Fischbach Valley Railway

The Fischbach Valley Railway (German: Fischbachtalbahn, KBS 681) is a railway line in the German state of the Saarland that runs from Saarbrücken along the Fischbache, which flows into the Saar in Saarbrücken, to Wemmetsweiler. Since the opening of the Wemmetsweiler curve in 2003, the line branches west to Lebach as the Prims Valley Railway (Primstalbahn) and east to Neunkirchen.

Fischbach Valley Railway
Overview
Native nameFischbachtalbahn
Line number3240
LocaleSaarland, Germany
Service
Route number681
Technical
Line length26.5 km (16.5 mi)
Number of tracks2 (continuous, but not at in
Wemmetsweiler Rathaus station[1])
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius190 m (620 ft)
Electrification15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead
Operating speed100 km/h (62.1 mph) (maximum)
Route map
To Sarreguemines and Kaiserslautern
Saarbrücken–Idar-Oberstein railway
0.0
 Saarbrücken Hbf
Fischbach
To Trier, Metz and Bous (Saar)
Saarbrücken–Trier railway
1.7
 Saarbrücken-Schleifmühle
Fischbach
5.3
 Neuhaus
(closed 1985)
6.8
 Franziskaschacht
9.0
 Fischbach
9.5
 Fischbach-Camphausen
11.2
0.0
 Brefeld
(closed 2005)
1.8
 Maybach colliery
12.7
 Quierschied
2.7
 Göttelborn colliery
0.0
16.4
 Merchweiler
 Merchweiler Tunnel
(2 x 624 m)[2]
Wemmetsweiler–Lebach railway
(Wemmetsweiler curve)
18.2
 Wemmetsweiler
(only a depot since 2006)
18.8
 Wemmetsweiler Rathaus
(since 2006)
 Rathaus Tunnel
(54 m)
22.3
 Schiffweiler
Schlawerie junction
Hermineschacht siding
 B 41
Saarbrücken–Idar-Oberstein line
26.5
 Neunkirchen (Saar) Hbf
(wedge station)
Saarbrücken–Idar-Oberstein railway
Homburg line
Source: German railway atlas[3]

History

Coal mines were developed in the Fischbach in the early 1870s. Collieries were started at Camphausen in 1871, at Brefeld in 1872 and at Maybach in 1873. During the planning phase some consideration was given to the transport of coal. Initially it was planned that the coal mines would be connected with branch lines to the Sulzbach valley. Since the proposal would have required a tunnel through a ridge, this plan was soon dropped. In addition, the line through the Sulzbach valley was already heavily congested. For this reason it was decided in 1866 to build a line from Neunkirchen to Saarbrücken via the Fischbach valley. In 1873, a license was granted to build the line. Loading of coal at Camphausen mine started in February 1879. The line was opened via Brefeld and Wemmetsweiler to Neunkirchen on 15 October 1879. The branch line to the Maybach colliery was opened on 6 April 1881. When the Göttelborn coal mine was sunk in 1887, a branch line was created from Merchweiler to the Göttelborn colliery, which was opened on 1 October 1891.

In 1965, the entire line was electrified. Following the closure of the Göttelborn mine, the Merchweiler–Göttelborn branch line continues to be used to operate to the Weiher power station. Passenger services have, however, long been focused more on Lebach than on Neunkirchen, requiring passenger trains to reverse in Wemmetsweiler station. To avoid this, a connecting curve (the so-called Wemmetsweiler curve) was planned from the 1990s. In 2003, this curve was constructed, connecting to Illingen. Wemmetsweiler station was closed for passengers in 2006 and replaced by Wemmetsweiler Rathaus station, which is closer to central Wemmetsweiler. The bridge of state road L 128 over the line in Wemmetsweiler was replaced during urban redevelopment by a 54 metre long railway tunnel.

Notes
  1. "Bilder der Strecke: 3240 (KBS 681 / KBS 267)" (in German). Tunnelportale. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  2. "line 3240: photos of the portals of Merchweiler tunnels and the Rathaus tunnel" (in German). Tunnelportale. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  3. Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2009. p. 156. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.

References
  • Kurt Hoppstädter (1961). Die Entstehung der Saarländischen Eisenbahnen (in German). 2. Saarbrücken: Saarbrücker Zeitung Verlag und Druckerei GmbH. ISSN 0018-263X (publication of the Instituts für Landeskunde des Saarlandes)
  • Kurt Harrer (1984). Eisenbahnen an der Saar. Eineinhalb Jahrhunderte Eisenbahngeschichte zwischen Technik und Politik (in German). Düsseldorf: Alba Verlag. ISBN 3-87094-210-X.

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