Wendelstein Rack Railway

On the Wendelstein in the Upper Bavarian Limestone Alps run two cable cars, the original Wendelsteinbahn, an electrically operated, meter gauge rack railway with some Adhäsionsabschnitten, and the Wendelstein cable car. Both are operated by the Wendelsteinbahn GmbH. The cog railway overcomes a difference in altitude of 1217.27 meters. In addition to the Bavarian Zugspitze Railway, the Drachenfels Railway and the cog railway Stuttgart Wendelsteinbahn is one of only four operated cog railways in Germany. It is a listed building.

Concept

The construction of the Wendelstein Railway was the vision of Otto von Steinbeis, an industrialist, who ran next to the forestry and agriculture in the foothills of the Alps logging in Bosnia in a big way and parallel to building up an extensive narrow-gauge railway network. In 1908 he published his plans and on February 4, 1910 Prince Regent Luitpold put his signature on the concession certificate for the construction of the Wendelstein cog railway.

The original 9.95 kilometers long, largely on the eastern flank of the mountain leading Brann castle route has seven tunnels, eight galleries and twelve bridges. At a length of 514m, there is a avalanche control. To maintain operation even in winter, a more complex route along the steep rock walls of the Wildalpjochs and Soins was chosen instead of the topographically little problematic route on the slopes of Mitter and Reindler - pastures.

Construction

Construction began after overcoming various difficulties and resistances March 29, 1910. The construction costs were approximately three million gold marks, which were paid by the builder from its own resources.

Over two years, around 800 workers mainly from Croatia and Italy were among the most difficult conditions in use. Alone for the so-called High Wall, a 127 meter long and 17 meter high dam just before the mountain station, 10,000 cubic meters were installed hewn rock. A total of 35 tons of explosives were used.

On 12 May 1912, the first train drove on the track and the train was inaugurated on May 25. The Wendelsteinbahn is the oldest active cog railway in Bavaria.

Operation

In 1922, a wagon train derailed below the mountain hotels and crashed. More than 30 injured were the result.

For the former total distance and the trip took 75 minutes. With increasing individual traffic 1961, the section between the railway station and the castle Brann in Brann today Talbahnhof Burger district Waching was abandoned because he crossed the main road. In addition, the trip cost to the approximately two-kilometer route friction few minutes travel time, which were used to rationalize operations management. Added to this was that it was not possible to create a large enough parking in Brannenburg. With the task of ' valley section ' but were also related to the connection to the grid of the former German Federal Railroad, but even then arrived only ten percent of passengers, the Wendelsteinbahn by train. The travel time was shortened at a distance of 7.66 kilometers is now on 55 minutes.

In the following years it became clear that a more profitable operation of the train was not possible. Therefore, it was built in 1970 by Bavarian cell Osterhofen the Wendelstein summit the Wendelstein cable car, which should in the long term to replace the cog railway. The attraction of the rack railway for tourism was, however, recognize and maintain their operation.

With the help of the Free State of Bavaria and the neighboring municipalities of the district Rosenheim and the parent company Lechwerke AG the plant for 17 million DM was modernized in 1987. The completion of the work in 1991 was associated with an increase in capacity of nearly 100 percent. The travel time was reduced thanks to two modern two-car to 20 minutes for the ride up and on 30 minutes for the descent. The trains can run since then every half hour. Today at the cog railway still working about 20 employees, but the train continued to rely on compensation.

Energy supply

For railway operation its own hydropower plants were built. The operating company also acts as a regional energy supplier.

Breakpoint Mitteralm

On the High Wall

Bergbahnhof Wendel stone house

Between the last two tunnels