The special position with its proximity to France and the Rhine River characterized the Black Forest by the diverse wars of its history. The Black Forest has been characterized by its wars due to its proximity to France and the Rhine river. These conflicts had multiple effects on different regions.
History: Construction of the Wutachtal Railroad
The Wutach Valley Railroad (which is also called “Sauschwänzle Railroad (= pig’s tail rail road) because of its characteristic routing) was constructed due to military considerations. There was an idea for a rail route which would lead through the Wutach Valley as early as 1857. However, this line, which was used as a connection between the Black Forest- and the High Rhine Railroad, was built only as a consequence of the war from 1870/71. In this war, namely, railroads played a major role as means of transport for the first time. In 1875 they finished one branch terminal line which led from the “Hochrhienbahn” stretch to Stühlingen. In the successive year they extended the route to Weizen. As early as the planning phase it became apparent that the route, especially the middle segment, would not be profitable. In addition, as early as the beginning of the construction phase there have been delays because of geologic anomalies. The subsoil was unstable and it became clear that the rest of the stretch would not be better. The Wutach Valley is geologically very young and still in motion. As a consequence of the market crash of 1873 , the railroad construction paused not only in the Black Forest but almost everywhere. It is not for nothing that they call it also the “Eisenbahnkrise” (= Railroad Crisis).
In the 1880s the German military staff considered using railroads for military logistics. They thought about the course of the German-French border and the new German regions beyond the Rhine River. That a led to the revival of planning of the Wutach Valley Railroad. The Wutach Valley Railroad became a strategic bypass railroad which would transport the German troops to Alsace without passing by the Swiss regions. The demanding construction of the track section from Weizen to Hintschingen was completed in only 4 years and opened on 20th May 1890. During the last two years of construction 3.700 workers worked on the project. The great labor requirements led to a greater need for workers, so much so that they even hired employees from Italy.
An extraordinary Routing: How the Wutach Valley Railroad became the Sauschwänzle Railroad
The special challenges presented by the construction of the subsection resulted from the demands of military planning. Since, eventually, it was meant to transport heavy machinery on the lines. The then heaviest piece of the Krupp Company served as the essential benchmark. This was a cannon which had a weight of 140 tones. Not only did the static calculations have to orientate themselves on this predecessor of the “Big Bertha”, but the demands for routing were in total also very high. While planning they detected that the gradient would not exceeding 9, 8 per mile due to the limited productivity of the locomotives. In other words, it could not have surmounted anymore than 10 meters of height differences at a length of 980 meters. These planning-related guidelines influenced the expansion of the Blumberg-Weizen route (whose linear distance is almost 10 kilometers) to a length of about 25 km because of a downgrade of 230 meters. For that purpose they added characteristic loops and U-curves in the route which gave the Wutach Valley Railroad its loving nickname “Sauschwänzle Railroad” (= pig’s tail rail road). Apart from that, after completion of the route in 1890 the Wutach Valley Railroad leads through the Kommen- and Aitrachtal.
The Wutachtal Railroad (Sauschwänzle Railroad) in the Black Forest: Rail Route leading from Lauchringen to Hintschingen*
Hence, exactly this middle stretch of the route, which is consistent with the Museum Railroad, is absolutely unique. On the line visitors will find five big and many smaller bridges and viaducts and six tunnels of which just one is a “genuine” mountain tunnel. Three tunnels were located for the underpass of spurs; the other two tunnels serve just as an artificial lengthening of the route. One of those is the “Große Stockhalde-Kehrtunnel” which makes the route of the Sauschwänzle Railroad so special. This tunnel is the largest spiral tunnel of Germany and after the “Simplon Tunnel” the second largest tunnel of such a kind of Europe. In addition, it is the only one spiral tunnel on a stretch of a low mountain range route of the world. Moreover, with its 360 degrees, circle diameter of 700 meters and a length of 1.700 meters it is the largest tunnel of the Wutach Valley Railroad. Its construction swallowed more than 2, 5 million Reichsmark. The gain of altitude for this (by the standards in use then) mega-building project amounts only to humble 15 meters.
Decadence and Fight for the Museum Railroad: From the military Project to a high- class Tourist Attraction
For civil use the Wutach Valley Railroad was relatively useless. Most of the passengers still used it for the west-east-connection the Upper Rhine Railway (and from 1901 also the Höllentalbahn) which was not only faster but also relatively cheaper. After all, the ticket price was calculated by the length of the route. So, it was not a surprise when in 1910 they closed the first “Bahnmeisterei” on the route, which was in Aulfingen. Other railroad stations followed the lead in the following decades.
