59-700: The Elz Valley Railway (German: Elztalbahn ) is a 19.3 km (12.0 mi) long, single-tracked, standard gauge branch line in the Black Forest area of the German state of Baden-Württemberg . The line branches off the Freiburg im Breisgau to Offenburg section of the Rhine Valley Railway at Denzlingen and runs up the valley of the River Elz to Waldkirch and Elzach . Whilst
118-649: A country (for example, 1,440 mm or 4 ft 8 + 11 ⁄ 16 in to 1,445 mm or 4 ft 8 + 7 ⁄ 8 in in France). The first tracks in Austria and in the Netherlands had other gauges ( 1,000 mm or 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in in Austria for the Donau Moldau line and 1,945 mm or 6 ft 4 + 9 ⁄ 16 in in
177-509: A dark blue "King Ludwig" livery, sponsored by model train manufacturer Märklin . A number of locomotives have been rebuilt and/or reclassified due to changing requirements: The DB Class 218.9 resulted from the Deutsche Bundesbahn's flirtation with diesel locomotives boosted by gas turbine engines in the 1970s. Problems with gas turbine engine lifespan, and reduced fuel efficiency, coupled with two turbine failures resulted in
236-500: A first step, operations were closed on Sundays in 1997. Two years later, an hourly service was introduced to Elzach, with additional trains between Freiburg and Waldkirch. The planned improvements to the service were implemented in December 2001 with half-hourly services to Waldkirch and hourly services to Elzach on workdays. In the evenings and on Sundays and public holidays there were hourly services to Elzach. From May to June 2009
295-418: A grey stripe, after the project ended they retained the livery until the 1990s when they received the orientrot scheme of the 'oriental red' color ( RAL 3031 ) with a white markings, the last 218 135 being repainted in 1996 The remaining Class 218 locomotives are almost entirely in the current traffic-red ( RAL 3020 ) colour scheme. As an oddity 218 473 was, for four years from April 2005 onwards, painted in
354-607: A low speed gear for heavier freight trains the locomotives became the main source of motive power in West Germany on both passenger and freight trains outside electrified sections. The turn of the second millennium and the preceding few years saw a change from locomotive hauled trains to increasing use of 'diesel railcars' (or DMUs, diesel multiple units ). This led to a reduction in the demand for these locomotives on passenger services, with many falling out of use, or only finding work pulling freight trains, nevertheless, in 2000
413-408: A significant number of the class still remain active throughout Germany. The locomotives of series 218 were the last of the V 160 family to be developed; the main new feature was the use of a single engine to provide tractive power as well as electrical train heating when required (via an attached generator), the simplification over the two engined DB Class 217 was preferred, and was made possible by
472-510: A standard gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ), and those in Ireland to a new standard gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ). In Great Britain, Stephenson's gauge was chosen on the grounds that existing lines of this gauge were eight times longer than those of the rival 7 ft or 2,134 mm (later 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in or 2,140 mm ) gauge adopted principally by
531-502: A standstill, and can transmit driver announcements when attached to a passenger train, in addition to equipment for passenger information systems. Originally the electrical power from the generator for the carriages was controlled with a simple Cycloconverter , later GTO Thyristor controlled supply circuits that had an intermediate DC circuit were used to create the AC carriage supply. (see Inverter ) The first locomotives were delivered in
590-654: Is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson ), international gauge , UIC gauge , uniform gauge , normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the most widely used track gauge around the world, with about 55% of the lines in the world using it. All high-speed rail lines use standard gauge except those in Russia , Finland , Uzbekistan , and some line sections in Spain . The distance between
649-766: Is currently operated by the Ghana Railway Company Limited . Kojokrom-Sekondi Railway Line (The Kojokrom-Sekondi line is a branch line that joins the Western Railway Line at Kojokrom ) Indian nationwide rail system ( Indian Railways ) uses 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ) broad gauge. 96% of the broad gauge network is electrified. The railway tracks of Java and Sumatra use 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ). Planned and under construction high-speed railways to use 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ) to maintain interoperability with
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#1732787708717708-501: The Class 218 locomotives forming the sub-series 225.8. The Class 218 was a successful design made with the most modern and sophisticated components that were available in 1968. With a relatively high speed of 140 km/h, the locomotives proved useful on TEE Bavaria , and with n-wagons with which they operated well past the year 2000. Furthermore, after the dissolution of the GDR, and
