The Kronach–Nordhalben railway also known as the Rodach Valley Railway (''Rodachtalbahn'') in the
in Germany is a
single-tracked branch line from
Kronach
Kronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach.
Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well as ...
via
Steinwiesen
Steinwiesen is a market town and municipality located in the Upper Franconian district of Kronach, in Bavaria, Germany. The town is situated about 100 km slightly east of due north of Nuremberg, and approximately 10 km northeast of Krona ...
to
Nordhalben
Nordhalben is a municipality in the district of Kronach in Bavaria in 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 ...
with a total length (originally) of .
The branch line was opened on 26 July 1900. Passenger services were withdrawn on 30 May 1976, goods continued to be transported until 25 September 1994 to Nordhalben. On 27 May goods services from Höfles–Wallenfels were withdrawn, on 11 August the last goods train ran from the siding of the
Loewe AG
Loewe Technology GmbH (pronounced ) develops, manufactures and sells a wide variety of electronic, electrical and mechanical products and systems, and specialises in the field of consumer and communication technology. The company was founded in Be ...
in Kronach to Höfles. This factory was still connected to the railway network until 1 August 2002, after when all traffic ceased on the line. After the closure of the infrastructure between Kronach and Steinwiesen the tracks were lifted in 2005.
On the remaining eleven kilometres between Steinwiesen and the terminus of Nordhalben the Rodach Valley Railway Society (''Eisenbahnfreunde Rodachtalbahn e. V.'') has operated a
museum railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
since 15 September 2007. The museum train comprises an
Uerdingen railbus
The Uerdingen railbus (German: ''Uerdinger Schienenbus'') 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. Th ...
, no. 798 731, with a driving trailer, no. 998 744. It runs on Sundays and public holidays in summer and autumn.
The
station at Dürrenwaid reopened in 2008. It lies just under four kilometres from the village of the same name in the municipality of
Geroldsgrün
Geroldsgrün is a municipality in the Hof district of Bavaria, Germany.
Geography
Boroughs
* Dürrenwaid
* Dürrenwaiderhammer
* Langenbachtal
* Langenau
* Langenbach
* Lotharheil
* Mühlleiten
* Geroldsgrün
* Geroldsreuth
* Großenreuth
...
and still has the original classic Bavarian ''Haltestelle'' station building, so typical of Bavarian branch lines, which is listed by the Bavarian State Office for Historical Monuments (''Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege'').
Sources
*
External links
*
Website of the ‘’Eisenbahnfreunde Rodachtalbahn e. V.’’1944 timetable (route no. 414x)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kronach-Nordhalben railway
Heritage railways in Germany
Branch lines in Bavaria
Franconian Forest
Standard gauge railways in Germany