Franconian Forest Railway

The Franconian Forest Railway is an electrified, double-track main line of the 1435 mm gauge ( standard gauge ) of Hochstadt - Marktzeuln in Lichtenfels on Kronach to Probstzella. Listed in the timetable of Deutsche Bahn as Route number 840 Lichtenfels- Kronach - Saalfeld, it is part of the main route Munich - Nuremberg - Jena - Halle / Leipzig - Berlin.

The Franconian Forest Railway branches in Hochstadt - Marktzeuln on the Ludwig South - North Railway. With two steep ramps of Pressig - Rothenkirchen and Probstzella to Steinbach am Wald route overcomes the mountain ranges of the Franconian Forest. The ramps have maximum gradients of 29 ‰, the route is considered so that together with the Black Forest Railway as the only two-track mountain railway in Germany.

• 3.1 Highway
• 3.2 transport
• 3.3 freight Transport

Route

The Franconian Forest Railway branches in Hochstadt - Marktzeuln of the Ludwig South-North Railway, which leads from Bamberg via Lichtenfels to Kulmbach by the Main valley, and runs Rodachtal to Kronach. From there it goes into the valley of the Haßlach and follows from Pressig tighter and steeper valley to the watershed between the Rhine and the Elbe in Steinbach am Wald. Here the vertex of the path is reached 594.54 meters above sea level and crosses under the Rennsteig in an incision.

On the left side of the valley immediately the descent to Louis city where the Loquitz reached and the Trogenbach viaduct will run over begins. After the former breakpoint Lauenstein the railway line crosses on the left side of the narrow river valley, the foothills of the Thuringian Slate Mountains to Probstzella. At the border of Bavaria / Thuringia change the route number and end chainage of the Franconian Forest Railway and the secondary route to Saalfeld. In parallel with the railway line runs from Lichtenfels to Kronach the federal highway 173 and Kronach to Probstzella the federal road 85

History

Since 1841 there have been efforts by the operator of coal mines in floor home that lead Ludwig South-North Railway over hill home to the northern border of the Kingdom of Bavaria. After this main track but had been built in the Main valley, the mines continued to search the connection to the railway network. On December 4, 1859 an agreement on the construction of a lease car from Hochstadt - Marktzeuln after stick home was between the royal transport stations, the city Kronach and Baron Theodor von Cramer -Klett, Nuremberg, closed. The opening of the leg Hochstadt - Kronach - Gundelsdorf took place on February 20, 1861, the total distance Hochstadt - Stock Home was opened on 1 March 1863.

Connection to the north ( Loquitztalbahn )

On January 21, 1882 contract to build a railway from the main floor home of Louis the city after Eichicht with connection to the existing routes was closed between Bavaria, Prussia, Saxony -Meiningen and Schwarzburg- Rudolstadt. The stretching on floor Home - Louis city and Eichicht - Probstzella were put into operation on August 8, 1885 Closing the gap between Louis city and Probstzella followed on October 1, 1885 The short section between the countries border at Falkenstein and Probstzella leased and entertained the Royal Bavarian State. railways.

The track had originally only one track, but the subgrade for a two-pronged expansion was created. The operational procedure with Zugteilungen and many Lokleerfahrten the sliding locomotives on the steep route quickly forced the relocation of the second route track. Thus, the two-track operation has already been recorded on the steep ramps between Rothenkirchen and Probstzella on 22 November 1890.

1903 began with the doubling of the total Franconian Forest Railway. Already on May 1, 1905 could be used on the route from Hochstadt to Rothenkirchen the second main track. Subsequent to the Franconian Forest Railway between Probstzella and Saalfeld was completed on 1 May 1914. In 1920, the Lokstation Pressig - Rothenkirchen the operation workshop Lichtenfels, originally only freight locomotives for shunting held up, promoted to a separate depot.

The connection between Lichtenfels and Saalfeld was one of the main north-south routes in Germany together with the adjoining Hall train. Between 1936 and 1939 operated on her, among other things, the remote high-speed railcars that connected Berlin with Munich and Stuttgart and have been undercut to Munich with a journey time of six hours and 40 minutes 70 years later by the Intercity Express trains.

Electrification

In variant studies on the subject to be electrified route in 1934 1935 the planning work has been for the section Nuremberg - completed Halle / Leipzig and started in the same year with the conversion work. 1939 pulled the developed specially for this route Series E 19 the opening gambit from Nuremberg to Saalfeld, 1942 handed the contact wire to finally Leipzig. The depot Pressig - Rothenkirchen received on 18 September 1940 with the E 94 012 for the first time an electric locomotive for use on the Franconian Forest Railway in Probstzella the first E 94 were deployed a year later.

German division

During the German division of the route largely lost in importance. The Reichsbahndirektion Erfurt took over in 1945 by the railway administration Nuremberg the 1.3- kilometer section between the southern entrance signal of Probstzella and the zone boundary. On the whole northern port range in the Soviet occupation zone in 1946, the second track and the complete electrification were dismantled as reparations. The 1.7 km long section between Probstzella and the inner German border in 1950 was electrified again from the railway department Nuremberg after the necessary materials were provided, so that over the ramps a continuous electrical traction was possible again. This route was the only cross-border electrified railway line during the division of Germany. By 1949, took place between Hochstadt - Marktzeuln and Foertsch village and Louis city and block location Falkenstein dismantling the single-track main line. In 1965, the breakpoints were abandoned in Lauenstein and Falkenstein and dissolved the depot Pressig - Rothenkirchen on 1 September 1968. As the only passenger trains crossed the long-running Interzone trains and transit trains to Berlin the border. After 1972, a small border traffic was also established. Border controls were held in Louis city and Probstzella. The border station Probstzella remained the last German - German border station preserved in its buildings before it was demolished in late 2008.

