Dresdner Parkeisenbahn
Encyclopedia
The Dresdner Parkeisenbahn (Dresden park railway) is a minimum gauge railway
in Dresden
, Germany
. The line opened in 1950 and has previously been known as the Kindereisenbahn and the Pioniereisenbahn. As these names suggest, the line is largely operated by children, and is a survivor of the many children's railway
s that were built in the former Eastern Bloc
countries.
, a large city centre park, from April to October. It is some 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) long and attracts approximately 250 000 visitors every year.
The line starts from An der Gläsernen Manufaktur station, which takes its name from the adjacent Gläserne Manufaktur
, an iconic Volkswagen
car factory. From here to Zoo station the line is double track, and served by trains in both directions. Zoo station takes its name from the nearby Dresden Zoo
and is the headquarters of the line, with locomotive and car sheds. Beyond Zoo station, trains normally operate on a one-way single track loop via stations at Carolasee, Karcherallee and Palaisteich, before returning to Zoo station. A shorter loop is also available that omits Karcherallee station, but this is rarely used.
There are four locomotive
s belonging to the park railway. Of these, two are nearly identical steam locomotive
s built in 1925 with numbers 001 (Lisa) and 003 (Moritz). There are also two battery electric locomotives with EA01 built in 1962 and EA02 built in 1982. The locomotives haul 35 passenger cars and a number of ancillary vehicles.
Trains are run by a team of, in 2009, 165 children together with four full-time adult employees and some 50 seasonal and part-time staff. During the winter months, the children are trained in their tasks for the forthcoming summer.
.
Also in 1951 the track was extended to 4.4 kilometres (2.7 mi) running from Zoo via Carolasee and Palaisteich back to Zoo. Later in the same year the station Karcherallee was opened and the line reached its final length of 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi). In 1968 the track between Zoo and Fučíkplatz was doubled.
In 1990, after German reunification
, the railway was renamed as the Parkeisenbahn. In 1993, ownership of the line was transferred to the state of Saxony
. In 2000, the construction of the new Gläserne Manufaktur meant that the station at Straßburger Platz had to be relocated. The new station was opened in 2000, and subsequently renamed An der Gläsernen Manufaktur.
Minimum gauge railway
Minimum gauge railways have a gauge of less than or , most commonly , , or . The notion of minimum gauge railways was originally developed by estate railways and by the French company of Decauville for industrial railways....
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The line opened in 1950 and has previously been known as the Kindereisenbahn and the Pioniereisenbahn. As these names suggest, the line is largely operated by children, and is a survivor of the many children's railway
Children's railway
A children's railway is an extracurricular educational institution, where teenagers learn railway professions. This phenomenon originated in the USSR and was greatly developed in Soviet times. The world's first children's railway was opened Moscow, in Gorky Park in 1932...
s that were built in the former Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
countries.
Operation
The railway operates within the Großer GartenGroßer Garten
The Großer Garten is a baroque style park in Dresden. It is oblong in shape and covers an area of about 2 km² in a central location of the city. Established in 1676, it has been a public garden since 1814. Pathways and avenues are arranged symmetrically throughout its area...
, a large city centre park, from April to October. It is some 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) long and attracts approximately 250 000 visitors every year.
The line starts from An der Gläsernen Manufaktur station, which takes its name from the adjacent Gläserne Manufaktur
Transparent Factory
Transparent Factory is the English name of an automobile production plant owned by German carmaker Volkswagen, designed by architect Gunter Henn, and opened in 2002. The original German name is Gläserne Manufaktur...
, an iconic Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
car factory. From here to Zoo station the line is double track, and served by trains in both directions. Zoo station takes its name from the nearby Dresden Zoo
Dresden Zoo
Dresden Zoo, or Zoo Dresden, is a zoo situated in the city of Dresden in Germany. It was opened in 1861, making it Germany's fourth oldest zoo. It was originally designed by Peter Joseph Lenné....
and is the headquarters of the line, with locomotive and car sheds. Beyond Zoo station, trains normally operate on a one-way single track loop via stations at Carolasee, Karcherallee and Palaisteich, before returning to Zoo station. A shorter loop is also available that omits Karcherallee station, but this is rarely used.
There are four locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s belonging to the park railway. Of these, two are nearly identical steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s built in 1925 with numbers 001 (Lisa) and 003 (Moritz). There are also two battery electric locomotives with EA01 built in 1962 and EA02 built in 1982. The locomotives haul 35 passenger cars and a number of ancillary vehicles.
Trains are run by a team of, in 2009, 165 children together with four full-time adult employees and some 50 seasonal and part-time staff. During the winter months, the children are trained in their tasks for the forthcoming summer.
History
The Parkeisenbahn was founded in 1950 as the Kindereisenbahn with only one track of 1.3 kilometre (0.807784557644749 mi) between Zoo and the former Stübelplatz (later known as Fučíkplatz and Straßburger Platz). This railway was planned to only last for one year, but it was kept and renamed the Pioniereisenbahn in 1951. The line was owned by Dresden City Council, but operated by the pioneer movementPioneer movement
A pioneer movement is an organization for children operated by a communist party. Typically children enter into the organization in elementary school and continue until adolescence. The adolescents then typically joined the Young Communist League...
.
Also in 1951 the track was extended to 4.4 kilometres (2.7 mi) running from Zoo via Carolasee and Palaisteich back to Zoo. Later in the same year the station Karcherallee was opened and the line reached its final length of 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi). In 1968 the track between Zoo and Fučíkplatz was doubled.
In 1990, after German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, the railway was renamed as the Parkeisenbahn. In 1993, ownership of the line was transferred to the state of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. In 2000, the construction of the new Gläserne Manufaktur meant that the station at Straßburger Platz had to be relocated. The new station was opened in 2000, and subsequently renamed An der Gläsernen Manufaktur.