Hof–Bad Steben railway

The railway yard Bad Steben is a branch line in Bavaria. It leads from the courtyard by the Franconian Forest to the Bavarian Bad Steben. The railway line was opened in two sections 1887-1898.

History

The railway yard Bad Steben was built by the Bavarian State Railways. Was legal basis for the construction of the Bavarian Local Railway Act of 21 April 1884. The track was the fourth railway track in Bavaria, which was built by the then new law. Six years after the opening section by Marxgrün a syndicate was formed which advocated a possible continuation of the railway line from Bad Steben after Geroldsgrün and connection to the railway line Kronach - Nordhalben. However, only the expansion was approved to Bad Steben. In subsequent years, three other branch lines were opened, which branched off from the Hof -Bad Steben. On January 11, 1914, there were at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Bad Steben with the participation of the communities Thierenbach Geroldsgrün, Dürrenwaid and Bad Steben a briefing on the new extension of the line to Geroldsgrün. Particularly Bad Steben hoped to gain advantages for the spa. Due to the First World War, the project was discontinued. Only after the First World War, a new interest group was founded in 1928, in which communities Dürrenwaid, Geroldsgrün, Lichtenberg, Steinbach, Thierenbach Heinersberg and Wolfersgrün were involved, and the towns of Hof and Kronach. Be involved in the community beyond the transport association yard. Unlike before the First World War this community saw a different routing on the town Bobengrün before, continue on Steinbach, Geroldsgrün with connection in Dürrenwaid on the railway line Kronach - Nordhalben. On the part of the town of Bad Steben and Langenbach, who also sought a connection to the railway line, was not supported this community of interests. The route that was in question, was in 1923 set by the Reichsbahn Nuremberg with the local conditions.

The necessity of the connection of a new line at Marxgrün was justified from an economic point of view by resident companies and by the winter conditions that would not allow truck traffic. On the part of the marble quarry in Bobengrün was the track welcomes, for the transport of Marx Green marble blocks to the next station after Marxgrün each lasted about an hour, for which 14 oxen were needed. The AW Faber (now Faber -Castell ) had strong competition from Nuremberg with better transport links, as well as three other companies from the area around Dürrenwaid complained about the poor transport links and the large and costly detour of the transports to the east. The paper mill in Blankenstein had to re capable of approaching create the timber through detours from the Franconian Forest. On August 23, 1931, gave to the turn in place Geroldsgrün a human assembly which called for a construction of this railway line. However, the Ministry of Transport rejected the construction of this link from definitive, because the overcoming of the watershed of the Saale and Main at Gerlas, west of Bobengrün, would have been too costly and due to the global economic crisis, a large number of similar rail projects were finally discarded. In 1994, the freight has been set on the track. Passenger trains continued.

On the route earlier following locomotives and trains were used:

• Steam locomotives (BR 186, 64, 700, 86, 913-18, 984-5, 988 )
• Diesel locomotives (BR 211, 217, 218, 220, 232)
• Small locomotives (BR 332)
• Railbuses (BR 798/998 )
• Railcars ( BR 614/914, 628, 612)

Description of the route and stations

The branch line to Bad Steben branches in Hof Main Station from the main Nuremberg- Dresden. Immediately after the historic signal box 8 it goes steeply uphill to the farm -Neuhof rail station in Hofer district. This station is remotely controlled from the signal box at the main station and is equipped with light signals. Many of the former railway sidings available for factories and warehouses can be found there yet.

After Hof -Neuhof the route continues to increase and passes the abandoned breakpoint in Hofer district Vogelherdhöhle, then it goes downhill in the community Köditz. This former station had earlier simplified branch line signals that accounted for the conversion to the current operating philosophy as well as the siding. After Köditz it comes right back uphill to the required maintenance after Stegenwald house where the track reaches its highest point. There was formerly a railway station with crossing tracks, signals and sidings for the local stone industry, but these were dismantled. Down the Selbitztal; passing the required maintenance Rothenbürg and the disused railway siding of the stone work Jahreiß the railway line reached the place Selbitz.

The train station in Selbitz is the only interchange station for the trains on since 9 December 2007 at the approximate hour ( alternating 53-67 minute intervals ) served route. It is located approximately midway between yard and Bad Steben and was equipped by 2007 with wing or semaphores, mechanical signal box. After the change of the route technically supported Zugleitbetrieb the train crossings are handled without ( mehrbegriffige ) signals with off switches. Instead of Entry Signals trapezoidal panels are erected. The consent to the exit is shown with a blue flashing light, which is not a signal in terms of signal fine but. Previously culminated as the secondary path from the top of Selbitztal looking stone, helmet Brecht and Munchberg a ( an old stone bridge and the spacious grounds of the station remember ). At the exit in the direction of Naila the distance crossed by the end of the 20th century with a railroad crossing State Road 173 through the construction of a ring road for the highway, this transition has lost in importance.

The route is mostly flat with a slight after Selbitz waste until the breakpoint is reached Naila. There branched a branch line to Schwarzenbach from the forest. The narrow incision for the branch line can be seen in the station entrance from the direction Selbitz yet. The Naila station housed the railroad board for the route and its branch lines. From Naila the route follows the Selbitztal to the end of its first phase of construction in Marxgrün. After Naila station it happened in the pond frog Green Park. On Sundays in summer it is often there to interesting encounters the "big" railroad with the "small" park train Frog Green, a public garden railway, which circles the pond.

The railway reached in Selbitztal the needs breakpoint Oberklingensporn at the LIBA Maschinenfabrik and leaves a sewage treatment plant on the left. Immediately after the bridge Selbitz the state road Naila Bad Steben is crossed by a railway crossing. It follows the Marxgrün station. In Naila district Marxgrün the first phase of construction in 1887 the route ends. Only there is a breakpoint with bus shelters on the large grounds of the station. The station building with interlocking attachment is verkauftund will be converted to apartment complex used. The two railway houses are rented, all railway lines to the narrow stretch performance are degraded. Opposite the station building still stands the idyllic two standing roundhouse with mounting for workshop and water storage. The roundhouse has for years been left to decay. From 1901 onwards chain in Marxgrün the Höllentalbahn from Thuringia by the railway line to Bad Steben.

The Höllentalbahn continued to follow the Selbitztal, while the way to Bad Steben leads steeply uphill and ends in the valley of the Stebenbaches. On the left, the remains of the hard stone work can be seen Störrle to the leading two sidings to 2007, but these were removed in the demolition of the Altwerkes. Shortly after the breakpoint Höllentalbahn the route reaches the Stebenbach and follows him through the car-free valley to the end point, the station of the Bavarian spa town Bad Steben.

For the 27 -kilometer route the train takes 44 minutes. This corresponds to an average speed of almost 37 km / h The highest approved on the railway line speed is 60 km / h

Operation

From December 1992 the operation was ensured by the wayside mainly with railcar DB - 628 series, but there were also occasional series vehicles 610 ( school train in the timetable year 2007), 612 ( school train in the timetable in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 and occasional services in the morning and evening, also occasionally substitute the way) and 614 ( to about 2006) are used.

Since the acquisition by the company agilis 12 June 2011, at DMUs of type Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 on the track.

Future

The cities and municipalities on the railway line hope that through the expansion of the stops on the route, in particular the construction of the same height platforms, so that disabled people can use public transport on rails.

In the period from August 20 to September 12, 2012, the section Selbitz -Bad Steben was served in the rail replacement bus service. The reason was the reconstruction of the station Selbitz, in which the two previous platforms were removed and replaced by a central platform with disabled access height of Agilis railcars used.