The Oberweißbacher Bergbahn is a German railway in the
Thuringian Highland
The Thuringian Highland, Thuringian Highlands or Thuringian-Vogtlandian Slate MountainsKohl, Horst; Marcinek, Joachim and Nitz, Bernhard (1986). ''Geography of the German Democratic Republic'', VEB Hermann Haack, Gotha, p. 7 ff. . (german: Thüring ...
,
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
. Since 1922 it connects Obstfelderschmiede (
Mellenbach-Glasbach
Mellenbach-Glasbach is a village and a former municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most popul ...
) with the village
Cursdorf
Cursdorf is a municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russ ...
. The train consists of 1.351 km
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
cable railway
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
and a connects to 2.635 km
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
electrified
adhesion railway
An adhesion railway relies on adhesion traction to move the train. Adhesion traction is the friction between the drive wheels and the steel rail. The term "adhesion railway" is used only when it is necessary to distinguish adhesion railways from ...
.
History
Both railways are operationally closely linked. Since January 1982 the Oberweissbacher-Bergbahn is a historical monument. The railway is operated by
Deutsche Bahn AG
The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder.
describes itself as the se ...
and offers about thirty rides every half-hour from 5:30 am to 8:00 pm.
Operation
This funicular is unusual because instead of using two purpose-built passenger vehicles, it only features one. The other vehicle is a flatbed truck that is designed to carry a single standard gauge passenger car, freight wagon or locomotive between the conventional railway systems at the bottom and the top. At the top, both vehicles pull into a passenger halt at
Lichtenhain/Bergbahn
Lichtenhain/Bergbahn is a former municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 December 2008, it is part of Oberweißbach.
History
Lichtenhain/Bergbahn was first mentioned in 1455 and is located on the ancient ...
, but the standard gauge rails on the flatbed car can interface with the standard gauge railway.
At the bottom, there is a turnout that sends the two vehicles into separate termini. The passenger vehicle is directed into a conventional funicular passenger halt, but the flatbed vehicle is directed to interface with a turntable on the Schwartzatalbahn adjacent to Obstfelderschmiede station. In normal day-to-day passenger service, the flatbed vehicle is loaded with a dedicated passenger car carrying the Oberweißbacher Bergbahn branding. Passenger access to this car is provided at the terminus.
[Publication: Bergbahn-Zeiten-eine Reise in Bildern (in German) ]
References
External links
Oberweißbacher Bergbahn official websiteOberweißbacher Bergbahn on the DB-Schwarzatalbahn websiteLichtenhainer Waldeisenbahn
Funicular railways in Germany
Railway lines in Thuringia
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