Grafenwalde - a plausible fiction

 

The plausible fiction

The layout is based upon a Kleinbahn that was operated by the SEG, originally, a short line, in this case only almost 7km (4.3 miles) to Grafenwalde  it was later extended a further 14km (8.6 miles) it was a standard gauge line that was served by tiny trains and lasted from 1881 to 1998. Due to the topography the station was a 'Spitzkehren bahnhof' or 'hairpin station' where the train changes direction. The railway had to meet the transport needs of the predominantly rural structure of the area. The main transports were Wiegand Glass, agricultural produce, livestock, fertilisers, coal and building materials.

The railcar shown below was employed until WW2, although a 0-4-0 tank loco with road number 5 plus passenger cars and goods cars was also employed. This loco was supplemented by one obtained from the Kleinbahn Neuhaldensleben–Weferlingen former roadbed is accessible today as a Wanderweg 

 

The railway survived the Second World War without any damage. The diesel railcar was seized by the military government, so that all trains were driven by steam again. The railway was intended for dismantling with many other lines, but this could be prevented. In 1949, the railway was nationalized and the operation was taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. 

 

 

In the early 1950s, tourism in Thuringia increased sharply. In 1952, excursion trains from Berlin were led to Grafenwalde for the first time. At Ilmenau the train consisting of four express train cars was split. Three cars were transported from Ilmenau to Grafenwalde whilst the others continued over the Rennsteig to Schmiedefeld. In 1960, the last of the small steam locos was retired and replaced by a diesel locomotive of the V15 series that ran until the closure. With the economic changes of 1989/90, freight traffic in particular collapsed almost completely and the line was closed in  

 

A short film of the the Rennsteig