- Höllentalbahn (Schwarzwald)
"There are other rail lines in German-speaking countries called
Höllentalbahn "----The Höllentalbahn (Schwarzwald) is a
railway line in the Höllental ("Hell Valley") region of theBlack Forest ,Germany . The line connectsFreiburg withDonaueschingen , a distance of 76.6 kilometers (47.6 miles). Over its entire course the line rises from an altitude of 278 metres (912 ft) in Freiburg to 885 metres (2903 ft) inHinterzarten . The first 25 km (15.5 miles) of the route have a maximum 5.5% upward gradient, making the line one of the steepest railway lines in Germany.History
The line, which opened in 1887, was constructed by the German State and Territorial Railways, and was the last project of railway architect
Robert Gerwig . Upon completion the line ended atTitisee-Neustadt , but was extended to Donaueschingen in 1901. Because of the steep gradient, the Hell 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 Company electrified the line, installing a 25,000-volt, 50 cycles-per-second current. In 1960, the Höllentalbahn was converted to the standard 15KV, 16 2/3 cycles-per-second frequency used throughout the German railway system.
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
Ravennaschlucht by means of a forty-metre high viaduct. Later, between Titisee-Neustadt and Donaueschingen, the viaduct at the former Kappel Gutachbruecke station crosses the Wutach at the beginning of its long gorge. Near the station of Doeggingen the line crosses, within a 535m tunnel, the main watershed of Europe, between the Rhine catchment (flowing into the North Sea) and the Danube catchment (flowing into the Black Sea).External links
* [http://jean.home.cern.ch/jean/locose.htm locomotive DB 85]
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