Höllentalbahn (Schwarzwald)

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There are other rail lines in German-speaking countries called Höllentalbahn

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Höllentalbahn (Schwarzwald)
Stations, junctions and heights above sea level
Legend Rheintalbahn from Mannheim −2,0 Freiburg (Breisgau) Hbf. 278 m 0 Branch point (replaced by a new route in 1934) Rheintalbahn to Basel Loretto Tunnel 514 m Sternwald Tunnel 302 m 2,7 Freiburg Wiehre 280 m 5,7 Freiburg Littenweiler 317 m 7,4 Kappelertal now closed 11,0 Kirchzarten 392 m 13,9 Himmelreich 455 m Falkenstein Tunnel 72 m Lower Hirschsprung Tunnel 121 m Upper Hirschsprung Tunnel 69 m 18,2 Hirschsprung now closed 559 m Kehre Tunnel 203 m 20,6 Posthalde now closed 657 m 22,2 Höllsteig now closed 740 m Ravenna Viaduct 224 m Ravenna Tunnel 47 m Finsterrank-Tunnel 248 m Löffeltal Tunnel 82 m 25,4 Hinterzarten 885 m 29,3 Titisee 858 m Dreiseenbahn to Seebrugg 32,3 Hölzlebruck now closed 29,3 Neustadt (Schwarzwald) 805 m 39,1 Kappel Gutachbrücke now closed Branch line to Bonndorf Gutach bridge Finsterbühl Tunnel 166 m Hörnle Tunnel 220 m Setze Tunnel 104 m Kapf Tunnel 203 m 45,9 Rötenbach 50,9 Löffingen 804 m 53,2 Reiselfingen now closed 56,3 Bachheim 58,7 Unadingen Dögginger Tunnel 535 m 64,0 Döggingen 67,7 Hausen vor Wald now closed Bregtalbahn to Bräunlingen Hüfingen Mitte 72,1 Hüfingen now closed Donaueschingen Allmendshofen Schwarzwaldbahn from Konstanz 74,7 Donaueschingen 677 m Schwarzwaldbahn to Offenburg

The Höllentalbahn (Schwarzwald) is a railway line in the Höllental ("Hell Valley") region of the Black Forest, Germany. The line connects Freiburg with Donaueschingen, a distance of 25.4 kilometers (15.8 miles). Over its entire course the line rises from an altitude of 278 metres (912 feet) in Freiburg to 885 metres (2903 feet) in Hinterzarten. The second half of the route has an average 5.5% upward gradient, making the line one of the steepest railway lines in Germany.

[edit] History

The line, which opened in 1887, was constructed by the German State and Territorial Railways, and was the last project of railway architect Robert Gerwig. Upon completion the line ended at Titisee-Neustadt, but was extended to Donaueschingen in 1901. Because of the steep gradient, the Hell Valley line was at first operated as a cog railway. However, ten powerful DB 85 steam locomotives were built in 1932/33, which made it possible to operate the route without the centre rack rail.

In 1936, the German Imperial Railway Company electrified the line, installing a 25,000-volt, 50 cycles-per-second current. In 1960, the Höllentalbahn was converted to the standard 15KV, 16 2/3 cycles-per-second frequency used throughout the German railway system.

The Höllentalbahn was used successfully to test designs for the Series 144 locomotive. Later, motive power was supplied by the Series 145, which was itself replaced by the Series 139 locomotive. Today, the line uses modern double-decker rolling stock pulled by Series 143 locomotives.

[edit] Route

The line passes through beautiful scenery along its entire length. High points include the Hirschsprungfelsen (a rock formation) and a crossing of the Ravennaschlucht by means of a forty-metre high viaduct. Later, between Titisee-Neustadt and Donaueschingen, the viaduct at the former Kappel Gutachbruecke station crosses the Wutach at the beginning of its long gorge. Near the station of Doeggingen the line crosses, within a 535m tunnel, the main watershed of Europe, between the Rhine catchment (flowing into the North Sea) and the Danube catchment (flowing into the Black Sea).

[edit] External links

• locomotive DB 85