Höllentalbahn

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

Stations, junctions and heights above sea level

Legend Rhine Valley Railway from Mannheim −2,0 Freiburg (Breisgau) Hbf. 278 m 0 Branch point (replaced by a new route in 1934) Rhine Valley Railway to Baslw 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 Bridge 224 m Ravenna Tunnel 47 m Finsterrank Tunnel 248 m Löffel Valley Tunnel 82 m 25,4 Hinterzarten 885 m 29,3 Titisee 858 m Dreiseen Railway]] 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 Döggingen Tunnel 535 m 64,0 Döggingen 67,7 Hausen vor Wald now closed Breg Valley Railway to Bräunlingen Hüfingen Mitte 72,1 Hüfingen now closed Donaueschingen Allmendshofen Black Forest Railway from Konstanz 74,7 Donaueschingen 677 m Black Forest Railway to Offenburg

The Höllentalbahn (Schwarzwald) is a railway line in the Hölle Valley (German: Höllental or "Hell Valley") region of the Black Forest, Germany. The line connects Freiburg with Donaueschingen, a distance of 76.6 km (47.6 mi). Over its entire course the line rises from an altitude of 278 m (912 ft) in Freiburg to 885 m (2,904 ft) in Hinterzarten. The first 25 km (15.5 mi) of the route have a maximum 5.5% upward gradient, making the line one of the steepest in Germany.

History

The line, which opened in 1887, was constructed for the Grand Duchy of Baden State 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 Hölle 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 (Deutsche Reichsbahn electrified the line, installing a 20 kV, 50 Hz AC. In 1960, the Höllentalbahn was converted to the standard 15 kV, 16⅔ Hz system used throughout the German railway network.

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

Route

The line passes through beautiful scenery along its entire length. High points include the Hirschsprungfelsen (a rock formation) and a crossing of the Ravenna Gorge by means of a 40-metre (131 ft) high viaduct. Further on, between Titisee-Neustadt and Donaueschingen, the viaduct at the former Kappel Gutachbruecke station crosses the Wutach at the beginning of its long gorge. While in a 535-metre (1,755 ft) tunnel near Döggingen station, the line crosses a main European watershed, between the Rhine drainage basin (flowing into the North Sea) and the Danube drainage basin (flowing into the Black Sea).

External links

• Locomotive DB 85