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Letmathe–Fröndenberg railway

Letmathe–Fröndenberg railway
Iserlohner Bahn01.png
Western section
Overview
Locale North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Line number 2850
Technical
Line length 25 km (16 mi)
Number of tracks 2: Menden–Fröndenberg-Ruhrbrücke
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
Electrification 15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary (Letmathe–Iserlohn)
Operating speed
  • Iserlohn-Letmathe–Iserlohn: 100 km/h (62.1 mph) (maximum)
  • Menden–Fröndenberg: 80 km/h (49.7 mph) (maximum)
Route number
  • 437 (Menden–Fröndenberg)
  • 440 (Letmathe–Iserlohn)
Route map
Line from Unna
Upper Ruhr Valley Railway from Hagen
25.1 Fröndenberg
Upper Ruhr Valley Railway to Warburg
Ruhr
23.9 Neuwalz factory siding
23.3 Bösperde
22.8 RWE Menden siding
22.0 Menden KM Europa-Metall siding
21.6 Schmöle siding
20.4 Menden (Sauerland)
Hönne Valley Railway to Neuenrade
18.9 Am Obsthof
16.0 Oese
15.4 Niemeyer siding
15.2 Höcklingsen
15.0 Hemer Jost siding
14.1 Bräuckerstraße
13.7 Hemer
Former branch line to Sundwig (1.8 km)
12.9 Hemer Amt
11.9 Westig
L680 (official reason for closure)
8.0 Buchenwäldchen
6.9 Iserlohn Ost
Obere Mühle viaduct
5.9 Kissing und Möllmann siding
(former line, built over)
5.5 Iserlohn
Ardey Railway to Dortmund *
1.9 Letmathe-Dechenhöhle
Lenne
Ruhr-Sieg railway from Siegen
0.0 Letmathe
Ruhr-Sieg railway to Hagen
  • Installation of a shunting link planned.

Source: German railway atlas


Source: German railway atlas

The Letmathe–Fröndenberg railway is a two-track, partially electrified and partially disused branch line in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. For over 100 years it ran from Letmathe via Iserlohn, Hemer and Menden to Fröndenberg. The section between Hemer and Iserlohn and the branch line from Hemer to Sundwig have been closed and dismantled.

The construction of its first inter-regional line by the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company (Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, BME) bypassed various nearby towns such as Iserlohn. In the second half of the 19th Century the BME began to provide connections from its main line, the Elberfeld–Dortmund railway, to isolated places in the western Sauerland.

First, the BME opened a branch line to Iserlohn station on 31 March 1864. This is also locally called the Iserlohner Bahn (Iserlohn Railway).

This branch started from Iserlohn-Letmathe station in the Genna district, which five years earlier had been opened by the BME on the Ruhr–Sieg railway from Hagen to Siegen.

The line was upgraded in the following years; during this work Dechen Cave was discovered in 1868. Letmathe-Dechenhöhle station was built close to the show cave.

Eight years later the BME built another branch line, this time starting from Fröndenberg station via its Upper Ruhr Valley Railway to Menden (Sauerland) station. It was completed on 7 August 1872.


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Wikipedia

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