View source for Witten–Schwelm railway

{{Short description|Largely abandoned railway line in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name             = Witten–Schwelm railway
| routenumber      = 450.8 <small>(Gevelsberg West–Schwelm)</small>
| linenumber       = *2143 <small>(Witten–Schwelm)</small>
*2144 <small>(Witten Höhe–Wengern Ost)</small>
| linelength       = {{convert|4.6|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} and {{convert|19.7|km|mi|1|abbr=on}}
| gauge            = {{Track gauge|sg|allk=on}}
| electrification  = [[15 kV AC railway electrification|15 kV/16.7 Hz]] AC overhead catenary (<small>Witten–Wengern Ost and Gevelsberg West–Schwelm)</small>
| speed            = {{convert|100|km/h|mph|1|abbr=on}} (max)
| tracks           = 2 (<small>Witten–Wengern Ost and Gevelsberg West–Schwelm</small>)
| image            = Karte Witten Schwelm.png
| image_width      = 280px
| locale          = [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], Germany
| map             =
{{Routemap|inline=1|title =no |footnote=Source: German railway atlas<ref name=Eisenbahnatlas >{{cite book|title=Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas) |publisher= Schweers + Wall | year= 2009 |isbn= 978-3-89494-139-0|pages=138–39, 141–3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://eisenbahntunnel-portal.de/lb/inhalt/tunnelportale/2143.html |title= Photographs of portals of tunnels on line 2143|publisher=Tunnelportale |author=Lothar Brill|language=German |accessdate=2 January 2018}}</ref> |map=
ABZ+lr~~ ~~ ~~[[Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg railway|Main line from Duisburg/Dortmund]]
ABZg+l~~ ~~ ~~[[Elberfeld–Dortmund railway|S-Bahn line from Dortmund]]
S+BHF~~0.0~~[[Witten Hauptbahnhof|Witten Hbf]]
BS2+l\BS2+r~~ ~~ ~~[[Elberfeld–Dortmund railway|Main line to Hagen]]
hKRZWae\~~1.4~~ ~~[[Ruhr Viaduct (Witten)]] (716 m)
KRZo\STR+r~~1.9~~ ~~{{BSsplit|[[Ruhr Valley Railway]]|from Hattingen (Ruhr)}}
eBHF\STR~~2.7~~Witten-Höhe
xABZgl\ABZg+r~~ ~~ ~~(original route of 1926)
exSTR\BHF~~4.6~~[[Wengern]] Ost
exBS2l\BS2lxc~~ ~~ ~~[[Ruhr Valley Railway|Ruhr Valley Railway to Hagen]]
exBHF~~5.0~~[[Wengern]] West
exBHF~~8.4~~Albringhausen
extSTRa~~11.2~~ ~~Silschede Tunnel (845 m)
extKRZ~~ ~~ ~~[[Schee–Silschede railway]]
extSTRe
exHST~~12.0~~[[Asbeck (Gevelsberg)|Asbeck]]
exSBRÜCKE~~ ~~ ~~[[Bundesautobahn 1|A 1]]
exTUNNEL1~~13.3~~ ~~Klosterholz Tunnel (350 m)
xABZg+l~~ ~~ ~~[[Düsseldorf-Derendorf–Dortmund Süd railway|S-Bahn line from Hagen]] {{ric|Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn|8}} {{ric|Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn|9}}
SBHF~~15.5~~[[Gevelsberg West station|Gevelsberg West]]
eBS2+l\BS2+r~~ ~~ ~~(lines formerly running parallel)
exTUNNEL1\TUNNEL1~~ ~~ ~~{{BSsplit|Schwelm tunnel (743 m)|and Linderhausen (945 m) tunnel}}
exSTRr\STR~~ ~~ ~~Former [[Düsseldorf-Derendorf–Dortmund Süd railway|Wuppertal North Railway]]
STR+l\ABZgr~~18.2~~[[Linderhausen]] junction
TUNNEL2\TUNNEL2~~ ~~ ~~{{BSsplit|Präsident-Hoefft Tunnel|(182/172 m)}}
ABZg+l\KRZu~~ ~~ ~~[[Elberfeld–Dortmund railway|Main line from Hagen]]
BHF\SBHF~~19.7~~[[Schwelm station|Schwelm]]
STR\STR~~ ~~ ~~[[Elberfeld–Dortmund railway|Main line to Wuppertal]] {{ric|Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn|8}} {{ric|Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn|9}}
}}
}}
The '''Witten–Schwelm railway''' (also called the ''Elbschetalbahn'', '''Elbsche Valley Railway''') is a now disused [[railway line]], except for short sections at each end located in the [[Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis]], a district in the southeastern [[Ruhr]] area in the German state of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]].
The 4.6&nbsp;km long double-track and electrified section from [[Witten Hauptbahnhof]] to Wengern Ost is now used for the transport of freight.
The 17&nbsp; km long and single-track section from Witten-Höhe to Schwelm was intended to be a part of a relief route from the Ruhr to [[Cologne]]. It was envisaged that the line to Schwelm would have been extended to the south via Lennep (near [[Remscheid]]) to Cologne, but this was not completed due to the outbreak of the First World War.
