Zabergäu Railway
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The Zabergäu Railway (Zabergäubahn) was a spur line from the Franconia Railway. It ran for 20.3 km from Lauffen am Neckar to Leonbronn
through an area known as the Zabergäu. Originally built with narrow gauge, it was converted to standard gauge in the 1960s.
opened a narrow-gauge line (width 750 mm) from Lauffen am Neckar to Güglingen
. In April 1901, work began on an extension to Leonbronn which was opened on 18 October of the same year.
However, the small village of Leonbronn was not intended to remain as a terminus. The five villages of Sternenfels, Kürnbach, Oberderdingen, Großvillars and Knittlingen, which lie further to the west, also wanted a rail link which would have joined the Zabergäu to the town of Bretten
. The latter was conveniently situated at the junction of the Württemberg Western Railway
, running from Stuttgart
to Bruchsal
, and the Kraichgau Railway
, which linked Karlsruhe
and Heilbronn
.
However, the Royal Württemberg State Railways concluded that a westerly extension would not prove profitable. Instead, even before the outbreak of World War I
, the Baden State Railways had started work on a standard-gauge branch line from Bretten
to Kürnbach
. However, the Deutsche Reichsbahn
, the post-war successor to the Baden State Railways, had other priorities and the work was accordingly discontinued. Yet a legacy of these original plans survives to this day as the station at Knittlingen
. This was never used as originally intended, but still bears the station name.
The narrow-gauge Zabergäu Railway did not meet modern requirements after World War II
and, as early as 1954, the Deutsche Bundesbahn
(German Federal Railway) introduced a parallel bus service with corresponding reductions to the passenger train timetable. On 20 June 1959, there was a serious accident when a railway bus was hit by a train operated by the Franconia Railway on the level crossing at Lauffen am Neckar. The bus, which was full of passengers, was dragged for 400 m along the track and 45 people lost their lives. In the wake of the Lauffen bus crash
, the villages and local businesses along the route set up the ‘Zabergäu Action Group’. The latter succeeded in having the railway timetable re-established, the track re-laid with standard gauge and the line modernised. The conversion work was carried out in phases between 3 May 1964 and 25 July 1965. These improvements included the removal of many level crossings and resulted in the maximum speed of 25 km/h being increased to 60 km/h. This achieved a reduction in the journey time between the two terminuses from 69 minutes to 35 minutes.
The passenger service was discontinued on 25 July 1986 but goods trains, which carried mainly agricultural freight, continued to run until 25 September 1994. Today there is no longer any track from the station at Lauffen and the route is officially closed.
along the old Zabergäu route was to be re-established by 2011 as part of the Heilbronn tramway network. However, a press report in July 2006 again questioned the financial feasibility of the project. Instead the new ‘Northern Branch’ between Heilbronn and Neckarsulm
would be given priority. The Zabergäu route, which would be known as the ‘Southern Branch’, would probably not be considered until the ‘Northern Branch’ had been completed. Most of the level crossings had meanwhile been asphalted over and would need to be restored. It has now been made quite clear that for reasons of cost there are no immediate plans to continue the tramway along the old railway route.
Leonbronn
Leonbronn is a village in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. From 1971 to 1974, Leonbronn together with Ochsenburg formed the local authority of Burgbronn. The various districts of the latter were incorporated into Zaberfeld on 1 January 1975.The above is a translation based...
through an area known as the Zabergäu. Originally built with narrow gauge, it was converted to standard gauge in the 1960s.
History
On 28 August 1896, the Royal Württemberg State RailwaysRoyal Württemberg State Railways
The Royal Württemberg State Railways were the state railways of the Kingdom of Württemberg between 1843 and 1920...
opened a narrow-gauge line (width 750 mm) from Lauffen am Neckar to Güglingen
Güglingen
Güglingen is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated 18 km southwest of Heilbronn.-Geography:Güglingen is situated in a valley called Zabergäu in the southwest district of Heilbronn....
. In April 1901, work began on an extension to Leonbronn which was opened on 18 October of the same year.