767-608: The Liverpool and Manchester Railway , authorised in 1826 and opened 30 September 1830. The extra half inch was not regarded at first as very significant, and some early trains ran on both gauges daily without compromising safety. The success of this project led to Stephenson and his son Robert being employed to engineer several other larger railway projects. Thus the 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) gauge became widespread and dominant in Britain. Robert
826-717: The 1950s—but never realised. In 1997 the Elz Valley Railway was selected by the Zweckverband Regionalverkehr Breisgau (Breisgau regional transport association, ZRF) together with the Freiburg–Breisach railway , as a pilot line for the Breisgau-S-Bahn 2005 integrated regional transport concept. In the following years the passenger service was expanded and the railway facilities were completely refurbished and renewed. As
885-610: The 218 217 in the burgundy and beige remained a loner, for almost thirty years, until 753 001 (ex 217 001) became the second locomotive from the V160 family to receive this colour scheme. By the late 2000s the turquoise/cream colour had virtually disappeared, the last representative being DB AutoZug 218 320. In 1984 for the City-Bahn railway on the Cologne - Gummersbach ten locomotives were painted in pure orange ( RAL 2004 ) with
944-913: The Great Western Railway. It allowed the broad-gauge companies in Great Britain to continue with their tracks and expand their networks within the "Limits of Deviation" and the exceptions defined in the Act. After an intervening period of mixed-gauge operation (tracks were laid with three rails), the Great Western Railway finally completed the conversion of its network to standard gauge in 1892. In North East England, some early lines in colliery ( coal mining ) areas were 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ), while in Scotland some early lines were 4 ft 6 in ( 1,372 mm ). The British gauges converged starting from 1846 as
1003-647: The Netherlands for the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij ), but for interoperability reasons (the first rail service between Paris and Berlin began in 1849, first Chaix timetable) Germany adopted standard gauges, as did most other European countries. The modern method of measuring rail gauge was agreed in the first Berne rail convention of 1886. Several lines were initially built as standard gauge but were later converted to another gauge for cost or for compatibility reasons. 2,295 km (1,426 mi) Victoria built
1062-600: The S-Bahn area of Frankfurt , 218 191 in the S-Bahn around Stuttgart , others at Darmstadt and Plochingen (218 191). Some of this sub-class were equipped for towing ICE trains, and used in multiple on the new (rebuilt) lines of Cologne - Rhine Main and Nuremberg - Ingolstadt . These 15 locomotives are based at the locomotive depots at Frankfurt/Main (nine locomotives) and Berlin-Rummelsburg (six locomotives). Class 215 and Class 218 locomotives transferred to DB Railion for freight work were renumbered as Class 225, with
1121-645: The advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. By the 1890s, the entire network was converted to standard gauge. The Royal Commission made no comment about small lines narrower than standard gauge (to be called "narrow gauge"), such as the Ffestiniog Railway . Thus it permitted a future multiplicity of narrow gauges in the UK. It also made no comments about future gauges in British colonies, which allowed various gauges to be adopted across
1180-451: The availability of a higher powered (~1840 kW) engine compared to the original DB Class V 160 (~1400 kW). In 1966 an initial twelve prototype locomotives were ordered from Krupp by the DB, for which the V 164 numbering was given, the main order came after the change to a 'computer compatible' UIC numbering scheme (See DB locomotive classification ) which gave the number 218 as
1239-509: The available power at rail being reduced when operating at full electric heating power some machines were fitted with a French 16 Pielstick PA4 V200 engine with around 2,700 horsepower (2,000 kW) built under license by KHD . MTU developed from the TB10 engine a TB11 with greater power of 2,800 hp (2,100 kW) which was fitted to more than half the class. With the introduction of more stringent emission requirements , as well as
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#17327877087171298-483: The coal mines of County Durham . He favoured 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) for wagonways in Northumberland and Durham , and used it on his Killingworth line. The Hetton and Springwell wagonways also used this gauge. Stephenson's Stockton and Darlington railway (S&DR) was built primarily to transport coal from mines near Shildon to the port at Stockton-on-Tees . Opening in 1825,
1357-597: The colonies. Parts of the United States, mainly in the Northeast, adopted the same gauge, because some early trains were purchased from Britain. The American gauges converged, as the advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. Notably, all the 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) broad gauge track in the South was converted to "almost standard" gauge 4 ft 9 in ( 1,448 mm ) over
1416-459: The course of two days beginning on 31 May 1886. See Track gauge in the United States . In continental Europe, France and Belgium adopted a 1,500 mm ( 4 ft 11 + 1 ⁄ 16 in ) gauge (measured between the midpoints of each rail's profile ) for their early railways. The gauge between the interior edges of the rails (the measurement adopted from 1844) differed slightly between countries, and even between networks within
