Passau–Hauzenberg railway

The railway line Passau - ERLAU Hauzenberg is a single-track branch line in Lower Bavaria with a branch ERLAU Wegscheid. This branch is partly designed as a cog railway to the Strub system.

Prehistory

Initial plans for a connection Hauzenbergs and Wegscheids 1895 saw before, to use the railroad track Passau Freyung to fish house and run from there via Büchlberg and Hauzenberg to Wegscheid. Due to the large detour and 130 lost altitude, it was decided against this route. There were the high cost and the low expected traffic volume between Wegscheid and Hauzenberg. This led to new plans along the Danube and through the Erlautal towards Hauzenberg, or from the place Eger further towards Wegscheid. The approval for the construction of this line was granted on 30 June 1900. This was begun in 1903 and completed three years later on 15 November 1904, the opening of the line to Hauzenberg. There were already about half a year ago on April 18, 1904, the first train from Passau to Eger. The branch line ERLAU upper cell was opened on 15 May 1909 the continuation to the then district capital Wegscheid followed on 1 December 1912.

Course description Passau - ERLAU Hauzenberg

From Passau Main Station, the track divides the tracks with the train route between Wels and Passau. Branches after the Passau tunnel and the Empress Elisabeth Bridge over the River Inn in Passau district Voglau the track into a hairpin turn of the main track. On the banks of the Inn River, the rail line runs along the edge of the Passau district Innstadt. Removed from the Rosenau station, the track just before crossing the border to Austria in Achleiten in a curve leading to the Kräutelsteinbrücke from the Inn. This was built from 1900 to 1903 by the company Hellinger and MAN over the Danube. On the left bank of the Danube, the route passes through the work of ZF Passau in Lindau. After the former breakpoint Löwmühle Eger and the route to the north of the track bends to the Wegscheid. The Eger station was thereby equipped despite its function as a separation station of the routes to Hauzenberg and Wegscheid only with a platform track. This hindered the operation and later transfer connections difficult.

With a 34 m long tunnel, the route reaches the breakpoint Schaibing. However, this was about 5 km from the village Schaibing himself away. He served mainly as a transit point for goods from the surrounding villages and as a loading station for the graphite mine Kropfmühl. This was connected via a narrow gauge railway at the breakpoint. The route follows the Erlautal to Kaindl mill and from there the following season creek to Upper Diendorf. Again, the location in the valley breakpoint was from, situated on a hill, the village itself away. Through a funicular here goods were transported to the station. From there the route leads over Knödlsöd the terminus Hauzenberg.

Hauzenberg is 177.7 m above the main train station Passau. Since the track first to Eger runs downstream, almost 250 m in altitude have to be managed from the local train station. This had the route with gradients of Eger to Kaindl mill with 1:50 and will continue until Hauzenberg traced out by 1:40. In addition, the driveways to Kräutelsteinbrücke on a steep slope.

The regular passenger services on this line was the end of September 1970 set. Between Eger and Hauzenberg the freight was discontinued on 1 June 1997. On 31 January 2001, the total traffic was stopped.

Course description ERLAU upper cell Wegscheid

In Eger station the route towards Wegscheid from the main line branches off to Hauzenberg.

In the first section to the upper cell it is flat in the Danube valley. From there to about 300 m above sea level. NN led them on a well-worn 1982 Viaduct slope kingdom towards Wegscheid. From the first kilometer 5.67 3.81 km long gear portion began to kilometer 9.48 at sub- Griesbach. This is at 542.7 m above sea level. NN. In tight curves down to radii of 200 m, and slopes up to 25 parts per thousand, the route is through adhesion portion to Mitter water ( 535.0 m above sea level. NN ). There was a rack section with gradients up to 70 parts per thousand from kilometer 17.29 to 19.67 km route to its final stop Wegscheid at 574.2 meters above sea level. NN. The gear sections were built in the system Strub.

For this line during the planning and construction of steam locomotives were designed and built by Krauss in Munich. These were the Bavarian PtzL 3/4. Before the two steep grades, the locomotive had each put on the end of the train to push it during the ascent. So did the 1924 passage of a passenger train on the 20.1 km stretch from top cell to Wegscheid 125 and 107 minutes and the return journey, in did not have to be implemented, 110 and 86 minutes.

The Oberzeller Viaduct and the Kräutlsteinbrücke had been as well as two smaller bridges blown up in the last days of the war in 1945. The viaduct could again be driven from 21 October 1947. The entire route could go from 13 May 1949 in operation. On this day the Kräutlsteinbrücke was reopened inter alia, by Bishop Simon Konrad Landersdorfer.

The construction of the B 388 and the introduction of buses and trucks, the traffic volume fell by the wayside. 1951 an attempt was made in 1953 to better utilize the Schi-Stra -Bus Company Bussing and the steep section rail buses VT98 901-903 the route. Both vehicles drove there in friction mode. The rail buses were equipped for the steep track use with additional braking devices.

