Passau–Hauzenberg railway

Passau–Hauzenberg railway
The backshunt at Voglau
Overview
Line number	5843
Technical
Line length	23.9 kilometres (14.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Operating speed	60 km/h
Maximum incline	25 ‰
Route number	881
Route map from Wels(Austrian Western Railway) 1,2 Voglau to Passau Hbf(Regensburg–Passau) 2,6 Passau-Innstadt 3,3 Passau-Rosenau 5,2 Kräutelstein bridge over the Danube(300 m) B 388 Rack railway works industrial branch 6,4 Grubweg 7,7 Löwmühle 8,7 Kellberg 13,4 Erlau (b Passau) to Obernzell Erlau river 16,6 Schloßberg(34 m) 17,5 Schaibing 19,2 Kaindlmühle 21,4 Oberdiendorf 23,5 Knödlsöd 25,1 Hauzenberg

Passau–Hauzenberg railway
Overview
Line number	5844
Technical
Line length	20,2 km
Track gauge	1435 mm
Minimum radius	200 m
Operating speed	30 km/h
Maximum incline	adhesion 25 ‰ rack rail 71 ‰
Rack system	Strub
Route map from Passau Voglau 0,0 Erlau b Passau to Hauzenberg Erlau 4,9 Obernzell 9,6 Untergriesbach 12,7 Oberötzdorf 14,4 Wildenranna 17,1 Withterwasser 20,2 Wegscheid (Niederbay)

adhesion 25 ‰

The Passau–Erlau–Hauzenberg railway is a single-tracked branch line in the Regensburg railway division with a branch to Erlau–Obernzell(–Wegscheid), which was partially operated as rack railway using the Strub rack system.

The originally planned course for this railway was quite different. In 1895 the intention was for a line that branched off the Freyung railway at Fischhaus and ran via Büchlberg and Hauzenberg to Wegscheid. This would have entailed a long detour and a climb of 130 metres. Because the costs would have been too high, a link between Wegscheid and Hauzenberg was not essential, the present-day route was proposed. Approval for its construction was issued on 30 June 1900.

Between Passau Hauptbahnhof and the suburb of Voglau the railway shares its tracks with Wels–Passau railway. Due to the restricted amount of space the railway branches shortly before Maximilians bridge (a railway bridge over the Inn) with into a backshunt (Spitzkehre, see table photo) at the 1.0 km marker. From there it runs along the Inn on the edge of the village of Innstadt over the Rosenau until just before the border with Austria at Achleiten. It was here between 1900 and 1903 that the Kräutelstein bridge was built over the Danube by the firms of Hellinger and MAN. From now on railway passengers could enjoy the full splendour of the Danube to their left as they travelled through Löwmühle (formerly a halt) to Erlau. From here the line climbed uphill alongside the Erlau river to Hauzenberg. The station at Erlau was only provided with one platform, which was not helpful for the subsequent crossing of trains from Wegscheid and Hauzenberg. Just as difficult was the working service. The railway reached Schaibing station through a 34 m long tunnel, but the village of Schaibing was a long way off and the station and this acted mainly as a loading and unloading site for goods from and to the surrounding villages. The line continued up the Erlau valley as far as Kaindlmühle and from here it followed the Staffelbach stream to Oberdiendorf. However the village was on the hill, the station in the valley, and goods were transported to the station using a cable car. The railway then ran through the woods via Knödlsöd (former halt at 23.5 km), past Freiflächen, to Hauzenberg. On 18 April 1904 the first train ran from Passau to Erlau. Hauzenberg lies at a height of 177.7 m above the Passau Hauptbahnhof, so inclines of 1:50 from Erlau and 1:40 from Kaindlmühle had to be overcome. The climb to the Kräutelstein bridge was also steep.