1475-532: The development of the Elz Valley Railway. The electrification of the line, the construction of a crossing loop in Gutach and the modernisation of the signal technology with the building an electronic control centre in Waldkirch were planned to be completed by 2018. However, the upgrade, including the electrification of the future S 2 line, was not commenced until 2020. After the timetable change on 15 December 2019,
1534-498: The exhaust flow, preventing overhead wire being coated by any particulate or condensed emissions. The 'scoops' also increase the exhaust flow speed, by reducing the diameter of the exhaust - thus launching the combusted vapours higher in the air, and reducing the likelihood of passengers being coated with engine smoke. The Indusi safety system is usually a Lorenz Indusi I-60. The original 36-pin inter-unit electrical connectors allows double traction control, auto door locking when not at
1593-596: The financial burden for the town of Waldkirch was too high in the long run. So it gratefully accepted the offer of the state to purchase the railway on 1 April 1886. The Elz Valley Railway was extended by twelve kilometres to its current terminus in Elzach in 20 August 1901. An electrified 750 mm gauge railway to the Gütermann sewing thread factory connected at Gutach station. Different options for an extension via Oberprechtal to Hausach were often planned—most recently in
1652-740: The first railways to the 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) Irish broad gauge. New South Wales then built to the standard gauge, so trains had to stop on the border and passengers transferred, which was only rectified in the 1960s. Queensland still runs on a narrow gauge but there is a standard gauge line from NSW to Brisbane. NMBS/SNCB 3,619 km (2,249 mi) Brussels Metro 40 km (25 mi) Trams in Brussels 140 km (87 mi) 1,032 km (641 mi) The Toronto Transit Commission uses 4 ft 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 in ( 1,495 mm ) gauge on its streetcar and subway lines. Takoradi to Sekondi Route,
1711-429: The initial gauge of 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) was set to accommodate the existing gauge of hundreds of horse-drawn chaldron wagons that were already in use on the wagonways in the mines. The railway used this gauge for 15 years before a change was made, debuting around 1850, to the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge. The historic Mount Washington Cog Railway ,
1770-578: The initiative and had the 7.1 kilometre-long line from Waldkirch to Denzlingen built as a private railway. The Baden government established the legal basis for the construction on 30 March 1872 and a concession for it was granted on 29 August of the same year. Operation of the line, which was opened on 1 January 1875, was transferred to the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways ( Großherzoglich Badische Staatseisenbahnen ) in 1887. Although traffic—especially passenger transport—developed satisfactorily,
1829-534: The inner sides of the rails) to be used. Different railways used different gauges, and where rails of different gauge met – a " gauge break " – loads had to be unloaded from one set of rail cars and reloaded onto another, a time-consuming and expensive process. The result was the adoption throughout a large part of the world of a "standard gauge" of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ), allowing interconnectivity and interoperability. A popular legend that has circulated since at least 1937 traces
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1888-400: The inside edges of the rails is defined to be 1,435 mm except in the United States, Canada, and on some heritage British lines, where it is defined in U.S. customary / Imperial units as exactly "four feet eight and one half inches", which is equivalent to 1,435.1 mm. As railways developed and expanded, one of the key issues was the track gauge (the distance, or width, between
1947-524: The lack of rolling stock, multiple units from other SWEG networks are also used. The SWEG , who will operate the Elztalbahn after its modernization and electrification in 2020, ordered 12 Talent 3 railcars which are supposed to replace the old Regio-Shuttle railcars in December 2020. The cooperation agreement between RVG and Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (Baden-Württemberg local transport company; NVBW) of 11 March 2009 provides for
2006-506: The line the locomotives returned to normal stock duties, in December 1998 the locomotives were rebuilt again and became Class 218 machines once again. 15 locomotives were converted (in Bremen ) for towing and shunting tasks - being fitted with a Scharfenberg coupler for modern coaching stock, they are used on the S-Bahn networks; found in all the major railway stations. 218 228 is found in
2065-410: The locomotives needed to be approved for running at 160 km/h (the same maximum speed at which the original Class 210 had run). The original hydraulic transmission was rated in its upper gear to 160 km/h, but the drive shafts needed to be uprated for the increased speed. . The individual locomotive numbers were preserved - thus DB 218 430 became DB 210 430. Following the full electrification of