Not long after World War II, before and after which the rush for the Wutach Valley Railroad has been enormous, they averaged barely 40 passengers in the five trains which run daily. This sparse workload and the missing profitability brought the “Deutsche Bundesbahn” to lay the middle route up in 1955. It was meant to be temporary but as early as November of the same year they prolonged the shut-down “until further notice”.
The line still lay idle, although from 1962-65 NATO invested 5 million DM for a redevelopment of the route and from 1964 to 1974 the Federal Defence Ministry paid alimonies of about 50.000 DM a year, again because of military calculations. However, not only did the middle stretch of the route become an orphan, but, in 1967 the passenger services of the eastern part and in 1971 the passenger services of the western part of the Wutach Valley Railroad ceased. At the beginning of 1976 the whole middle stretch of the Wutach Valley Railroad was lain totally up.
The then president of “Eurovapor”, who was the eastern Swiss engineer Ferdinand Mollet, came to establish a Museum Railroad on this line as early as 1955, when service of the between Weizen and Blumberg ended. He put forth his wish year after year at the Federal Railroad Administration in Karlsruhe but fell on deaf ears. Back then, in the time of economic miracles, no-one had been keen on old locomotives and they just scrapped them. Not until 1966 did they begin service of the first German Museum Railroad near Bremen.
In addition to Ferdinand Mollet, the mayor of Blumberg Werner Gerber and later also the head of the building department Karl-Hans Zimmermann took a stand for the establishment of the Museum Railroad. The first success would be achieved in 1966 when the special train transported 600 passengers on the historic line. The fight for the full establishment of the Museum Railroad finally ended in May 1977.
The Wutachtal Railroad (Sauschwänzle Railroad) in the Black Forest: Valley Crossing near Epfenhofen*
From that time on the Sauschwänzle Railroad enjoyed great popularity like never before on its moving history. Annually it transports over 120,000 passengers on the spectacular line through the Black Forest, and the line is even economically profitable. To the delightment of tourists they established a station “Wutach View” between Fützen and Epfenhofen, where tourists have the chance to marvel at the Wutach Valley and to see the southern portal of the tunnel on the Achdorf Path at close range.
Another milestone in the history of the Museum Railroad took place in 1988. During this year the line of the Museum Railroad was acquired by Blumberg city. Moreover, in 1988 the Sauschwänzlebahn was declared a technical memorial of a special national importance. In connection with this occasion they have renovated 22 art constructions along the route in the period between the end of the 1980s and 1997. The Antiquities and Monuments Office supported the renovation works which amounted to 14 million DM.
Today the service of the Sauschwänzle Railroad route is runby three involved partners. Anyone who is interested in more details about the railroad’s history, railway schedule and special events is welcome to visit their websites. And here is a little presentation of those: The Interessengemeinschaft zur Erhaltung der Museumsbahn Wutachtal e.V. (IG WTB) (what means as much as “registered society of an interest group for maintaining of the Museum Railroad”) maintains the route and constructions. The registered society of the Wutach Valley Railroad – Wutachtalbahn e.V. (WtB) – conducts the vehicle operations and is the owner of three historic locomotives and coaches. Blumberg city is the third partner. As it is the owner of the Museum Railroad, it is responsible for the coordination of the processes and for marketing.
More beyond the rails
As mentioned Wutchschlucht has plenty to offer we. Now we want to point out two paths especially for hiking lovers , the two start at the Blumberg-Zollhof station. The first path is the “Eisenbahnlehrpfad” (= educational railroad trail). It leads ca. 19 kilometers along the Museum Railroad route through the charming landscape of the Black Forest to the terminal of Weizen. Numerous boards tell stories and about the history of the Sauschwänzle Railroad. One will need approx. 4.5 hours for this hiking tour and should take into account break and viewing times.
The second path is the “Eisenbahn-Wanderweg” (= Railroad Hiking Path). With its 14 kilometers it is a little bit shorter than the first mentioned path. It leads from Blumberg by the Wutachflühen to the stop Lausheim-Blumegg. Moreover, in Blumberg-Zollhaus one will even find another Railroad Museum which is open each hour before and after the train ride. It offers interesting insights into the Sauschwänzle Railroad’s history.
The region around the Wutachschlucht and the Sauschwänzle Railroad is also perfect for bicyclists.. Last but not least, it should not be forgotten that our beloved Bonndorf is also located near the Sauschwänzle Railroad. Hence, a side trip will pay off at any time not only because of the tasty ham.
* Pictures are from Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY 3.0 Lizenz, oben:Sansculotte & dealer of salvation, unten: Schmidti
Adler - Black Forest 