Murg Valley Railway

Murg Valley Railway (Murgtalbahn) Rastatt–Freudenstadt
Route number:	710.41
Line number:	4240
Line length:	58.2 km (36.2 mi)
Gauge:	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Voltage:	15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC
Maximum incline:	Adhesion ?  % Rack rail ?  %
Legend Rhine Valley Railway from Karlsruhe S 31S 32 Rhine Railway from Karlsruhe S 4S 41 0.0 Rastatt 120 m Rhine Valley Railway to Basel S 4S 32 1.4 Rastatt Beinle 4.4 Kuppenheim 125 m 6.0 Bischweier 128 m 8.0 Bad Rotenfels Schloss 8.6 Bad Rotenfels 136 m 9.5 Bad Rotenfels Weinbrennerstraße 10.4 Gaggenau 142 m 11.3 Gaggenau Mercedes-Benz Factory 12.3 Ottenau 13.1 Hörden-Ottenau 13.3 Hörden 13.7 Hörden 15.5 Gernsbach 160 m 16.1 Gernsbach Mitte 18.2 Obertsrot 19.1 Hilpertsau 183 m 20.0 Reichentaler Straße until 1921 20.7 Weisenbach 197 m 21.8 Au im Murgtal 22.8 Au (Murgtal) 22.9 Füllen Tunnel (215 m) 23.3 Hart Tunnel (158 m) 23.9 Langenbrand 24.4 Brach Tunnel (160 m) 24.8 Tennetschlucht Viaduct (183 m) 25.3 Stiehl Tunnel (355 m) 25.7 Rappen Tunnel (95 m) 25.9 Hacken Tunnel (177 m) 26.1 Gausbach 26.4 Gausbach Tunnel (180 m) 26.8 Forbach (Schwarzwald) terminus S 31 303 m 28.6 Haul Tunnel (364 m) 31.4 Raumünzach 391 m 32.0 Spielrain Tunnel (104 m) 34.2 Kirschbaumwasen 36.5 Schönmünzach 462 m 37.9 Schwarzenberg 473 m 38.2 Mähderbuck Tunnel (215 m) 39.9 Huzenbach 481 m 43.0 Röt 495 m 45.2 Heselbach 46.4 Klosterreichenbach 515 m 48.9 Baiersbronn Schule 49.7 Baiersbronn 547 m 51.3 Friedrichstal/Württ. 52.2 Friedrichstal 52.4 Friedrichstal iron works 55.4 Freudenstadt Stadt 739 m 56.2 Freudenstadt Schulzentrum/Panoramabad 57.5 Freudenstadt industrial estate Gäu Railway from Eutingen im Gäu S 41 58.2 Freudenstadt Hbf terminus S 31S 41 664 m Kinzig Valley Railway to Hausach

The Murg Valley Railway (German: Murgtalbahn) is a 58 kilometre long railway line in the northern part of the Black Forest in Germany, that links Rastatt and Freudenstadt. It was opened in stages from 1868 to 1928 being built outwards from both Rastatt and Freudenstadt. The route through the narrow Murg Valley required the construction of numerous tunnels and bridges. The section between the stations of Baiersbronn and Freudenstadt Stadt is a steep ramp which is why it had to be operated until 1926 as a rack railway. Even today it can only be worked by vehicles that have the required approval.

After the occasional long-distance passenger services had been withdrawn in the 1990s, the Murg Valley Railway was integrated into the network of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn between 2002 and 2004. Since then it has been operated by Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (AVG), using their fleet of tram-trains. At Freudenstadt, these meet the services of the Ortenau S-Bahn (OSB), operating over the Kinzigtalbahn to Offenburg.^[1]

Reference

1. ^ Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2009. p. 102. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0. 

External links

Media related to Murgtalbahn at Wikimedia Commons

• The Murg Valley Railway
• History of the Murg Valley Railway
• Timetable from 1944
• Murgtalbahn im Karlsruher Stadtwiki
• Historic steam on the Murg Valley Railway