2124-404: The locomotives were still in use on mainline long-distance trains. By January 2008 there were approximately 220 copies still active. The design of the series as fundamentally the same as the rest of the V 160 family: all four axles are driven via cardan shafts by a Voith two speed hydraulic transmission which in turn is driven by a diesel engine, fuel and oil are located between the bogies under
2183-402: The main frame, on either side of the centrally located transmission, there are two cabs (which have slightly different windows). Externally the machines are very similar to the other members of the class, being of the longer variant at 16.4 m. The tractive and braking forces are transmitted to the main mass of the locomotive via transverse beams attached to the main longitudinal supporting beams,
2242-576: The merging of the two German railway systems they proved useful again on non-electrified sections of the former Deutsche Reichsbahn , however in the former West Germany some intercity services began to be operated by the DB Class 232 and 234 locomotives. The locomotives were stationed in the depots of Regensburg , Stendal , Lübeck , Brunswick , Ulm , Hagen , Mühldorf , Karlsruhe , Rostock Hbf, Kempten , Halting and Kaiserslautern . In 2000 there were 415 active machines, at this time also began
2301-404: The old diesel railcars operated until March 2020. Afterwards the line was under reconstruction and trains only ran between Freiburg and Denzlingen. A substitute bus service was due to run to Elzach until mid-December 2020. Standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). The standard gauge
2360-527: The opposite direction services run at a less regular alternating interval of 39 and 21 minutes. Deutsche Bundesbahn and DB Regio used locomotives of DB Class 218 until 2002, previously DB Class 212 locomotives hauling Silberling coaches and control cars were used. From around 1960, class V 100 (211) locomotives had hauled rebuilt three-axle coaches , which in turn had replaced Baden VI c (class 75.4) tank locomotives. The Breisgau S-Bahn has been using Regio-Shuttle railcars since December 2002. Due to
2419-505: The origin of the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge even further back than the coalfields of northern England, pointing to the evidence of rutted roads marked by chariot wheels dating from the Roman Empire . Snopes categorised this legend as "false", but commented that it "is perhaps more fairly labeled as 'Partly true, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons. ' " The historical tendency to place
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2478-557: The original Class 120 was used. Between the stations of Nauen and 'Berlin Zoological Gardens' the route was only partially electrified; in this electrification gap the train (complete with a DB Class 120 E-Lok) was towed by the diesels. In 1996 the machines for this task were created from locomotives 218 430 to 434 and 218 456 to 462 which were stationed in Lübeck and were in particularly good condition. For this task
2537-408: The original engines being badly worn, or in an attempt to improve efficiency, a number of upgrades have been investigated or fitted, including: Following the upgrades most of the class have either emission-improved TB11 engines or MTU 4000 engines. Since 1985, the locomotives have had additional engine exhaust devices fitted on the roof with a scoop like appearance – the purpose of these is to direct
2596-405: The outermost portions of the wheel rims, it became apparent that for vehicles travelling on rails, having main wheel flanges that fit inside the rails is better, thus the minimum distance between the wheels (and, by extension, the inside faces of the rail heads ) was the important one. A standard gauge for horse railways never existed, but rough groupings were used; in the north of England none
2655-493: The preferred features of the antecedent locomotives, including a hydrodynamic brake, and a single engine providing electrical train heating via a generator as well as tractive power. The class were also the most numerous of the family, providing the backbone of the Deutsche Bundesbahn's main-line diesel locomotive traction from the 1970s up to the reunification of Germany. Despite being displaced from many workings by DMUs , electrification, and inherited DR Class 130s , as of 2009
2714-521: The reporting code for this class of locomotives. The main series of 398 machines was produced between 1971 and 1979, by Krupp, Henschel , Krauss-Maffei and MaK . Additionally the engine DB 215 112, after being badly damaged in 1975 was repaired to Class 218 specification, and renumbered 218 399. With a power of 2500 to 2800 hp and a top speed of 140 km/h, and the ability to work in multiple with related classes 215, 216, 217 and 218 as well as other classes, and coupled with electric heating and
2773-411: The rest of the network. All other railways use 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ) ( broad gauge ) and/or 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) metre gauge . BLS , Rigi Railways (rack railway) 449 km Several states in the United States had laws requiring road vehicles to have a consistent gauge to allow them to follow ruts in
