Wilkau-Haßlau–Carlsfeld railway

Wilkau-Haßlau–Carlsfeld narrow-gauge railway
station (museum)
Overview
Type	narrow-gauge railway
Line number	6973
Operation
Opened	October 16, 1881
Closed	April 30, 1977
Operator(s)	Royal Saxon State Railways, Deutsche Reichsbahn, DR
Depot(s)	Kirchberg, Schönheide, Carlsfeld
Technical
Line length	41.961 km (26.07 mi)
Track gauge	750 mm (2 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Minimum radius	60 m (196.9 ft)
Operating speed	25 km/h (16 mph)
Maximum incline	50‰ or 5%
Route map

Wilkau-Haßlau–Carlsfeld Railway

-0,228 Wilkau-Haßlau 279 m (connection with the Zwickau–Schwarzenberg line) 1,123 Wilkau-Haßlau Hp 281 m 1,260 A 72 3,070 Culitzsch(until 1923/24) 3,670 Cunersdorf (b Kirchberg/Sachs) 307 m 4,479 Cunersdorf (b Kirchberg/Sachs) Hst 317 m 6,498 Kirchberg (Sachs) 335 m 7,499 Kirchberg (Sachs) Hp 348 m 8,873 Saupersdorf unt Bf 370 m 10,052 Saupersdorf ob Bf 386 m 11,650 Hartmannsdorf (b Saupersdorf) 410 m 13,867 Oberhartmannsdorf (Sachs) 447 m 15,045 Bärenwalde (Sachs) 476 m 16,828 Obercrinitz 511 m 21,504 Rothenkirchen (Vogtl) 618 m 23,498 Stützengrünold: Oberstützengrün 629 m 23,964 Viaduct Weißbachtal 24,536 Viaduct Stützengrün 24,900 Stützengrün-Neulehnuntil 2001 25,455 Stützengrün Hpold: Neulehn today Stützengrün Bürstenfabrik 656 m 26,970 Schönheide Nordold: Neuheide 650 m 28,810 Schönheide Mitteold: Schönheide 678 m 29,580 Schönheide Westold: Ober-Schönheide 686 m 33,754 Viaduct Muldetal Chemnitz–Aue–Adorf railway 33,978 Bridge Zwickauer Mulde 34,303 Schönheide Südold: Wilzschhaus 596 m 34,425 Bridge Zwickauer Mulde 36,235 Wiesenhaus 633 m 37,918 Wilzschmühle 680 m 39,398 Blechhammer 738 m 41,634 Carlsfeld(Museumsbahnhof) 816 m

The Wilkau-Haßlau–Carlsfeld narrow-gauge railway (Schmalspurbahn Wilkau-Haßlau–Carlsfeld) was the first, steepest and longest of the narrow-gauge railways in Saxony. The line was around 42 kilometres long, had a track gauge of 750 mm (2 ft 5 ¹⁄₂ in) and ran from Wilkau-Haßlau via Kirchberg and Schönheide to through the Ore Mountains. Only near Rothenkirchen did the line pass through the Vogtland region The railway, opened in 1881 in four stages, was one of the busiest narrow-gauge railways. Services were gradually closed down between 1965 and 1977.

Since the Wende, two railway societies have operated a progressively rebuilt section of the line as a heritage railway. So far a four kilometre section near Schönheide Mitte as well as the two station yards at Schönheide Süd and Carlsfeld have been partially reconstructed.

In the mid-19th century the transport links to the town of Kirchberg and the surrounding area were extremely poor. There was just a messenger post four times a week - daily from 1850 - between Kirchberg and Silberstraße, which was supplemented in 1855 by a twice daily post coach. Thanks to the rise of the textile industry in the Kirchberg area, traffic volumes rose even more during the 1860s. Any further unfettered development of the textile industry, however, was limited by the need for water to provide power; this not only limited expansion, but also subjected the industry to seasonal variations. The construction of a railway would improve links to the emerging Zwickau Coalfield. In addition to reduced transport costs, the industry would also become more independent of the hydropower, in a region where the importation of coal from other areas was very difficult. Lignite imports from Bohemia, which were common in large parts of the Ore Mountains and its foreland until well into the 20th century, and were often one of the reasons for the construction of railway lines played no role in the Kirchberg area.