Strohgäu Railway
The Strohgäubahn is a single-track standard gauge private railway in addition Strohgäu with a length of 22.2 km, which connects as a spur track Korntal with Weissach. The course book leads as distance 790.61, in Transport and Tariff Association Stuttgart ( VVS ), it is run as a regional train line R61. It was operated until 1984 by the Württemberg branch lines (WN).
History
1898 Strohgäubahn was planned by the meter gauge railway from Zuffenhausen to Pforzheim on the municipalities Muenchingen, Schwieberdingen, Hemmingen, Heimerdingen, Weissach, Eberdingen, Nußdorf, Iptingen, Mönsheim, Worm Mountain and Wiernsheim with a total length of 50.5 km. On the way people and goods should promoted and thus the prospect of standing in the shadow of industrialization agrarian villages to be improved.
So the churches could not afford west of Weissach and Heimerdingen the necessary participation of 3,000 Reichsmarks per kilometer, was started in 1905 with the construction of a standard gauge track to Weissach. On August 13, 1906, she was finally inaugurated and operated by the Württemberg branch lines (WN). These were produced in 1905 from the Filderbahn Society and operated continue the rail lines on the Fildern. Thus, repeated attempts since the existence of Strohgäubahn to integrate them in the Stuttgart public transport. In the 1930s, even the first combustion engine car was placed at the service. But the Humboldt locomotives talked to their final off in the 1950s. From this point Esslinger and Fox railcars took over the service. Later, these were supplemented by MAN - rail buses. Diesel locomotives came only from the early 1980s on the track.
In 1981, developed specifically for the WN, the SWEG and Kahlgrundbahn diesel railcar type NE 81 was taken into operation. In 1984, the WN with the Württemberg Railway Company (WEG ) to the new PATH, which runs from now on the track. The ordered WAY more NE 81 vehicles in 1993.
Passenger
The passenger was in the early years of Strohgäubahn of great importance, since it made it possible to rapidly oscillate between Stuttgart and the Strohgäugemeinden. With the increasing bus services and the opening of the bus line 501 from Hemmingen Feuerbach parallel to the route came the passenger but increasingly in a crisis.
1978 Strohgäubahn was already declared dead with four passenger trips daily. Gradually the situation improved, however, until 1979 with the agreed modernization of the railway line came the turning point. So the above two NE -81- sets have been procured and streamlined the schedule. Muenchingen was converted into a junction station and provided with a second platform. In order for the trains to cross, relapse turnouts were installed. Another series was ordered 81 NE 1993.
1996, three regional shuttle railcars were procured. These vehicles were later given to the Schönbuchbahn. The last older vehicles, a Schienenbusgarnitur ( railcars, medium cars and driving trailers ) were stationed until 2001 as an operating reserve in Weissach. In recent years, all rail transitions and paths crosses between Korntal and Heimerdingen were either saved or canceled by a light signal system. Thus, the once characteristic whistling at crossings is only going to hear between Heimerdingen and Weissach.
2012, eight new RS1 taken with Scharfenberg couplers in operation (owned by the association Strohgäubahn ). The fleet of vehicles is thus composed of four railcars NE81, NE81 four control cars and eight railcars RS1 together.
Freight traffic
In freight transport played in the past wood ( the former Holzverladegleis Bonlanden between Heimerdingen and Weissach ) goods for and by the WLZ Raiffeisen branches along the route, cargo, and at harvest time beet transports the lead role. Many transports were relocated due to the closure rumors on the street.
As late as 1989, a former pre-production diesel locomotive V had 160 of the German Federal Railroad ( " Lollo " ) procured by the Hersfelder circular orbits for the enormous sugar and general cargo transport. When the beet transport then was completely stopped on the track in the 1990s, the freight reached a temporary low point.
During this time, the branches of WLZ were only served at irregular intervals. Some years later, the sludge transport for the company Awilog of Heimerdingen to Korntal began. The goods trains ran on average three times per week with an average of one to three low side car until the service was discontinued in 2001. The loading tracks in Heimerdingen is now locked in the renovation of Strohgäubahn.