Development since 1990

After the German reunification, the Route number 840 was initially a major overhaul, going through two tracks with the new, usually track distance of four meters (previously 3.5 meters) expanded and newly electrified. In addition, the path for the use of active systems has been upgraded and the driving time shortened by about 20 minutes. In 1992, the breakpoint in Oberlangenstadt was abandoned. In passenger transport since the year 2000 ICE trains run from Munich to Berlin, at first in a two -hour intervals, since December 2000 every hour. Between Steinbach am Wald and the border Bavaria / Thuringia, specifically between 40.7 and 52.9 km, the distance can be due to numerous close arcs only drive at 70 km / h with tilting technology in sections 80 to 110 km / h Other structural measures to increase the line speed are not provided because of the long distance to be moved in the future primarily on the high-speed line Nuremberg -Erfurt.

In mid-2001, the IC train pair 812/813 (Berlin - Munich), which sailed the route on Friday and Saturday, is set.

The train station in Kronach at kilometer 15.44

The breakpoint in Gundelsdorf

The former border station in Probstzella

Trains in 2012

Long-distance traffic

In long-distance transport services, ICE T ( 411 series ) about every hour as ICE trains from Munich - Nuremberg - Leipzig / Halle - Berlin ( - Hamburg ), where only every second, circulating via Leipzig train pair in Lichtenfels and Saalfeld holds. Until the timetable change in 2007 operated on the route daily intercity and to 2002 inter-regional trains that stopped in Lichtenfels, Kronach and Saalfeld. Since December 2010, however, wrong again intercity train pair, which was placed in the position of a clock ICE Zugpaares and is covered in the sandwich composite with the 101 series.

Transport

On the route to operate until the timetable change in December 2011 at two- hour intervals regional express trains of the relation Hof - Saalfeld. Between Lichtenfels and Kronach wrong every hour alternately regional trains of the relations (Nuremberg - ) Lichtenfels - Kronach and Lichtenfels - Saalfeld - Naumburg, where in the period ending in Kronach regional trains always connecting to the Regional Express to Saalfeld or in Kronach by the Regional Express to court connection existed at the regional train to Lichtenfels. In section Kronach - Saalfeld, there was only so a two hour circulating regional train connection from Lichtenfels to Naumburg.

Since the timetable change in December 2011, two hourly regional express trains on the relation ( Bayreuth - ) used Jena, and between Lichtenfels and Saalfeld only in Kronach, Stock Home, Pressig - Rothenkirchen, Steinbach am Wald, Louis city, Probstzella - Lichtenfels - Saalfeld Kaulsdorf hold. Between Bamberg and Saalfeld regional trains every two hours, which are compressed to Kronach to an approximate hourly.

The regional trains Bamberg - Bamberg and Kronach - Saalfeld are almost always covered with locomotives of the series 111 and so-called n- cars. On the journeys of the Regional-Express connection ( Bayreuth - ) Lichtenfels - Saalfeld - Jena Neitec railcars of type 612 are used. Before December 2011 concerned in the transport mostly former DR locomotives of today's DB Class 143 service. On the through -bound local train connection ( Nuremberg - ) Lichtenfels - Saalfeld - Naumburg were 143er also with bi-level cars on the road.

Freight traffic

When sliding locomotives for freight trains between Pressig - Rothenkirchen and Probstzella usually come locomotives of the series 151, but occasionally the number of 155 is used. As the main leader in freight locomotives come in addition to many of the private railway companies most often the 152 series, but the series 151, 155, 185 and 189 are used. For handover rides the 294 series is used.

Line operation since December 2011:

Trains before 2012

Today, no longer planned series used in passenger and freight transport are:

• Under the steam locomotives the series 03:10, 39.10 and 95, the depot Pressig - Rothenkirchen also called for As of May 15, 1935, the series 44, 57, 91, 96 and 98
• Among the electric locomotives series 103, 118, 119, 120, 140, 141, 143, 144, 150, 155 and 194 In December 1958, the depot Pressig - Rothenkirchen lists in addition to the E 44 and E 94 also the series E 52 and e 91.
• Among the diesel engines, the Series 212 and 365 for the high traffic density mainly takes place at night handover trips and in 1955 stationed in Pressig - Rothenkirchen Ko and Ks, which also took over the passenger train service between stock Home and Burggrub next shunting and transfer services
• Under the EMUs the ICE 1, ET 31 and ET ​​32 and
• Among the DMUs the DR 137 153 ... 234

Accidents

• When railway accident of Louis city derailed freight train on February 18, 1924 for speeding in a construction site after brake failure and crashed by the Trogenbach bridge on residential development. Two people died and four others were injured.
• On the morning of February 9, 1995, a commuter train from Probstzella to Lichtenfels pushed south of the station Pressig - Rothenkirchen along with six wagons which had lost a freight train. In this case, seven people were injured.
• On the night of June 6th 2008 a night train from Vienna to Berlin crashed north of Foertsch village together with a geratenen on the rails tractor. The tractor driver was seriously injured in the train no one was hurt. The track was then closed for several hours.
• On the afternoon of December 12, 2009, there was a chemical spill in Kronacher station. From five parked freight cars came out of a toxic liquid. The track remained for several hours and only one track at reduced speed passable. No one was injured.