Haßfurt–Hofheim railway
Encyclopedia
The Haßfurt–Hofheim railway was a single-tracked branch line in the Bavarian
province of Lower Franconia
in southern Germany. It was a good 15 kilometres long and ran from Haßfurt
to Hofheim. In the local dialect the line was also known as the Hofheimerle. The railway was closed in 1995. The dismantling of the line was completed in 1997.
. But not until 40 years later, on 15 March 1892, was the 15.5 kilometre long Sekundärbahn ('secondary line') to Hofheim opened by the Royal Bavarian State Railways
. The basis for the route was a state treaty between the Kingdom of Bavaria
and the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who guaranteed funding from the Saxon enclave of Königsberg as well as agreeing the route through its territory. As a result the line was not built directly from Haßfurt to Hofheim along the river Nassach, but a more costly route, involving a diversion via Königsberg, was chosen. In 1965 the halt of Haßfurt-Gymnasium was built for the new grammar school there and for many years it provided a large number of passengers. On 24 September 1994 goods traffic ceased and on 31 July 1995 passenger services were also withdrawn. On 1 December 1995 the line was finally closed; it was dismantled by January 1997. The former station building at Hofheim now houses a small museum about the history of the railway.
and, later, DRG Class 98.11
steam locomotives were used, amongst others. From December 1959 the Uerdingen railbus
es were in regular passenger service. In 1976 there were eight pairs of trains on workdays, which had a journey time of about 24 minutes. For goods traffic, the DRG Class 86
was employed as well as diesel locomotives of DB classes V 100
and V 80
.
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
province of Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany ....
in southern Germany. It was a good 15 kilometres long and ran from Haßfurt
Haßfurt
Haßfurt is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the Haßberge district. It is situated on the river Main, 20 km east of Schweinfurt and 30 km northwest of Bamberg. In 1852, Ludwig's Western Railway reached the town and between 1892 and 1995 it also had a branch line to Hofheim...
to Hofheim. In the local dialect the line was also known as the Hofheimerle. The railway was closed in 1995. The dismantling of the line was completed in 1997.
History
On 1 August 1852 the railway arrived at Haßfurt with the establishment of Ludwig's Western RailwayLudwig's Western Railway
Ludwig's Western Railway is a German railway line that was originally funded by the Kingdom of Bavaria. It runs from Bamberg via Würzburg to Aschaffenburg and on into the former 'Kurhessian' Hanau.- History :...
. But not until 40 years later, on 15 March 1892, was the 15.5 kilometre long Sekundärbahn ('secondary line') to Hofheim opened by the Royal Bavarian State Railways
Royal Bavarian State Railways
As a nation-state, Germany did not come into being until the creation of the German Empire in 1871 from the various German-speaking states such as Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden and Württemberg. By then each of the major states had formed its own state railway and these continued to remain...
. The basis for the route was a state treaty between the Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
and the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who guaranteed funding from the Saxon enclave of Königsberg as well as agreeing the route through its territory. As a result the line was not built directly from Haßfurt to Hofheim along the river Nassach, but a more costly route, involving a diversion via Königsberg, was chosen. In 1965 the halt of Haßfurt-Gymnasium was built for the new grammar school there and for many years it provided a large number of passengers. On 24 September 1994 goods traffic ceased and on 31 July 1995 passenger services were also withdrawn. On 1 December 1995 the line was finally closed; it was dismantled by January 1997. The former station building at Hofheim now houses a small museum about the history of the railway.
Traffic
To begin with two pairs of passenger trains worked the line daily. DRG Class 98.10DRG Class 98.10
The locomotives of DRG Class 98.10 were superheated steam locomotives with the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft....
and, later, DRG Class 98.11
DRG Class 98.11
The Class 98.11 steam locomotives of the Deutsche Reichsbahn were rebuilds of the Bavarian Class GtL 4/4 .Because the riding qualities of the Class 98.10 were still not good enough to raise the speed of branch line trains in Bavaria significantly, the Reichsbahn decided in 1934 to rebuild a Class...
steam locomotives were used, amongst others. From December 1959 the Uerdingen railbus
Uerdingen railbus
The Uerdingen railbus is the common term for the multiple units which were developed by the German firm of Waggonfabrik Uerdingen for the Deutsche Bundesbahn and private railways after the Second World War. These vehicles were diesel-powered, twin-axle railbuses of light construction...
es were in regular passenger service. In 1976 there were eight pairs of trains on workdays, which had a journey time of about 24 minutes. For goods traffic, the DRG Class 86
DRG Class 86
The DRG Class 86 was a standard goods train tank locomotive with the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft. It was intended for duties on branch lines and was delivered by almost all the locomotive building firms working for the Reichsbahn...
was employed as well as diesel locomotives of DB classes V 100
DB Class V 100
These DB Class V 100 diesel locomotives were produced in the late 1950s by the Deutsche Bundesbahn for non-electrified branch lines as a replacement for steam locomotives...
and V 80
DB Class V 80
The Class V 80 is a type of German diesel locomotive operated by theDeutsche Bundesbahn, that was redesignated as Class 280 from 1968.- History :...
.
Sources
- Andreas Kuhfahl: Nebenbahnen in Unterfranken . Eisenbahn-Fachbuchverlag Neustadt/Coburg, 2003. ISBN 3-9805967-9-6
External links
- Hofheimerle at loka.lokalbahn-modelle.de
- Hofheimerle at www.hofheimerle.de
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany