Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach Railway
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach railway is a single-track main line in the Western Palatinate. It runs within the area of the
Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN) is a List of German transport associations, transport association covering parts of the States of Germany, German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse in south-west Germany. Founded i ...
(Rhene-Neckar transport association, VRN). It was built in 1875 to shorten the route for trains on the Alsenz Valley Railway (''Alsenztalbahn'') running to
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
. In the following years, several express trains ran over this line. Passenger traffic was discontinued in 1987, but it was reactivated ten years later.


History


Planning, construction and opening (1870–1875)

As early as 1863, a proposal was presented in a memorandum to build the so-called ''Donnersbergerbahn'' (
Donnersberg The Donnersberg (; literally: "thunder mountain") is the highest peak of the Palatinate () region of Germany. The mountain lies between the towns of Rockenhausen and Kirchheimbolanden, in the Donnersbergkreis district, which is named after th ...
railway) from
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
via
Kirchheimbolanden Kirchheimbolanden is the capital and the second largest city of the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate. Situated in south-western Germany, it is approximately 25 km west of Worms, Germany, Worms, and 30 km north-east of Kaisersla ...
to a connection on the Rhineland border in
Alzey Alzey () is a ''Verband''-free town – one belonging to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fifth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, Germany, Worms, Ingelheim am Rhei ...
. The course of the line was planned to run parallel to an important long-distance road that was already important at that time and later became federal highway B 40 and is now largely replaced by the A 63. During the development of this proposal, a route from Kaiserslautern via Enkenbach was conceived for the first time. Since it was feared that it would have negative effects on the operation and above all the income of the
Palatine Ludwig Railway A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.
(''Pfälzischen Ludwigsbahn''), it was not built. After the
Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
of 1870 and 1871, there was an increased interest in strategic lines in South-West Germany. As a result, demands were made for a direct connection between Kaiserslautern and Enkenbach since the previous line via
Hochspeyer Hochspeyer () is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Palatinate forest (Pfälzer Wald), approx. 10 km east of Kaiserslautern. Hochspeyer was the seat of the former Verba ...
was regarded as too indirect, especially after 1873 and 1874, when the
Zeller Valley Railway References External links StreckeninformationenFörderverein Eistalbahn e. V.– Fahrplaninformationen, Betriebsführung und Instandhaltung Infrastrukturbetreiber der Strecke Railway lines in Rhineland-Palatinate North Palatinate Palatinate ...
(''Zellertalbahn'') between Langmeil and Monsheim and the
Donnersberg Railway The Donnersberg Railway () is a branch line from Alzey to Kirchheimbolanden, which originally ran as far as Marnheim. Although it was once part of the main line from Kaiserslautern to Mainz, the Pfrimm Viaduct was blown up in 1945 during the S ...
(''Donnersbergbahn'') between
Alzey Alzey () is a ''Verband''-free town – one belonging to no ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fifth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, Germany, Worms, Ingelheim am Rhei ...
and Marnheim had been completed. The town of Kaiserslautern was particularly supportive of this, as it stood to benefit. The connection between Kaiserslautern and Enkenbach eventually came into operation on 15 May 1875. It included the intermediate stations of Kaiserslautern Nord and Eselsfürth.


Developments up to the Second World War (1875–1945)

The operator of the railway was the
Palatine Northern Railway Company The Palatine Northern Railways Company (''Gesellschaft der Pfälzischen Nordbahnen'') – abbreviated to Palatine Northern Railway (''Pfälzer Nordbahn'') - was founded on 17 April 1866 as the last of the three major private railway companies ...
(''Gesellschaft der Pfälzischen Nordbahnen''). Because the Enkenbach–Eselsfürth–Kaiserslautern route is shorter than the route via
Hochspeyer Hochspeyer () is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Palatinate forest (Pfälzer Wald), approx. 10 km east of Kaiserslautern. Hochspeyer was the seat of the former Verba ...
, most of the trains in the subsequent period—especially long-distance trains—ran towards Kaiserslautern via Eselsfürth. They ran via the Alsenz Valley Railway to Langmeil and from there to the Rhine-Main area via Worms to Frankfurt am Main or via Alzey to Mainz. Although it was originally planned to build a second track, it has always remained single-track. On 1 January 1909, the line, together with the remaining railway routes within the Palatinate, were absorbed into the
Royal Bavarian State Railways The Royal Bavarian State Railways (''Königliche Bayerische Staats-Eisenbahnen'' or ''K.Bay.Sts.B.'') was the state railway company for the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded in 1844. The organisation grew into the second largest of the German ...
(''Königliche Bayerische Staats-Eisenbahnen''). The line was absorbed into
Deutsche Reichsbahn The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'' (), also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the Weimar Republic, German national Rail transport, railway system created after th ...
on 1 April 1920. The line was integrated into the newly founded ''Reichsbahndirektion Ludwigshafen'' ( Railway division of Ludwigshafen) in 1922. After the extension of the Eis Valley Railway (''Eistalbahn''), which was opened from
Grünstadt Grünstadt () is a town in the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a kind of collective municipality – but is noneth ...
to Eisenberg (Pfalz) in 1876, to Enkenbach in 1932, some of its trains ran over the connecting line to Kaiserslautern. During the dissolution of the railway division of Ludwigshafen, the Kaiserslautern–Eselsfürth section was transferred to the responsibility of the railway division of Saarbrücken on 1 April 1937, while the rest of the line was taken over by the railway division of Mainz.


Recent past

After the Second World War,
Deutsche Bundesbahn Deutsche Bundesbahn (, ) or DB () was formed as the state railway of the newly established West Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remained the state railway of West Germany u ...
(DB) integrated the railway into the railway division of Mainz, which was assigned all the railway lines within the newly created state of
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
. DB received financial support from the federal government, which aimed to maintain the line for strategic reasons within the context of the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. On 1 August 1971, the line came within the sphere of responsibility of Saarbrücken during the dissolution of the railway division of Mainz. Passenger traffic on the line ceased on 29 May 1987. Military considerations prevented a total closure. A year later, after the train crash in the
Heiligenberg Tunnel The Heiligenberg Tunnel is the longest of a total of twelve tunnels on the Mannheim-Saarbrücken railway and the longest in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate. The tunnel crosses the Palatine Watershed in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. ...
on the
Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway The Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway () is a railway in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland that runs through Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Kaiserslautern, Homburg (Saar), Homburg an ...
and its closure between Kaiserslautern and Hochspeyer for about three days, it served as a diversion route for the trains of the Alsenz Valley Railway and for some trains on the trunk line from Saarbrücken to Mannheim. The latter trains were hauled by a diesel locomotive that was attached in Kaiserslautern in front of the electric locomotive and had to reverse in both Enkenbach and Hochspeyer, in order to subsequently follow their regular route. On 1 June 1997, the line was reactivated for passenger operations in order to save trains running on the Alsenz Valley Railway to or from Kaiserslautern having to make the detour via Hochspeyer. However, the two intermediate stations have not been served since then.


Route

The route begins at Kaiserslauter Hauptbahnhof and runs next to the
Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway The Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway () is a railway in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland that runs through Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Kaiserslautern, Homburg (Saar), Homburg an ...
to the east and then turns northwards. It crosses federal highway 37 and reaches Kaiserslautern Nord station. This is followed by a turn to the north-east and it crosses the A6 and runs parallel to the Eselsbach stream to Eselsfürth station. A few kilometres further east, it reaches the southern edge of the residential area of Enkenbach. It passes through the watershed between the Lauter and the
Alsenz Alsenz () is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Alsenz has an area of 12.88 km2 and a population of 1,647 (as of December 31, 2020). Culture and sights In the centre of the village is the Re ...
and ends shortly after crossing federal highway 48. It joins the Alsenz Valley Railway coming from
Hochspeyer Hochspeyer () is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Palatinate forest (Pfälzer Wald), approx. 10 km east of Kaiserslautern. Hochspeyer was the seat of the former Verba ...
to run to
Enkenbach station Enkenbach station is the only station in Enkenbach-Alsenborn in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It has two platforms tracks and is located in the network of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (Rhine-Neckar transport association, VRN) and ...
.


Operations

The last express trains to use the line ran in 1985. These ran from Paris via the Alsenz Valley Railway and Mainz to Frankfurt.


Operating points


Kaiserslautern Hauptbahnhof

The station was opened on 1 July 1848 with the opening of the Homburg–Kaiserslautern section of the
Palatine Ludwig Railway A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.
. Half a year later the line was extended to
Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...
and in 1849 the whole route from Rheinschanze (now
Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
) to
Bexbach Bexbach () is a town in the Saarpfalz district, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Blies, approximatively 6 km east of Neunkirchen, and 25 km northeast of Saarbrücken. The Saarländisches Bergbaumuseum (Saarland Minin ...
was open to traffic. In spite of its great importance, it was not until 1875 that it became a railway junction with the opening of the Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach railway. It gained additional importance with the opening of the Lauter Valley Railway in 1883 and the completion of the Biebermühl Railway to
Pirmasens Pirmasens (; (also ''Bermesens'' or ''Bärmasens'')) is an independent town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It was famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called ''Landkreis Pirmasens ...
in 1913.


Kaiserslautern Nord

The station was on the north-eastern outskirts. The entrance building was built of red sandstone and was thus typical of buildings of the Palatine Northern Railways Company. It had been abandoned even before the temporary cessation of the passenger traffic and it is still not served by passenger trains.


Eselsfürth

The station is located in the Eselsfürth settlement, which is part of Kaiserslautern. The station has a mechanical signal box, which was put into operation in 1938 and is now out of service. The entrance building was also built in the 1930s. No passenger trains stop at this station. A siding connects to a US barracks.


Fröhnerhof

Little is known about the Fröhnerhof operating point. It was used from the 1940s until 29 May 1976. The operating point formed a four-way junction on the single-track line.


Enkenbach

The station is located on the eastern outskirts of Enkenbach. It was opened in 1870 along with the Hochspeyer–
Winnweiler Winnweiler () is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the upper course of the river Alsenz (river), Alsenz, approx. north-east of Kaiserslautern. Winnweiler is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemei ...
section of the Alsenz Valley Railway. With the opening the line to Kaiserslautern it became a railway junction. From 1932 it was the western terminus of the Eis Valley Railway.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiserslautern-Enkenbach railway Railway lines in Rhineland-Palatinate Western Palatinate Railway lines opened in 1875 1875 establishments in Germany