2832-519: The road. Those gauges were similar to railway standard gauge. DB Class 218 The DB Class 218 (before 1968 the DB Class V 164 ) are a class of 4-axle, diesel-hydraulic locomotives acquired by the Deutsche Bundesbahn for use on main and secondary lines for both passenger and freight trains. The class represents the final major revision of the DB V 160 family of locomotives ; having
2891-490: The small class of eight Class 210 machines being rebuilt as class 218.9 at the beginning of the 1980s. This subclass was number 218-901 to 218-908 . They were decommissioned and scrapped between 2004 and 2006. A second set of locomotives designated Class 210 was created by the Deutsche Bahn AG in 1996 for the inter-city line from Munich via Berlin to Hamburg with non powered driving trailers , on which
2950-493: The superstructure is made from sheet steel, forming a shell. The framework supported on coil springs on the bogies, from 218 299 onwards flexicoil suspension was used, per bogie side and from the bogies. There are two walkways connecting the cabins inside the body. Over time, several diesel engines have been used as propulsion; the first series received the MA MTU 12V 956 TB10 with 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) Because of
3009-492: The term "narrow gauge" for gauges less than standard did not arise for many years, until the first such locomotive-hauled passenger railway, the Ffestiniog Railway , was built. In 1845, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , a Royal Commission on Railway Gauges reported in favour of a standard gauge. The subsequent Gauge Act ruled that new passenger-carrying railways in Great Britain should be built to
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#17327877087173068-668: The track is owned by DB Netz AG , passenger services on the Elztalbahn are provided by the Breisgau S-Bahn , whose trains continue over the Upper Rhine Valley line to Freiburg Central Station . Typical service is two trains per hour from Freiburg to Waldkirch, with one train continuing to Elzach. Because no private investors were willing to finance a connection to the Elz Valley, the town of Waldkirch took
3127-404: The tracks between Waldkirch and Elzach were renewed. The original trough-shaped steel sleepers were replaced by steel Y-shaped sleepers . The superstructure allows an axle load of 22.4 tons and it should be 70 to 80 years before the tracks need to be relayed. Today the line is owned by DB Netz . Since 15 December 2002, local rail transport services have been provided by Breisgau-S-Bahn , which
3186-453: The usual 'crimson' ( RAL 3004 ) of that time. In 1974 218 217 and 218 218 were used as test vehicles for new colour schemes : 218 218 was the first locomotive in the new ocean blue-beige (turquoise/cream) finish ( RAL 5020 / RAL 1001 ). 218 217 received an experimental livery in the TEE red and beige ( RAL 1001 / RAL 3004 ). The turquoise/cream colour became a new standard for the 218, whilst
3245-434: The wheels of horse-drawn vehicles around 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) apart probably derives from the width needed to fit a carthorse in between the shafts. Research, however, has been undertaken to support the hypothesis that "the origin of the standard gauge of the railway might result from an interval of wheel ruts of prehistoric ancient carriages". In addition, while road-travelling vehicles are typically measured from
3304-426: The world's first mountain -climbing rack railway , is still in operation in the 21st century, and has used the earlier 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) gauge since its inauguration in 1868. George Stephenson introduced the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge (including a belated extra 1 ⁄ 2 in (13 mm) of free movement to reduce binding on curves ) for
3363-784: Was less than 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ). Wylam colliery's system, built before 1763, was 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ), as was John Blenkinsop 's Middleton Railway ; the old 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ) plateway was relaid to 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) so that Blenkinsop's engine could be used. Others were 4 ft 4 in ( 1,321 mm ) (in Beamish ) or 4 ft 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,410 mm ) (in Bigges Main (in Wallsend ), Kenton , and Coxlodge ). English railway pioneer George Stephenson spent much of his early engineering career working for
3422-454: Was merged into its parent company Südwestdeutsche Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (Southwest German transport, SWEG) in December 2017. Regio-Shuttle railcars run regularly from Freiburg to Elzach every hour with trains crossing in Waldkirch at the usual symmetry minute , that is shortly before the half hour. In addition, there are additional trains to Waldkirch on weekdays, so that there is a half-hourly cycle between Freiburg and Waldkirch, but in
3481-605: Was reported to have said that if he had had a second chance to choose a gauge, he would have chosen one wider than 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ). "I would take a few inches more, but a very few". During the " gauge war " with the Great Western Railway , standard gauge was called " narrow gauge ", in contrast to the Great Western's 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2,140 mm ) broad gauge . The modern use of
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