A short time later the WLZ traffic was finally - after first Muenchingen and then even after Heimerdingen - set. The connection and Verladegleise the company WLZ were broken or dismantled for the most part. It is worth mentioning that caused for a period of two years by the hurricane Lothar in 1999, broken wood transport from the Black Forest. For this purpose between Weissach and Korntal long wooden trains have been used in some cases even more on the day. Since the WEG NE81 railcars (also in double traction ) were not suitable for this task on a permanent basis, the V122 diesel locomotive of the PATH of the route Gaildorf West Untergröningen was borrowed, and later a diesel locomotive of the DB from Stendal.
Route
The Strohgäubahn Korntal connects the district of Ludwigsburg with Weissach in the district of Böblingen.
The route goes through a for railway construction topographically challenging landscape. The route of is characterized by steep inclines and descents. The deepest point of the route is located in Schwieberdingen station, the highest Rutesheimer at the railroad crossing street in Heimerdingen. The Strohgäubahn runs from Korntal many twists and turns, mainly through fields landscape, from Schwieberdingen it rises on the southern flank of the Glems, from Hemmingen it leads through a wooded area and in Weissach follows a steep gradient.
Operation
The Strohgäubahn has in Weissach a depot ( Bw ), in which the vehicles serviced and repaired the track. The route is single track and provides means of relapse turnout crossing facilities at the stations Hemmingen, Schwieberdingen and Muenchingen.
Monday to Friday is the distance from 05:09 bis 23:49 clock operated. 07:09 on Saturdays from bis 23:49 clock and on Sundays and public holidays from 08:09 bis 22:49 clock In general, the trains then travel only by the initial and Einrückern by and operated for Bahnbetriebswerk only between Hemmingen Korntal, Heimerdingen and Weissach. The core route is predominantly Monday to Friday with two rounds served every half hour crossing in Muenchingen station. Evening from 20:00 and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays all day an hourly service will be offered in one turn. Additionally, upside down on school days in the morning a school train from Weissach to Korntal. In addition, hourly paths available for consumer goods trains.
By December 2012, the trains ran at peak times on Korntal addition to the infrastructure of DB Netz AG ( Württemberg Black Forest Railway and train francs ) to the train station in Stuttgart-Feuerbach. There, the PATH trains ended up on the built especially for that purpose railway siding 1a.
The maximum speed for passenger trains is between Korntal Hemmingen and 60 km / h for freight trains 40 km / h Between Hemmingen Weissach and applies a fundamental speed limit of 40 km / h For the special steam of the Society for the Preservation of rail vehicles applies a top speed of 30 km / h
The steepest sections of the track are a gradient of 1:59 from Muenchingen after Schwieberdingen, from 1:68 of Heimerdingen to Hemmingen and 1:62 of Heimerdingen to Weissach.
The Strohgäubahn subject to the fare rules of traffic and Tariff Association Stuttgart. It is mainly used by commuters towards Stuttgart and students attending schools in Korntal or Stuttgart. Around 3,000 people are transported every day.
Future
Having discussed several times about a closure of the route, it is since 2004 - mainly during school holidays - partially renovated. In 2004, 98 -year-old Glems bridge was replaced by a new building made of reinforced concrete.
The whole section between Schwieberdingen and Hemmingen was completely due to renewed as verschlämmter gravel led to problems. In many sections, new rails were installed on Y- steel sleepers.
Muenchingen lowered to the underpass under the A81 the tracks to be prepared for an eventual electrification, as was studied simultaneously in one commissioned by the Verband Region Stuttgart study whether a recording of Strohgäubahn - In the year 2005, the renovation of the section Korntal the route network of the Stuttgart trams AG by binding to the old Filderbahn until after Filderstadt is economically sensible. In this case, two-system railcars of the DT would have been 8 purchased, which could also operate on the routes of the DB. It would have been a case redevelopment of the vehicle, as there are no comparable vehicle that is suitable for Stuttgart conditions. Another problem would be the low vehicle width of 2.65 m of the DT 8, which would have led to too large a gap at the S -Bahn platforms. In addition, the DT can only hold 8 to high platforms, which should have appeared on the Strohgäubahn to hold all need to be built. Again, the large platform to the column at high platforms according to EBO would have been problematic. The new opera crossing point for light rail would have been on Feuerbach station. The entire track systems Strohgäubahn would then have to be electrified at 15 kV AC.
