The Bärschwil gypsum railway (german: Gipsbahn Bärschwil) was a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railway in the Swiss canton of

Solothurn Solothurn ( , ; french: Soleure ; it, Soletta ; rm, ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the Capital (political), capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the n ...

. It existed from 1894 to 1952, carrying

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

from mines in the village of

Bärschwil Bärschwil is a village and municipality in the district of Thierstein in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. History Bärschwil is first mentioned in 1194 as ''Bermeswile''. From the 19th century until 1957, Bärschwil was a source of gyp ...

to that village's former railway station some distance away on the Jura railway line. The mines have now been closed and filled in, but some of the line's route through the village can be identified. Between the village and the station, much of the line's right of way is now occupied by a geologically themed hiking trail, which also crosses the four span metal girder bridge that is the line's main surviving relic.

History

From the 19th century, Bärschwil was a source of

. Initially the gypsum was extracted on the surface, but subsequently using underground mines accessed via

adit An adit (from Latin ''aditus'', entrance) is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, ventilated, and minerals extracted at the lowest convenient level. Adits ...

s. Until 1910, the mine was situated at Gupf, and when that was exhausted a new mine was opened at Kirchacker. At first the gypsum was removed using horse and cart. In 1875, the Jura railway line was opened to the north of the village, and in 1894 the gypsum railway was constructed to link the mines to it. The line was long and of gauge. It had a continuous downhill gradient from the mines to the station, and loaded trains were run down this by gravity. Returning empty trains were hauled up the gradient by horses. The line continued to operate in this manner until 1952, when it was replaced by road transport. The mines closed in 1957.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baerschwil gypsum railway Horse-drawn railways Closed railway lines in Switzerland Transport in the canton of Solothurn 600 mm gauge railways in Switzerland Railway lines opened in 1894 Railway lines closed in 1952