Halberstadt–Blankenburg Railway on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Halberstadt–Blankenburg railway is a non-electrified, single-track railway line, from
Construction for the first section of the Halberstadt-Blankenburg Railway (''Halberstadt-Blankenburger Eisenbahn'', HBE) started on 28 July 1870 and the line was opened on 31 March 1873. A siding to the Blankenburg iron works, which was about 3 km-long, was opened on 12 July 1875.
Since the operation as a main line incurred large operating expenses, the line was reclassified as a branch line in 1877. This allowed, among other things, numerous guards to be saved at
Halberstadt
Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...
via Langenstein and Börnecke
Börnecke is a village in the northern Harz, Harz Foreland in the central German district of Landkreis Harz, Harz in Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1993 it is part of the town Blankenburg (Harz).
Sources
* ''1000 Jahre Börnecke'', Hrsg. Arbeitsgruppe ...
to Blankenburg in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...
. The Rübeland Railway
The Rübeland Railway (, ) is a railway link from Blankenburg via Rübeland and Königshütte to Tanne in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It was built by the Halberstadt-Blankenburg railway (HBE) between 1880 and 1886. The route leng ...
connects to the line at Blankenburg (Harz) station. Until 1968, there was a branch to Derenburg
Derenburg is a town in the Harz (district), district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the Blankenburg am Harz municipality. Its population is 2,466 (2021).
Geography
The settlement is situated in the ...
. The branch line originally ran to Minsleben
Minsleben () is a ''Ortsteil'' (district) of Wernigerode since April 1, 1993.
Geographical position
Minsleben is on the northern edge of the Harz mountains in the plain open to the north. The Holtemme flows past the village. The Minsleben stop ...
.
History
Construction for the first section of the Halberstadt-Blankenburg Railway (''Halberstadt-Blankenburger Eisenbahn'', HBE) started on 28 July 1870 and the line was opened on 31 March 1873. A siding to the Blankenburg iron works, which was about 3 km-long, was opened on 12 July 1875.
Since the operation as a main line incurred large operating expenses, the line was reclassified as a branch line in 1877. This allowed, among other things, numerous guards to be saved at level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...
s.
Operations
Freight operations
Freight traffic operates to the lime works over the Rübeland Railway. Until the power was removed from the Rübeland Railway’s overhead line in 2005, haulage of traffic in Blankenburg was changed fromelectric
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
to Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...
s, mostly of class 232 or class 241. These locomotives then took over the haulage to Halberstadt. To avoid the need to reverse in Blankenburg, a bypass curve exists north of the station.
Passenger services
Passenger services run on the line every hour. After 1989, class 202 locomotives were often used for hauling passenger trains. From 2000, passenger trains from Halberstadt connected with services toElbingerode
Elbingerode is an ''Ortsteil'' of Oberharz am Brocken in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The former town was incorporated into the newly established municipality on 1 January 2010. Its population is 3,101 (2021).
Geogra ...
on the Rübeland Railway, which ended in 2005. There were operated by push-pull trains, hauled by Class 218 diesel locomotives. ''Connex Sachsen Anhalt'', now called Transdev Sachsen-Anhalt
Transdev Sachsen-Anhalt (formerly: ''Veolia Verkehr Sachsen-Anhalt'') is a regional railway company, a subsidiary of Transdev Germany. It provided passenger services on the North Harz network from 2005 to 2018 under the name HEX (''HarzElbeExpres ...
, took over operations in 2005. Alstom Coradia LINT
The Alstom Coradia LINT is an Articulated car, articulated railcar of the Alstom Coradia family manufactured by Alstom since 1999, offered in diesel and hydrogen fuel models.
The acronym ''LINT'' is short for the German ''"leichter innovativer Na ...
diesel multiple units have since been used.
Peculiarity
A special feature of the line is that the tracks of the Halberstädter tramway are crossed twice in Halberstadt.References
Footnotes
Sources
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halberstadt-Blankenburg railway Railway lines in Saxony-Anhalt Railway lines opened in 1873 1873 establishments in Germany Buildings and structures in Harz (district) Transport in the Harz