In September 2006, the result of the feasibility study was presented: A dual-voltage light rail expansion of Strohgäu and Filderstadt tracks is not useful, because the Stuttgart region thus already already has two high-speed rail systems and a sufficient rail link.
In the spring of 2007, a further report "Development Strohgäubahn, Optimized engine operation ", commissioned by the district of Ludwigsburg, published. Here, the operation were compared on different sections for further engine operation. This report should provide the basis for substantial investment in the track and in new vehicles and for the conclusion of a long-term operating agreement with the current operator, the Württemberg Railway Company.
We have developed and evaluated three variants with different endpoints in Strohgäu:
- Min variant: Hemmingen - Korntal - Feuerbach
- Basic variant: Heimerdingen - Korntal - Feuerbach
- Max Variant: Weissach - Korntal - Feuerbach
The By binding to Feuerbach had a high cost, which faced no corresponding passenger at stimulating. In addition, the operational difficulties would persist, resulting from the common use of the S- Bahn tracks between Korntal and Feuerbach, to the detriment of the timetable stability of Strohgäubahn.
Subsequently, a version with endpoint in Korntal was examined, the so-called non- variant ( " Branch Line variant "). It turned out that even with an optimized operation between Heimerdingen and Korntal significant passenger growth can be achieved. Therefore, the report recommended considering verkehrlicher, operational and economic aspects of the NE variant.
The council Ludwigsburg and local councils neighboring communities then decided in separate sessions in the summer, that the NE variant is to be implemented and the mayors signed on 16 December 2009 an investment agreement. On 14 December 2009 a special purpose association Strohgäubahn was founded by the municipalities Ditzingen, Korntal Hemmingen Schwieberdingen. He is responsible as the authority for the traffic of the web. He bought the PATH from the distance between Korntal and Heimerdingen for 320,000 euros, but was given the WALK operations management from December 2012 for twelve years. The section between Heimerdingen Weissach and was acquired by the municipality Weissach to secure the railway infrastructure.
The section Hemmingen - Heimerdingen in 2013 renovated and served in the rail replacement bus service. Between Korntal and Hemmingen been running since December 2012, the new railcars.
Further steps of the investment agreement
First built in Korntal at the western end of the station on the site of the former Lokstation WN a new maintenance workshop. The tenders for this run straight. The site is still owned by WEG, then goes but like the rest of the track in the purpose bandage over. The next step would be to increase the maximum line speed through site adaptations, coupled with the installation of uniform high platforms to train level 960 mm height. These are handicapped accessible.
In Stadler in Berlin eight new vehicles were ordered by the Regio - Shuttle for the purpose of dressing. They were delivered in 2012 and are numbered VT 361-368. These are maintained by WEG and repaired. For the first time on this route, the new vehicles only on a central buffer coupling. Thus, the resulting freight with other vehicles must be settled.
Siemens Sicas for non -federal railways
1995 and 1996, the block system was set up on the Strohgäubahn. For this, given all stations exit signals of the type Sica, a realized with a safe programmable logic controller Electronic Interlocking. The control center was moved from Weissach to Hemmingen. There, the train conductor working in the switchboard. There were side of the tracks laid cable channels along the entire route. These were first made of concrete moldings. Meanwhile, high-lying plastic ducts were installed in some places. The Schwieberdingen station was converted to a junction station with off switches. The platform was moved 100 m to the west between the tracks.
The Sica's system is based on a signal system that was developed for urban and metros. The signals are mounted on tubes that are bolted to concrete bases founded. The signal shields have one above the other three signal lanterns in the colors red (top), green ( middle ) and white ( below) are blinded. Including an additional signal is mounted in a housing for the light signal installations of the road respectively.
Exit signal with speed table (40 km / h)
Lantern arrangement Sicas