Tharandt station

Tharandt S
Through station
Entrance building from the street side
Location	Dresdner Str. 30, Tharandt, Saxony Germany
Coordinates	50°58′59″N 13°35′31″E / 50.98302°N 13.59195°E / 50.98302; 13.59195Coordinates: 50°58′59″N 13°35′31″E / 50.98302°N 13.59195°E / 50.98302; 13.59195
Line(s)	Dresden–Werdau (km 13.705)
Platforms	3
Construction
Architectural style	Swiss chalet style
Other information
Station code	6191
DS100 code	DTH
IBNR	8013114
Category	4
Website	www.bahnhof.de
History
Opened	28 June 1855
Services
Preceding station   Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn   Following station Freiberg (Sachs) toward Hof Hbf RE 3 Dresden Hbf Terminus Edle Krone toward Zwickau Hbf RB 30 Freital-Hainsberg West toward Dresden Hbf Preceding station   Dresden S-Bahn   Following station Edle Krone toward Freiberg (Sachs) S 3 Freital-Hainsberg West toward Dresden Hbf

Tharandt station is a station on the Dresden–Werdau railway in the town of Tharandt in the German state of Saxony. Until the electrification of the line in 1966, Tharandt was an important stopover for the attachment of bank engines for operations on the Steil ramp up to Klingenberg-Colmnitz. Today, the station has only significance for the regional traffic. It is the terminus for most, but not all trains of Dresden S-Bahn's line S3.

Tharandt station was established on 28 June 1855 with the opening of the Albertsbahn AG and its branches to the coal mines in the Plauensche Grund (the valley of the Weißeritz between Plauen and Freital). The station only became significant in 1862 with the completion of the Dresden-Werdau railway, when the station in the valley at the bottom of the Tharandter Steige ("Tharandt climb") was feared by steam operators. On a twelve kilometre-long section, trains had to climb a height of over 230 metres to reach Klingenberg-Colmnitz station. At least two bank or pilot engines were always stationed in Tharandt to assist trains make the climb. Traffic the section from Dresden to Tharandt developed quickly. As early as 1900, the line from Dresden to Tharandt had reached the limit of its capacity.

This led to the reconstruction of the whole station. In 1909 an impressive Swiss chalet style entrance building and numerous annexes were built. The network of tracks was greatly enlarged so that there were 17 tracks in the station. It can be seen in old photographs that there was no platform next to the entrance building, but there were two island platforms. There was an underpass for the passengers and for baggage transfer between the entrance building and the platforms, similar to that in Freital-Potschappel. A locomotive depot existed here until the electrification of the station in 1966. Around 1900, two signal boxes were built at the entrances to the station from Dresden and Edle Krone, as well as the numerous outbuildings, such as the office of the head of track maintenance (Bahnmeisterei) and many buildings for rail operations.