== History ==
Work on the line began in 1911 and although ultimately only part of the original plan was completed, this was delayed until 1934. Thus [[Deutsche Reichsbahn]] opened the first section from the Witten Hauptbahnhof via Witten-Höhe to Wengern Ost on 4 October 1926 with connections to the [[Ruhr Valley Railway]] from [[Hattingen (Ruhr) station|Hattingen]] to [[Hagen Hauptbahnhof|Hagen]]. It was then used exclusively for freight for about ten years, relieving the [[Elberfeld–Dortmund railway]].<ref name=L2143>{{cite web| url= http://nrwbahnarchiv.bplaced.net/strecken/2143.htm | title= Line 2143: Witten - Schwelm |work=NRW Rail Archive |publisher= André Joost |accessdate=28 November 2013 |language=German}}</ref><ref name=L2144>{{cite web| url= http://nrwbahnarchiv.bplaced.net/strecken/2144.htm | title= Line 2144: Witten - Schwelm |work=NRW Rail Archive |publisher= André Joost |accessdate=28 November 2013 |language=German}}</ref>
The economic decline during and after the war was the reason for the drawn-out construction of the main part of the line, with most works carried out before 1914.<ref name=L2143/> The necessary work to complete the line was implemented in the early 1930s as a job creation measure. The cost of building the line eventually amounted to 50 million [[Reichsmark]]s.
In the period from 1934 to 1939, a total of 23 passenger trains, including five express trains, operated on the line daily. In addition, there was a considerable amount of freight.
During the Second World War, the Silschede Tunnel and the Klosterholz Tunnel were used under the code names ''Buchfink'' and ''Goldammer'' as underground factories under the ''U-Verlagerung'' Program for the production of weapons, using forced labour.<ref name=L2143/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.historisches-centrum.de/zwangsarbeit/stollen.html | title=Unterirdische Rüstungsverlagerungen|publisher=Historisches Centrum Hagen |language=German |accessdate= 28 November 2013}}</ref>
The operation of the railway was resumed after 1945,<ref name=L2143/> but traffic decreased steadily in the postwar period. As a result of this decrease, passenger services were closed on the middle section from Witten-Höhe via Wengern West and Albringhausen to [[Gevelsberg West station|Gevelsberg West]] on 30 November 1979. All traffic on this section ended on 14 January 1980 and the line was formally closed on 1 January 1983.<ref name=L2143/>
== Route ==
The line included some elaborate viaducts and railway tunnels, which included the [[Ruhr (river)|Ruhr]] viaduct near [[Witten]]. More viaducts could be found in Wengern over the Elbsche and in [[Gevelsberg]]. There were two 900 m-long tunnels located at Silschede and north of [[Schwelm]].
The line was well constructed from a technical perspective with:
*double track
*low gradients
*large curve radii
*large tunnel cross-sections
*no level crossings.
It was planned to what were considered European standards. Nevertheless, only part of the planned route was built.
== Current situation ==
The northern part of the route is now again used only for freight, while the southern portion through the 945 m long Linderhausen Tunnel from Gevelsberg to Schwelm is used by S-Bahn line S 8 and S 9 of the [[Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr]] (Rhine-Ruhr Transport Association) to link the [[Düsseldorf-Derendorf–Dortmund Süd railway]] and the [[Elberfeld–Dortmund railway]].
== Planning ==
It is planned to build a cycle path on the disused part of the line.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.derwesten.de/staedte/schwelm/radeln-ueber-historische-bruecken-id7672211.html|title=Radeln über historische Brücken |publisher= WAZ |date=28 February 2013 |language=German |accessdate=28 November 2013}}</ref> The route runs through a scenic area with two viaducts and two tunnels, including the 845 m-long Silschede Tunnel, which would be extraordinary long for a tunnel on a cycle path. Because of these structures, however, the financing of the project is not yet clear, since, for example, the lighting of the tunnel would cause substantial costs.
Part of the route has already been upgraded for a section of the “From Ruhr to Ruhr” cycleway (''Von-Ruhr-zur-Ruhr-Radweg'').
== Henriette Davidis ==
During the construction of the line, the house in which [[Henriette Davidis]] worked for a long time had to be demolished. The plate of the stove on which many of her recipes were developed was installed in the wall of a small bridge. The bridge can be found on Henriette-Davidis-Weg in Wengern.
== Gallery ==
<gallery widths=180>
File:NRW, Witten - Hauptbahnhof.jpg|[[Witten Hauptbahnhof]]
File:Witten Ruhrviadukt 121208.JPG|Ruhr valley viaduct near Witten
File:Elbschebahn5.jpg|Underpass at Wengern
File:Viadukt Wengern.jpg|Elbschebach valley viaduct near Wengern
File:Elbschebahn3.jpg|One of three typical underpasses in the Elbsche valley
File:Elbschebahn4a.jpg|Cooking plate used as a plaque for [[Henriette Davidis]]
File:Tunnel Silschede.jpg|North portal of the ''Silschede Tunnel''
File:Elbschebahn2.jpg|Station building of Albringhausen
File:Elbschebahn1.jpg|Stefansbach valley viaduct in Gevelsberg
File:Schwelm - Bahnhof 02 ies.jpg|[[Schwelm station]]
</gallery>
== References ==
{{commons category|Bahnstrecke Witten–Schwelm|Witten–Schwelm railway }}
{{Reflist}}
{{coord missing|North Rhine-Westphalia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witten-Schwelm railway}}
[[Category:Railway lines in North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Closed railway lines in Germany]]
[[Category:Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1934]]
[[Category:1934 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Ruhr]]
[[Category:Witten]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis]]