Bavarian Zugspitze Railway

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Garmisch–Zugspitzplatt
Early photograph from May 1931
Early photograph from May 1931
File:LandkarteZugspitzbahn.jpg
Route number: 11031
Line number: 9540
Line length: 19.0 km
Track gauge: 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
Voltage: 1500 V DC
Electrification: Catenary
Maximum incline: Adhesion 3.51  %
Rack rail 25  %
Rack system: Riggenbach
Maximum speed: 70 km/h
State: Bayern
from Munich
0,0 Garmisch 705 m
Mittenwald Railway to Innsbruck
1,2 Hausbergbahn
2.0 Rießerseeclosed in 1985
3.0 Bridge over the Außerfern Railway
to Kempten (Allgäu)
3.1 Katzenstein Tunnel (75 m)
4.1 Kreuzeck- / Alpspitz Railway 754 m
5.5 Hammersbach 766 m
7.5 GrainauBeginn Zahnstange 751 m
Depot
8.4 Crossing loop 1
9.8 Crossing loop 2
10.7 Eibsee 1008 m
11.9 Water tank station 1152 m
13.0 Kleiner Tunnel (70 m)
13.4 Crossing loop 3 1478 m
14.1 Riffelriss 1640 m
14.2 1640 m
15.0 Window 1 1820 m
16.2 Crossing loop 4 2115 m
17.1 Höllental
18.1
0.0
2525 m
Zugspitze Tunnel (4466 m)
18.6 Schneefernerhaus 2650 m
Rosi Tunnel (975 m)
0.9 Zugspitzplatt 2588 m

The Bavarian Zugspitze Railway (German: Bayerische Zugspitzbahn) is one of four rack railways still working in Germany, along with the Wendelstein Railway, the Drachenfels Railway and the Stuttgart Rack Railway. The metre gauge line runs from Garmisch in the centre of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. The line culminates at 2,650 metres above sea level, which makes it the highest railway in Germany and the third highest in Europe.

The line is operated by the Bayerischen Zugspitzbahn Bergbahn AG (BZB), whose majority owner is the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Municipal Works. In 2007 the Zugspitze Railway was nominated for a Historic landmarks of civil engineering in Germany award.

The Zugspitze is also accessible via the Eibsee Cable Car or Tyrolean Zugspitze Cable Car.

History

Opening of the line

The railway was built between 1928 and 1930 and opened in three stages. The first was the 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) long centre section between Grainau and the Eibsee which went into operation on 19 February 1929. On 19 December 1929 it was followed by the 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) long section between Garmisch and Grainau, including the important tourist connexion to the main railway network of the Deutsche Reichsbahn. On 8 July 1930 the last 7.9 kilometres (4.9 mi) long section between the Eibsee and the – now closed – summit station of Schneefernerhaus was opened, including the final 4,466 metres (14,652 ft) long Zugspitze Tunnel.

New summit section since 1987

In 1987 the route of the railway in the summit area was changed and the 975 metres (3,199 ft) long "Rosi Tunnel" opened. The tunnel was named after the skier, Rosi Mittermaier, who was the tunnel patroness (Tunnelpatin) at the time. The tunnel branches from the 1930-built Zugspitze Tunnel about three-quarters of the way along it, and runs to the somewhat lower Zugspitzplatt plateau at 2,588 metres (8,491 ft). Here, below the Sonn-Alpin Restaurant is the new Glacier Station (Gletscher-Bahnhof) in the middle of the ski area.

The overall length of the Zugspitze Railway was extended from 18.6 kilometres (11.6 mi) to its current 19.0 kilometres (11.8 mi). For five years, both termini were worked in parallel, but since November 1992 the old route to the Schneefernerhaus has no longer been routinely worked.

Route

The Zugspitze Railway starts in the quarter of Garmisch at a height of 705 metres (2,313 ft). Here the BZB runs its own terminal station which is operationally entirely separate from the adjacent standard gauge station of the Deutsche Bahn AG. Moreover, it is still just called Garmisch, whereas the DB station bears the double-barrelled name of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, reflecting the contentious merger, formally in 1935, of the two municipalities.[1]

For the first 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi), as far as Grainau, the Zugspitze Railway runs as an adhesion line. Of this section, the first 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) run parallel to the Ausserfern Railway, built in 1913. The mountain section begins in Grainau station, is equipped with a Riggenbach rack system, and is 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) long.

In former days there would be a change of engine in Grainau between the valley loco (Tallok) and the mountain loco (Berglok); today the railcars work the entire line. The railway climbs steeply uphill from Grainau, passes Eibsee station and finally arrives at the halt of Riffelriss. Immediately after the halt is the entrance to the Zugspitze Tunnel, which together with the Rosi Tunnel takes trains to the current terminus at Zugspitzplatt.

Technical

The Zugspitzbahn runs from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Zugspitzplatt, a distance of 19.0 km. The track gauge is 1,000 mm and the electrification system is 1,500 V D.C.[2]

Gallery

  • Zugspitzbahn - train at Garmisch-Partenkirchen - geo.hlipp.de - 3748.jpg

    The starting point of the railway in August 1982

  • 250610 Bayerische Zugspitzbahn 03.JPG

    ...... and in June 2010

  • Haltestelle Riffelriss Ausblick.jpg

    View from the halt at Riffelriss, immediately before the entrance to the summit tunnel

  • Altitude sign - Zugspitzbahn.jpg

    height signpost in the tunnel

  • Zugspitztunnel.svg

    Detailed diagram of the Zugspitze Tunnel

  • Profil Zugspitzbahn.png

    Simplified profile of the line

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Karl Arne Richter (editor), Europäische Bahnen '11, Eurailpress, Hamburg, 2010, ISBN 978-3-7771-0413-3;

Bibliography

External links

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