However, the small village of Leonbronn was not intended to remain as a terminus. The five villages of Sternenfels, Kürnbach, Oberderdingen, Großvillars and Knittlingen, which lie further to the west, also wanted a rail link which would have joined the Zabergäu to the town of Bretten
Bretten
Bretten is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route.-Geography:Bretten lies in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn and Stuttgart as corners. It has a population of approximately 28,000. The centre of...
. The latter was conveniently situated at the junction of the Württemberg Western Railway
Württemberg Western Railway
The Western Railway in Württemberg was opened in 1853 and ran from Bietigheim-Bissingen to Bruchsal. It was the first railway link between the states of Württemberg and Baden in Germany and one of the oldest lines in Germany....
, running from Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
to Bruchsal
Bruchsal
Bruchsal is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
, and the Kraichgau Railway
Kraichgau Railway
The Kraichgau Railway is a 64.8 km long railway line in the region of Kraichgau in northwestern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It runs from Karlsruhe via Bretten and Eppingen to Heilbronn and was built in 1880...
, which linked Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
and Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
.
However, the Royal Württemberg State Railways concluded that a westerly extension would not prove profitable. Instead, even before the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Baden State Railways had started work on a standard-gauge branch line from Bretten
Bretten
Bretten is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route.-Geography:Bretten lies in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn and Stuttgart as corners. It has a population of approximately 28,000. The centre of...
to Kürnbach
Kürnbach
Kürnbach is a town in the district of Karlsruhe in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.It was the birthplace of John A. Treutlen, who would immigrate to America and become the first Governor of Georgia after the overthrow of British rule....
. However, the Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
, the post-war successor to the Baden State Railways, had other priorities and the work was accordingly discontinued. Yet a legacy of these original plans survives to this day as the station at Knittlingen
Knittlingen
Knittlingen is a town in the Enz district in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.It lies at the eastern edge of the Kraichgau in the centre of a rectangle that is formed byHeidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, and Stuttgart....
. This was never used as originally intended, but still bears the station name.
The narrow-gauge Zabergäu Railway did not meet modern requirements after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and, as early as 1954, the Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
(German Federal Railway) introduced a parallel bus service with corresponding reductions to the passenger train timetable. On 20 June 1959, there was a serious accident when a railway bus was hit by a train operated by the Franconia Railway on the level crossing at Lauffen am Neckar. The bus, which was full of passengers, was dragged for 400 m along the track and 45 people lost their lives. In the wake of the Lauffen bus crash
Lauffen bus crash
The Lauffen bus crash of 20 June 1959 resulted in the deaths of 45 people. At the time it was the worst accident involving a bus since the end of the Second World War....
, the villages and local businesses along the route set up the ‘Zabergäu Action Group’. The latter succeeded in having the railway timetable re-established, the track re-laid with standard gauge and the line modernised. The conversion work was carried out in phases between 3 May 1964 and 25 July 1965. These improvements included the removal of many level crossings and resulted in the maximum speed of 25 km/h being increased to 60 km/h. This achieved a reduction in the journey time between the two terminuses from 69 minutes to 35 minutes.
The passenger service was discontinued on 25 July 1986 but goods trains, which carried mainly agricultural freight, continued to run until 25 September 1994. Today there is no longer any track from the station at Lauffen and the route is officially closed.
Future plans
According to plans drawn up in 2005, a service between Lauffen am Neckar and ZaberfeldZaberfeld
Zaberfeld is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Zaberfeld lies in the Zabergäu, in the southwestern corner of the Heilbronn district, at the head of the Zaber river.-Neighboring communities:...
along the old Zabergäu route was to be re-established by 2011 as part of the Heilbronn tramway network. However, a press report in July 2006 again questioned the financial feasibility of the project. Instead the new ‘Northern Branch’ between Heilbronn and Neckarsulm
Neckarsulm
Neckarsulm is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near Stuttgart, and part of the district Heilbronn. As of 2004, Neckarsulm had 27,296 inhabitants....
would be given priority. The Zabergäu route, which would be known as the ‘Southern Branch’, would probably not be considered until the ‘Northern Branch’ had been completed. Most of the level crossings had meanwhile been asphalted over and would need to be restored. It has now been made quite clear that for reasons of cost there are no immediate plans to continue the tramway along the old railway route.
External links
- Zabergäubahn on the web site Schmalspur in Baden-Württemberg
- 1944 timetable
