Münchberg–Selbitz railway

The railway line Munchberg - Selbitz leads from Munchberg about Helmbrechts after Selbitz. The section Helmbrechts - Selbitz is now shut down and dismantled. Between Munchberg and Helmbrechts still operate passenger trains.

History

After completion of the work at the Ludwig South-North Railway in 1848 targeted many villages away from the larger cities also on a link in the railway world. Due to have their web Helmbrechtser the initiative of the mayor Heinrich Pohlmann, who sought since 1863 together with other like-minded people around the construction of the railway. After also Münchberger Industrial had used for the new railway line, they took it in 1876 in the list of new connections to be planned as Selbitz train on. After the proposal, however, two years later failed the Bavarian parliament and had been decided against the construction of the line Selbitz helmet Brecht - Munchberg, all hopes were initially buried. All the greater was the surprise when in Munchberg a letter from the resident in Hof railway section arrived in which this question asked to provide an estimate of the expected traffic on the Hof - Naila strain Stream. On January 5, 1883, the municipal council Munchberg replied to this letter, and added immediately to that in terms of trade relations between Munchberg and Selbitz the construction of a local train between the two cities must be considered. Already on 14 January 1883, representatives of all interested in the railway towns met in a look of stone. Among the participants from Munchberg was also the former town clerk Ludwig Zapf, who later campaigned also in an excellent way for the construction of the railway Munchberg cell. Since, according to local railway law of reason to be built railway line had to be provided by the local communities available, it was agreed that the city Helmbrechts 30/40, Wüstenselbitz 8/40 and Munchberg 2/40 of the estimated 40,000 Mark land acquisition costs assumed. In order to relieve the cities that promised local industrialist to take over some of the costs. To give more emphasis to the application of the cities, spoke on 11 June 1883 before representatives of the three communities in Munich. But the result was less enjoyable as the necessary bridge over the Pulschnitz and the extensions in Münchberger station in the eyes of the state government meant costs would be disproportionate to the expected revenue. On 2 August of the same year the city Munchberg reached a letter from the Directorate-General, in which it expressed for the construction of the pipeline, but demanded from the cities, in addition to the land acquisition costs 8500 Mark to participate in the necessary conversion work in Münchberger station to provide additional, order to so participate. This sum brought the communities and finally it has already started 14 days later with the setting-out of the new railway line. The city Helmbrechts applied in early September a change in the route. Endpoint should not be more Helmbrechts but Wüstenselbitz to achieve cheaper freight costs. But you came so anywhere on deaf ears and the Directorate-General in Munich stayed with the originally planned route: The route branched off at the cup mill in the Kulmbach street in Munchberg of the main track, then ran through the Gottersdorfer reason and the larch and should then reach Hildbrandsgrün. In the Bavarian local railway Act of April 21, 1884 next twelve other routes the connection of Munchberg was listed by Helmbrechts. The track was included in the Chamber of Deputies with 110 votes to 29 in the law. In the plans, the railway was specified with the following specifications: Length: 9,73 km, maximum slope 1:45 ( 22.2 ‰), Minimum curve radius: 180 m.

The total cost of the web have now been estimated at 680,000 Mark, what a price per kilometer of 69,800 Mark meant. Municipalities and other interested parties should carry 56,000 marks. But contrary to all promises rested the work on the track, which the Railway Committee in Munchberg prompting to request in a letter to continue. We were assured that the track should be operational no later than 1886. After the groundbreaking ceremony was celebrated on August 19, 1885, the work rested due to the harsh winter, until May 1886, the construction could continue. On November 6th of the same year, the arrival of the first locomotive in Wüstenselbitz was celebrated on November 15, the track was completed to Helmbrechts. After the May 11, 1887 a first test-drive the locomotive Zeil had taken place, the local railway Munchberg helmet Brecht was opened to traffic on 1 June 1887. By rail connection flourished in Helmbrechts on the textile industry. 120 years later, was left almost nothing of the proud Bahnära.

Continuation of the line to Selbitz

After the first success was celebrated, Stone Faced Look again request the Bavarian state parliament for the continuation of the route in the Selbitztal. As had been the construction of the railway 30 years later, on July 26, 1912, approved the First World War nullified all planning. 1923, the railway works were completed, whereby ten stone bridges and a tunnel had become necessary in addition to the normal substructures of the route. This is the only built on a Upper Franconian branch line structure of its kind

Settlement of the driving operation

After the driving operation had been carried out with three pairs of trains in the first half of the year, 1888, five pairs were already in use. 1896 in Helmbrechts the first time a second fixed stationed steam locomotive detectable. In addition, there were two people and four freight cars available. In the following years, only one locomotive was stationed in Helmbrechts again. The number of cars swayed low. After 1923 the breakpoint Weissbach had been abandoned, the new Helmbrechtser station moved 500 meters to the district. In the following years did not do much on the track up in the 50s for the first time railbuses the VT series are 95 employed. The end of the Dampflokära announces itself.

The end of the web

After 1971, the railway operation had been set on the track Munchberg - cell and 1973 the passenger traffic between the case and Gefrees, the passenger traffic on the route Helmbrechts - Selbitz was set on 30 May 1976. The following year, began by looking stone from the track restoration work on the track looking stone Selbitz. The carport cottage in pasture Green had been demolished in May. In October 1981, the DB blew up the remaining bridges. From the former route only testifies to the pasture Green Tunnel, which was, however, now closed from one side. After March 31, 1987 and the local freight had been set, the track deconstruction of looking stone began to Helm Brecht. This chapter Selbitz Valley Railway was closed. The route Munchberg helmet Brecht still exists, however, the former crossing the track ends in Helmbrechts station at a buffer stop. The remaining distance is less than ten kilometers long.

Buildings

Until the 1970s, all of the original buildings of the path were available. So was in Wüstenselbitz next to the station building, a goods shed in brick / half-timbered construction. In Helmbrechts the station building, goods shed and engine shed were two constant. These buildings are now all gone. First, the engine shed in Helmbrechts had to yield to the pickaxe, 1984, the building in Wüstenselbitz. The closure was 1986, the demolition of the old station in Helmbrechts with associated privy. 1924 followed the Look Stone railway station goods shed cultivation. In the same year the new station in Helmbrechts could enter service. He had become necessary because of the route extension and still exists. The stops Volkmann green and green pasture consisted of simple wooden huts, which lasted until 1977.

The Wüstenselbitz Station

The waiting room at the simple stops were identical to the in Reinersreuth

The train station in Helmbrechts

The train station in Check Stone

The former terminus of the route in Selbitz

Used Vehicles

The first driven on the track locomotive was the " Zeil ", a copy of the type D VI. She was followed as feststationierte machine, the D VII " Eschenau " series, which was led until 1920 in the inventory lists of the web. Until that time, she was based in Helmbrechts. The fate of the machine is no longer comprehensible today. The only certainty is that it was used until their retirement under the number 98 7640 on the railways. The Eschenau followed from about 1900 a locomotive of type D XI. In addition to this machine a series GTL is 4/4 stationed in Brecht's helmet from 1924. These machines are probably been out on the track until the Second World War. The last steam locomotives copies of the unit series were 64 and 86 used on the track. In addition, in the 1950 series locomotives 70 go. At the same dive with them on the track for the first time on diesel trains. Copies of the VT 70 and VT 75 series first made ​​their service on the route before 1954 VT -95 railcars were used. These series were replaced in 1974 by the stronger VT 98ern. The locomotive-hauled trains to near since the 60s, a class V 100 also stationed in Munchberg Köf III sometimes took over the service on the local railway. From 1986, drove on the track railcars of Class 614 The regional rail services were to June 2011 provided by the Vogtlandbahn on behalf of Deutsche Bahn with diesel multiple units of Class 642 or RegioSprinter. Now the distance of DMUs of type Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 is traversed by agilis. The current timetable route number 853 is the travel time between Munchberg and Helmbrechts is 15 minutes.