From 1960 rail buses were used in the parallel operation. The German Federal Railroad submitted decommissioning plans. These were rejected by politicians due to cross- country political reasons first. After withdrawal of the last steam locomotive 97 101 on 5 January 1963, rail replacement buses was introduced from January 7, 1963 due to vehicle shortages. An increase of the racks could start 1964 Zahnradschienenbus to be VT97 901 umbeheimatet from Tübingen to Passau and used on the track. On November 22, 1963, took the railcars, where the van and three freight cars were attached, a test drive. As of January 8, 1964, he was accepted for carriage of up to 40 t load in freight transport and the equipped as control car van uphill at the top stood.

After a rockslide between Eger and upper cell on 28 January 1965, the total traffic between Eger and Wegscheid was adjusted. The railcar was umbeheimatet back to Tübingen. The ordered for this route VT 97 907 and 908 came after its completion in 1965 also there. Passenger services ended on this route.

It was not until about five years after the rock fall, on March 31, 1970, freight traffic was resumed after upper cell. The other route to Wegscheid was no traffic and was finally dismantled in the summer of 1975, and converted into a pedestrian and bicycle path .. The official attitude of passenger transport and freight transport ERLAU Wegscheid upper cell Wegscheid was officially on August 1, 1973.

Present and future

After the total traffic had been adjusted to the track in 2001, the track was flooded and impassable a year later in August 2002 flood. In the district of Passau Innstadt, the section had been completely redone shortly before the flood because of a sewer new building. Despite minor renovation needs to be reactivated by DB Netz AG was not tackled.

On 1 March 2007 the route from Passau to Eger to Upper cell from the Federal Railway Authority was shut down.

The Bavarian regional railway ( BRE ), a subsidiary of the German regional rail ( DRE ) leased then on 24 November 2007, the Passau - Hauzenberg and the portion of Eger - top cell in order to protect them from a demo day that there were plans the route convert it into a hiking and biking trail. The BRE wanted to use the line for freight traffic, especially for the granite and graphite transport, on the other hand.

Almost two years later in September 2009 in collaboration with the Friends of local railway Passau Hauzenberg the free section of the Passau - Hauzenberg. In order to obtain more leeway negotiated BRE with DB Netz AG about a purchase the track. Together with the Friends wants to start a similar concept as the reactivation of the Ilztalbahn GmbH in passenger transport. This provides for the combination of tourist railway traffic and bicycle traffic, especially along the Danube cycle path, before.

The planned resumption of freight transport in 2011 could not be performed due to lack of opinion on Kräutelsteinbrücke. These studies were then carried out in spring 2012 and showed that the bridge is in a good condition. The BRE estimated end of 2012 the rehabilitation needs of the Passau - Hauzenberg to half a million euros. As a new date for the start of the train service on the route Passau Eger to Upper cell of May was named in 2013. The planning saw from May to October on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, three pairs of passenger ago. 2014 should then go the remaining distance of Eger to Hauzenberg in operation. Should therefore be promoted also that over this route again freight and regular transport is handled. However, this announcement date passed without recording operation. However, it is hoped, further comprising a recording operation in 2013 [ deprecated] and expects to initially 12,000 passengers per year. This number could rise in the following years up to 50,000.

In January 2013, the BRE tried to finance the rehabilitation needs for both routes of 898,000 euros to secure. Of these, should raise 275,000 euros, BRE, together with the Friends of 299,000 Euros and the other riparian communities 323 700 euro in their view the city of Passau. For the latter, the amount of both the district of Passau and the individual local authorities has been requested. The company has already placed according to their own statements to the beginning of 2013 250.000 Euro in the reactivation of the route. The City Development Committee of the City of Passau leaning end of January 2013 this grant application, having regard to the proportionality of Ilztalbahn, from and referred him back to the fractions. The district committee of the district of Passau refused shortly afterwards from just financial support. A final decision was made by the District Committee on 24 June 2013. He said to a participation of 15,000 euros, if it came to a reactivation. The city Hauzenberg spoke in favor of a participation in the reactivation. The BRE applied for 7.4 km to the city a total funding of € 72,500. This could also be provided by services of city maintenance yard. In its 2013 budget, the city provided for this purpose a total of 20,000 Euros and for the support of the Granite Railway.

The flood in May / June 2013 flushed down the route along the Inn with mud.

Others

• The Passau railway enthusiasts as well as the citizens' initiative patrons Lokalbahn Hauzenberg fight for the preservation of these lines.

• The Wegscheid station was in its appearance in 1955 as a model in scale1: 87 copied by the Passau railway enthusiasts and can be visited in the Passau Hauptbahnhof.