Deutz–Gießen railway

With the railway line Deutz Deutz - casting a connection between the Rhineland and casting in the Rhine -Main area was created from the late 1850s. The line still exists, but the traffic is no longer usually performed continuously over the historic route. Specifically, it is here in the northern part to the victory line of ( Cologne ) Deutz- Betz Village victories that used today shortcut across the railway line Betz Village Haiger and the southern part of the historic route of the dill route (Siegen ) Haiger - casting.

Interests

Prussia had an interest to join the coal deposits of the Ruhr and the steel mills in the Rhineland with the iron ore deposits of victory, Heller, Dill and Lahn by a railroad. Furthermore Prussia possessed with the city of Wetzlar and its surrounding an exclave that needed to bind better to the heartland. Problems arose from the fact that the planned route should lead by the then independent duchy of Nassau in the area of ​​today's Lahn- Dill district. The Duchy made ​​the necessary concessions for its territory conditional upon Prussia, approved the continued construction of the right bank railway line, which belonged to the Nassau State Railway of Lahnstein to Cologne. Prussia eventually undertook to join the Nassau Rhine route between Niederlahnstein and Koblenz by a bridge to the left Rhine line. Nassau issued subsequently in 1860 which is required for its territory concession, which enabled the construction of the victory route through its territory. In casting the Deutz- Gießen Railway joined to the Main -Weser -Bahn.

Railway construction

The Cologne -Minden Railway (CME ) expressed its interest, the range of Deutz (today: Köln- Deutz ) to Giessen to build and was awarded the concessions. Construction began from Deutz following the existing CME route Deutz- Minden with a branch on the 1859 completed bridge over the Rhine to Cologne. At the same time was invested in Deutz shunting and marshalling yard Deutzerfeld with necessary for the operation of facilities, workshops and buildings, through the direct connection the Ruhr area was created. The route was not easy due to the topography. Between Siegburg and Betz village the route in the valley of the victory, which flows there in tight loops, numerous bridges and through many tunnels had to be done. East of Betz village to Dillenburg was a Central Upland Range overcome, and organized a bend had to be applied in order to limit the pitch of the track to the relatively low value of 1.5%. The construction of the line cost 26.5 million dollars. Thus, the construction cost amounted to 1,088,226 dollars per Prussian mile. In the Cologne - Minden railway costs had amounted to only 782 611 dollars per mile.

On January 1, 1859, the first section was opened to Hennef. The 183 km long total distance from Cologne to casting was finally on January 12, 1862 opened ( the Tumski Bridge in Cologne was completed 1859). Soon after, the name Cologne - Gießen Railway was used.

At the track included the branching path of Betzdorf after victories. The railway line Betzdorf - Siegen was taken on January 10, 1861 in operation after previously on 28 December 1860, the first locomotive from Betz village was coming arrived in Siegen.

Extension

By 1870, the track was completely expanded twofold. With the victory flood in 1909, many bridges were destroyed, including railway bridges such as in Herchenhain.

A major operational problem was that at the time of the construction of the track was not yet a direct connection between Siegen and Dillenburg possible. In between the Tiefenrother height was (551 m). The construction of long tunnel was around 1860 still immensely complex and expensive, because dynamite was not yet available. So Siegen was indeed connected from the north by the Bergisch- märkische railway to the Ruhrgebiet. Trains, which should drive further south - and that included the coal trains - first had to sail west to Betzdorf, do there "head" and then go back in the direction of Dillenburg east.

This problem was solved in 1915, when the direct link has been made ​​between Siegen and Haiger in operation. The connection between Siegen and Dillenburg was shortened by about 30 km. This was made possible by three large civil engineering structures: The low Dielfener viaduct, the viaduct Rudersdorferstraße and especially the Rudersdorferstraße tunnel.

Consequence

By shortening this range extender shifted the traffic and led now usually about wins and Haiger. The topographically unfavorable portion of the historic route between Betz village and Haiger lost its meaning. The line still exists, but is now only operated in urban transport. She's back built since 1980 for the most part on a track and was threatened in the 1990s, even of decommissioning. Consequence of this shortening range extender is that the former Deutz- Gießen Railway is now dissected operational in three clear stages. Even today, however, reminds the continuous chainage of all three routes from Cologne - Deutz to the old route.

• Cologne -Deutz - Betz village kilometer from Cologne - Deutz, Betz village, on to Giessen ( VzG Range 2651 )
• Betz village - Siegen, Siegen- Hagen kilometer of Angsleah by Betz village ( VzG track 2800 or 2880 )

• Betz village - Haiger kilometer from Cologne -Deutz over Betz village and Burbach ( Siegen Kr ) to Haiger ( VzG Range 2651 )

• Siegen- East - Haiger, chainage of Hagen - Siegen Angsleah to Haiger ( VzG - track 2800)
• Haiger - casting, chainage from Cologne -Deutz and Betz village about Haiger and Herborn after casting ( VzG Range 2651 )