The Soultz-Haut-Rhin Railway (German Sulzerbahn) was a 9.8 km (6.1 mi) long military light railway with a track gauge of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) that the Germans built and operated during World War I from Soultz-Haut-Rhin to the Niederwald terminus below the Hartmannswillerkopf near Wattwiller in Alsace.
| Soultz-Haut-Rhin Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sulzerbahn with the Hartmannswillerkopf in the background[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 9.8 km (6.1 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Route
editThe route began in Soultz and ran on the Rue de la Marne, the Promenade de la Citadelle and the Rue du Sudel. It crossed the Wuenheimerbach east of Wuenheim on a stone bridge and then ran to the southwest and west of Château d’Ollwiller to the Gaede station, the lower station of a cable car, and the Waldfrieden, Alm and Niederwald stations.[2]
Another narrow gauge railway ran from Sproesser station to Schlummerklippe, which was operated by hand or horses.[3]
Operation
editNormally, 10 to 15 trains ran per day, being hauled by two Deutz benzene locomotives.
References
edit- ^ Zur Erinnerung an die Bereisung von Bahnen, die vom Kodeis B (Kommandeur der Eisenbahntruppen) gebaut bzw. betrieben wurden, in der Zeit vom 28.5. - 3.6.1918, Goswin van Haag, Hauptmann & Kommandeur der Eisenbahntruppen i.B. der Armee-Abt B.
- ^ Hartmannswillerkopf: La Voie Serpentine - Chemin de Fer et Téléphériques.
- ^ Thierry Ehret: Hartmannsweilerkopf.