The Drachenfels Railway (german: Drachenfelsbahn) is a

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...

line in the

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

region of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The line runs from

Königswinter Königswinter ( ksh, Köningkswinte; Low Franconian: ) is a town and summer resort in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Königswinter is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite Bad Godesberg, at th ...

, on the east bank of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

, to the summit of the Drachenfels mountain at an altitude of . Besides the two terminal stations, an intermediate station serves the

Schloss Drachenburg Schloss Drachenburg or Drachenburg Castle is a private villa styled as a palace and constructed in the late 19th century. It was completed in only two years (1882–84) on the Drachenfels (Siebengebirge), Drachenfels hill in Königswinter, a Germ ...

. The Drachenfels Railway is one of only four rack railways still operational in Germany, along with the

Bavarian Zugspitze Railway The Bavarian Zugspitze Railway (german: Bayerische Zugspitzbahn) is one of four rack railways still working in Germany, along with the Wendelstein Railway, the Drachenfels Railway and the Stuttgart Rack Railway. The metre gauge line runs from G ...

, the

Stuttgart Rack Railway The Stuttgart Rack Railway (German: ''Zahnradbahn Stuttgart'') is an electric rack railway in Stuttgart, Germany. It is the only urban rack railway in Germany, and one of only four rack railways operating in Germany, along with the Bavarian ...

and the

Wendelstein Railway The Wendelstein Rack Railway (german: Wendelsteinbahn), sometimes just referred to as the Wendelstein Railway, is an electrically-driven metre gauge rack railway (with several adhesion sections) that runs up the Wendelstein in the Upper Bavarian ...

Operation

The line is long and is single track. There are two terminal stations, ''Königswinter Drachenfelsbahn'' and ''Drachenfels'', and a single intermediate station, ''Drachenburg'', which also has a passing loop. The line has a

track gauge In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many d ...

of and uses the Riggenbach rack design to overcome a height difference of and a maximum gradient of 20%. The line is electrified, with overhead supply at 750 V DC. The service is operated with a fleet of four four-wheel electric

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...

s, built in

Rastatt Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50,000 (2011). Rastatt was an ...

between 1955 and 1960, plus a fifth identical railcar built by the railway itself in 1979. Although double-ended, the railcars are unusual in that they have doors only on one side, as all platforms are on the same side of the track. They can operate either singly or in pairs. From March to October, trains operate every 30 minutes, with additional trains if the traffic requires it. In November, January and February trains are less frequent, whilst no trains operate in December. The ''Königswinter Drachenfelsbahn'' station lies some from

Königswinter station Königswinter station is a station on the East Rhine Railway (german: Rechte Rheinstrecke) in the city of Königswinter in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a protected as a monument. The station was opened o ...

, on the Rhine East Bank Railway, and from the ''Königswinter Fähre'' stop of line 66 of the

Bonn Stadtbahn The Bonn Stadtbahn ('' en, city rail'') is a part of the local public transit system in Bonn and the surrounding Rhein-Sieg area, that also includes the Bonn Straßenbahn. Although with six actual Stadtbahn lines (as well as three tram lines) the ...

. A steam-outline road train links the Drachenfels Railway with the town centre, railway stations and

promenade.

History

The line opened, with trains propelled by

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s, on July 13, 1883. In 1913 the line was purchased by

Ferdinand Mülhens Ferdinand Mülhens (December 23, 1844 - January 15, 1928) was a land owner and entrepreneur in Königswinter, Germany. Mülhens was born in Cologne. In the 19th century he managed the perfume factory founded by his grandfather Wilhelm Mülhens at ...

, who also owned the

Petersberg Railway The Petersberg Railway, or ''Petersbergbahn'', was a rack railway line in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. The line ran from Königswinter to the summit of the Petersberg mountain, and was built to serve the Hotel Petersberg there. The ...

that linked Königswinter to the

Petersberg Petersberg may refer to: * The Hotel Petersberg near Bonn, the site of the ** Petersberg Agreement, 1949, regarding the international status of West Germany. ** Petersberg tasks, 1992 and 1997, regarding European security cooperation. Also known a ...

mountain peak. Although separately constructed and never physically connected, the two railways used the same track gauge and rack equipment, and were under common management from then until the Petersberg Railway closed in 1958. Rolling stock was occasionally transferred between the two lines. The Drachenfels Railway was converted to electric traction in 1953, with steam trains retained for use in times of peak traffic. On September 14, 1958 the railway suffered a serious accident when a steam train derailed, resulting in 17 deaths and ending the use of steam on the line. One of the line's former steam locomotives is displayed outside the lower station. Between 1998 and 1999, the line's railcars were modernised by SLM. Between 2004 and 2005, the lower station was rebuilt, in conjunction with the city of Königswinter, as a combined railway station, tourist information centre and exhibition centre. Esslingen 4185/1927)"> Drachenfelsbahn No2 (Esslingen 4185-1927) Pila 30-11-2004 Hermann Schmidtendorf.jpg , At Interlok workshop, Pila, Poland, before refurbishment. (30.11.2004) Drachenfelsbahn_No2_(Esslingen_4185-1927)_Koenigswinter_23-6-2008_Hermann_Schmidtendorf.jpg, No. 2 on display at Königswinter lower station (23.06.2008)

References

External links

*
Drachenfelsbahn website

{{Authority control Mountain railways Metre gauge railways in Germany Private railway companies of Germany Drachenfels (Siebengebirge) Railway lines in North Rhine-Westphalia Rack railways in Germany Railway lines opened in 1883