISBN 3-88255-199-2 , p. 190

^ Author collective: Die Schmalspurbahn Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld , p. 187 f.

^ Author collective: Die Schmalspurbahn Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld , p. 190 f.

↑ Dirk Lenhard, Gerhard Moll, Reiner Scheffler: Die Sächsische IV K - Die Reichsbahn-series 99 ^51-60 , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2004, ISBN 3-88255-199-2 , p. 169

^ According to Wilfried Rettig: Die Eisenbahnen im Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, Main Lines, Vehicles, Railway Depots and Buildings , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2001, p. 9, the last passenger train did not run until September 30, 1975

↑ Dirk Lenhard, Gerhard Moll, Reiner Scheffler: Die Sächsische IV K - Die Reichsbahn-series 99 ^51-60 , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2004, ISBN 3-88255-199-2 , p. 161

↑ Reko-Bahn , In: ModellEisenBahner No. 3 , March 1998, ISSN 0026-7422 , pp. 26-29

^ ^A ^b André Marks (Ed.): Sächsische Schmalspurbahnen - Impressions for the 125th birthday in Eisenbahn-Bildarchiv Volume 28, EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2006, ISBN 3-88255-367-7 , p. 86

^ André Marks (Ed.): Sächsische Schmalspurbahnen - Impressions for the 125th birthday in Eisenbahn-Bildarchiv Volume 28, EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2006, ISBN 3-88255-367-7 , p. 96

^ Steam in front of the Carlsfeld narrow-gauge locomotive shed ( Memento from March 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive )

↑ Holger Drosdeck, Wilfried Rettig: The Aue – Adorf railway line and the narrow-gauge Wilzschtalbahn Schönheide-Süd – Carlsfeld , p. 63

↑ www.freipresse.de Dampfross advertises narrow-gauge railways

^ Declaration on the Via Wilzschhaus tourism project. (PDF) Förderverein Via Wilzschhaus e. V. and Via Wilzschhaus GmbH, January 14, 2014, archived from the original on February 3, 2014 ; Retrieved January 19, 2014 .

↑ Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 1: Development, main lines, vehicles, railway depots and buildings , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2001, p. 8

↑ Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carl Field , 1995, p 60

↑ Master photos from the steam locomotive era - Volume 3: Railway systems in Saxony , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2002, ISBN 3-88255-280-8 , p. 86

↑ The breakpoint Wilkau on www.stillgelegt.de

↑ The breakpoint Culitzsch on www.stillgelegt.de

↑ Reiner Scheffler: Schmalspur-Heizhäuser in Sachsen , Verlag Kenning, Nordhorn 1996, ISBN 3-927587-48-6 , p. 22

^ Karl Wolf and Ludger Kenning: Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld. The first and longest Saxon narrow-gauge railway. (= Secondary railway documentation. Vol. 14), Kenning, Nordhorn 1995, ISBN 3-927587-42-7 , p. 51f.

^ The Hartmannsdorf stop (near Saupersdorf) on www.stilllege.de

↑ ^a ^b The Bärenwalde train station on www.stilllege.de

↑ Dirk Lenhard, Gerhard Moll, Reiner Scheffler: Die Sächsische IV K - The Reichsbahn-Class 99 ^51-60 , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2004, ISBN 3-88255-199-2 , p. 181

↑ Siegfried Bergelt: In the footsteps of the old West Saxony main line - The Chemnitz – Aue – Adorf railway line , Thomas Böttger picture publisher, Witzschdorf 2004, ISBN 3-9808250-7-8 , p. 57

↑ www.stilllege.de WCd - Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld narrow-gauge railway, Wilzschtalbahn, Schönheide Süd – Carlsfeld (accessed on November 17, 2011)

↑ This boiler house is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the last independent narrow-gauge locomotive shed in Saxony. Further independent boiler houses can be found in Cranzahl, Hetzdorf and Nossen. See Networked Memories Part 1 , In: ModellEisenBahner No. 9 , September 2002, ISSN 0026-7422 , p. 45

↑ Reiner Scheffler: Schmalspur-Heizhäuser in Sachsen , Verlag Kenning, Nordhorn 1996, ISBN 3-927587-48-6 , p. 25

↑ ^a ^b Holger Drosdeck, Wilfried Rettig: The Aue – Adorf railway line and the narrow-gauge Wilzschtalbahn Schönheide-Süd – Carlsfeld, p. 94

↑ Holger Drosdeck, Wilfried Rettig: The Aue – Adorf railway line and the narrow-gauge Wilzschtalbahn Schönheide-Süd – Carlsfeld , p. 93

↑ Erich Preuß, Reiner Preuß: Schmalspurbahnen in Sachsen , transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-613-71205-9 , p. 76

↑ Siegfried Bergelt: In the footsteps of the old West Saxony main line - The Chemnitz – Aue – Adorf railway line , Thomas Böttger picture publisher, Witzschdorf 2004, ISBN 3-9808250-7-8 , p. 95.

↑ ^a ^b Wolfram Wagner: The railway mail on the Saxon narrow-gauge railways , Regional Transport History: Volume 22 , EK-Verlag, ISBN 3-88255-436-3 , Freiburg 1998, p. 13. ff.

^ Sächsische Landesstelle für Museumwesen: Sächsisches Schmalspur-Museum Rittersgrün , 2000, ISBN 3-422-03082-4 , p. 58

↑ Martina Schattkowsky (Ed.): Erzgebirge - Kulturlandschaften Sachsen Volume 3 , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2010, p. 98 f.

^ Rainer Karlsch, Michael Schäfer: Economic history of Saxony in the industrial age , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2006, p. 85

↑ Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau - Carl Field , 1995, p 66 ff.

↑ Wilfried Rettig: The railways in Vogtland - Volume 2: secondary and narrow-gauge lines, railway systems, accidents and anecdotes , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2002, p. 100

↑ Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carl Field , 1995, p 111

↑ ^a ^b Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: Die Schmalspurbahn Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld , 1995, p. 147 ff.

↑ Snowploughs of the Saxon Narrow Gauge Railways , In: EisenbahnKurier - Prototype and Model , Issue 2/98, p. 36 ff.

[1] Route data on www.sachsenschiene.de

[1995,_S._6-2] A ^b Rainer Heinrich, Gordon Parzyk: The narrow-gauge railway Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld , p. 6

[3] Martina Schattkowsky (Ed.): Erzgebirge - Cultural Landscapes of Saxony Volume 3 , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2010, p. 99 f.

[4] Rainer Karlsch, Michael Schäfer: Economic history of Saxony in the industrial age , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2006, p. 90 f.

[5] Martina Schattkowsky (Ed.): Erzgebirge - Kulturlandschaften Sachsens Volume 3 , Edition Leipzig, Dresden / Leipzig 2010, p. 100 f.

[6] Andreas W. Petrak: The narrow-gauge railway Wolkenstein – Jöhstadt - secondary line documentation 68 , Verlag Kenning, Nordhorn 2006, ISBN 3-933613-78-7 , p. 22

[7] Andreas W. Petrak: Left and Right of the Ore Mountains, Volume 2: edition bohemica - Through Bohemia's Hain and Flur Himmelkron, ISBN 978-3-940819-00-0 , p. 18

[8] Günter Baldauf: Die Flöhatalbahn , Altis-Verlag, 2nd extended edition, Friedrichsthal 2001, ISBN 3-910195-30-X , p. 19

[Preuß,_Schmalspurbahnen_in_Sachsen,_S.12-9] Erich Preuß , Reiner Preuß : Schmalspurbahnen in Sachsen , transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-613-71205-9 , p. 12