The Black Forest is a popular destination for all railroad lovers. Here they will find numerous beautiful, extraordinary, and spectacular railroad routes like for example the Höllental Railroad, the Sauschwänzle Railroad and the Kandertal Railroad. Often these are just secondary lines which were put out of service long ago but which can still run today because of the involvement of volunteer clubs.
It is all different in the case of the Black Forest Railroad. It is still very important for the rail services. The Black Forest Railroad is a mail line and travels 150 km from Offenburg to Singen. In addition, aside from the Frankenwald Railroad, it is the one double tracked mountain railway of Germany. The most appealing section of landscape there is probably between Hausach and St.Georgen. It isn’t for nothing that they have opened the Black Forest Adveture Path Triberg. The railroad line in Baden which has been always called The Black Forest Railroad also has a namesake. This doppelganger railroad travels between Stuttgart and Calw, but to easier tell them apart is mostly called the Wuerttemberg Black Forest Railroad.
History, planning and construction of the Black Forest Railroad
The first plans for the Black Forest Railroad were made as early as 1840’s. However, the technology was immature back then, so they could not master the topographical demands. So, in 1838 they decided to construct the Baden main line which would travel from Mannheim to Konstanz, passing Karlsruhe and Freiburg, leading mostly along the Rhine site but “ignoring” the Black Forest. Consequently, the Black Forest was cut off from advantages of the industrialization. This is why many communities, industrialists and politicians from the Black Forest claimed to remedy the shortcomings from the government of the Grand Duchy of Baden. Eventually, not only would the industry of the region develop by the construction of the Black Forest Railroad but also the route between Offenburg and Siegen would shorten from 240 to 150 kilometers.
When they continued the planning of construction in the 1860’s there were three different approaches: 1st, the Bregtal Line should go over Furtwangen and along the Breg; 2nd, the Sommerau Line should go over Hornberg and Triberg; and 3rd, the Schiltachline should go over Wolfach, Schiltach and Schramberg. The latter would have been the simplest in construction. However, it would have crossed Wuerttemberg’s regions give the Wuerttemberg’s clock industry an edge which would not been in the interest of Baden. The Bregtal Line was the most difficult to construct, so that only one possibility was left and they built the Line which went over Hornberg and Triberg.
Memorial Stone for Robert Gernwig in Triberg*
While planning this variant they went back to the engineer’s, Robert Gerwig, thoughts about a memorandum. Gerwig proved himself early as he constructed just a part of the Baden main line. They had to manage several challenges while constructing the line. First, they had to take the weather conditions into account. Then, there was a demanding altitude difference of 564 which had to be taken into consideration during the constructions of the track section between Hausach and St.Georgen. Thanks to Gerwig’s predictive plans they refrained from establishing gear operations, which would have probably led to a closure of the line section. Instead, his draft planned to extend the distance to 38kilometers, however, the linear distance was only 21 kilometers long.
Gerwig relied on the construction of horseshoe curves and tunnels, of which there are 40 at the Black Forest Railroad. They built only one bridge along the whole line. This kind of artificial extension of mountain railroads became a model for lots of other railroads, as for example for the Gotthard Railroad.
The order to build was given in 1862, the works began in 1865, however, the line was not finished until 1873, the reasons being: the constructions which, especially those of the central part, demanded high standards. Moreover, all work stopped during the 1870 German-Franco war. The Italian workers were dismissed, the Germans were called up for military service. After its opening the Black Forest Railroad became more and more popular. Due to its passenger services it also became a keystone for the tourism of the Black Forest. After the turn of the century international long-distance trains began to run on the line; these were trains, for example, from Amsterdam and Ostend. When World War I began the traffic on the Black Forest Railroad had almost broken down. In summer of 1918 only one passenger train ran per day.
However, the progress started to have an effect in the domain of the Black Forest Railroad. As early as 1924 they renewed the Reichenbach Viaduct to increase the performance abilities of the line. In the 1970’s the Deutsche Bahn decided to provide electricity for the use of the line. Thus, in 1977 they could completely shift the service of the line to electronic locomotives.
The Highlight of the Line of the Black Forest Railroad: Worth Seeing and Worth Hearing
The Black Forest Railroad starts in Offenburg and travels to Hausach along the Kinzig, passing by Weinbergen and continues its way to the Kinzigtal which gets narrower. From now on visitors of the line will see more and more of the characteristic Black Forest houses. Furthermore, the historic open-air museum “Vogtsbauernhof” is located along the line.
Historic View of the Reichenbach Viaduct in Hornberg*
From the Reichenbach Viaduct, which is the only one great bridge of the Black Forest Railroad, one will have an amazing view of Hornerg Castle. Here, near the Reichenbach Viaduct, one is on the most beautiful point of the whole line, where diverse tunnels and horseshoe curves are located. This section can be also visited on foot on the Black Forest Railroad Adventure Path. After passing by the ascent and the peak it travels on beyond the St.Georgen along the Brigach to Villingen out of the Black Forest and in to the Baar Plateau.
The line leads through the Brigach Valley to Donaueschingen where the Donau arises from the confluence of the Breg and Brigach. The historic terminal of the Black Forest Railroad is, thus, reached in Singen. Nevertheless, from here the trains continue their services on the Baden main line to Konstanz at the Lake Constance.
Annually, on the Black Forest Railroad many special trips with historical locomotives and coaches took place which one should not miss to experience. On the Triberg city website one will find detailed information about the dates of the special excursions. Furthermore, there is a private homepage which is a rich seam of information for all railroad lovers and which contains many photographs and background reports about the Black Forest. Moreover, the Deutsche Bahn offers a special gem: a free audio guide, playable on all MP3 players. Similar to the audio guides in museums one will be able to listen to descriptions of the line and additional information. What a great idea!
Please note: Until 18 November 2012 there will be still construction works on the line between Immendingen and Singen. During that time the line will be completely closed for train services.
*Pictures: Robert Gernwig-Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA 3.0 Dr.med.Mabuse/ Hornberg-Viadukt-Library of Congress
Adler - Black Forest 