Waldeisenbahn Muskau

The Waldeisenbahn Muskau is a 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) narrow gauge railway connecting Kromlau, Weißwasser and Bad Muskau in Saxony, Germany. It is the longest 600 mm gauge heritage railway in Germany, with a track length of 20 km (12 mi).[2]

Waldeisenbahn Muskau
Muskau forest railway
Steam locomotive-hauled train in April 2017
Overview
Stations12 stations
3 stops
Websitewaldeisenbahn.de
Service
TypeIndustrial railway (until 1978)
Heritage railway
Ridership53.000 (2017)[1]
47.000 (2018)[1]
Technical
Line length20 km (12 mi)
Track gauge600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in)

History
Schwerer Berg observation tower, near the new terminus of the Tonbahn

The first tracks were laid in 1895. Operation began as a horse-drawn railway, with the switch to steam locomotives beginning in 1896.[2]

Tracks and rolling stock were damaged in the Second World War, after which reparations further restricted the operation of the Waldeisenbahn Muskau.[2]

In 1951 the Waldeisenbahn was incorporated into the Reichsbahn.[3] On March 21, 1978 the Minister of Transport ordered the closure of the Waldeisenbahn Muskau, which was followed by an order on March 29 to cease operation by the Cottbus railway directorate (German: Reichsbahndirektion Cottbus).[4]

After 1978 only 10 km (6 mi) of track remained in use between Weißwasser and a brickyard, with occasional special services run by rail enthusiasts.[2] First efforts to preserve the Waldeisenbahn Muskau were made by rail enthusiasts beginning in the 1980s.[5] A construction staff was established by the district of Weißwasser in 1991.[5] The line between Weißwasser and Kromlau reopened in 1992, with tourist services beginning the same year.[5] The line to Bad Muskau was reopened in 1995. In the 1990s many people, as many as 100 simultaneously, were involved in the Waldeisenbahn as part of Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahmen (job creation programs).[5]

The Waldeisenbahn Muskau took over the Tonbahn (clay railway) between Weißwasser and the Mühlrose clay pit in 2010.[5] Operations on the Tonbahn ceased in 2014 due to the expansion of the Tagebau Nochten open pit mine.[6] A new 3.5 km (2 mi) alignment of the Tonbahn was inaugurated in April 2017,[7] with the former alignment being dismantled to make way for the open pit mine. The new terminus is located near the Schwerer Berg observation tower.[5]

A new maintenance workshop was inaugurated in 2019,[8] eliminating the need to transport the locomotives to maintenance companies with lowboy trailers.[6]

Network

At its peak, the network had a length of over 80 km (50 mi).[2] Most of the tracks were removed following the closure of the network in 1978.[6] The rebuilt network between Kromlau, Weißwasser and Bad Muskau has a length of 20 km (12 mi).[2] As of October 2018, it has 12 stations and three stops.[5]

Rolling stock

Until its closure in 1978, the Waldeisenbahn was only operated as an industrial railway, with the fleet consisting of multiple steam locomotives, diesel locomotives for shunting, and over 550 railway cars in total.[2] Some of the original rolling stock is still used for heritage operation. Other rolling stock has been acquired from pit railways and Feldbahn systems. The current fleet consists of steam locomotives, 31 diesel locomotives, passenger cars and freight cars.[2]

Heeresfeldbahnlokomotive HF 2257 from the Cottbuser Parkeisenbahn was used on a special event for railfans on October 12 and 13, 2019.[9]

  • 99 3317
  • 99 3462
  • Kö 0451
  • Kö 0472
  • Type 05 freight car for brick transport
  • Passenger cars

References
  1. Weiß, Regina (January 23, 2019). "Die Waldeisenbahn steuert ein großes Jubiläum an" [The Waldeisenbahn is heading for a big anniversary]. Lausitzer Rundschau (in German). Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  2. Mayer-Hagmann, Susanne (March 14, 2014). "Oberlausitzer Impressionen – Die Waldeisenbahn von Bad Muskau" [Upper Lusatian impressions – The forest railway of Bad Muskau]. Eisenbahn-Romantik. Episode 812 (in German). ARD. SWR Fernsehen. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  3. "Eisenbahnromantik erleben" [Experience railway romance]. Bautzener Bote (in German). April 29, 2016. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  4. Nitsche, Gabi (March 27, 2018). "In manchem Abschied steckt ein Neubeginn" [There is a new beginning in some goodbyes]. Lausitzer Rundschau (in German). Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  5. Richter-Zippack, Torsten (October 3, 2018). "Erfolgsgeschichte Waldeisenbahn" [Success story Waldeisenbahn]. Lausitzer Rundschau (in German). Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  6. "Zügig durch die Lausitz" [Briskly through Lusatia]. Auf schmaler Spur (in German). December 25, 2019. ARD. Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  7. Kunoth, Knut-Michael; Lichnok, Heiko (April 13, 2017). Freie Fahrt zum Schweren Berg in Weißwasser [The line is clear to the Schwerer Berg in Weißwasser] (Radio broadcast) (in German). Radio Lausitz. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  8. Köhler, Wolfgang (August 15, 2019). "Der Winterbetrieb kann nun kommen" [Winter operation can come now]. Lausitzer Rundschau (in German). Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  9. van Sten, Ad (November 12, 2019). "Ein Gast auf der Waldeisenbahn Muskau" [A guest at the Waldeisenbahn Muskau]. lok-report.de (in German). Lokomotive Fachbuchhandlung. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.

Further reading
  • Tischer, Friedemann (2003). Die Muskauer Waldeisenbahn [The Muskau forest railway] (in German). Verlag Kenning. ISBN 3-933613-63-9.
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