Haspe–Voerde–Breckerfeld Light Railway
The Haspe–Voerde–Breckerfeld Light Railway (German: Kleinbahn Haspe-Voerde-Breckerfeld) was a narrow-gauge railway linking the cities of Breckerfeld and Voerde with Haspe to the Bergisch-Märkische railway. Construction lasted from 1901 to 1906. The original owners were:
- The country of Prussia
- Provinzialverband Westphalia
- Voerde, formerly a municipality; now belongs to Ennepetal
This narrow-gauge railway was 18.39 km (11.43 mi) long and ran 2.4 km (1.5 mi) over publicly owned roads. The majority of the span was sub-graded. The line's most important role was the provision of goods services in the valley of Hasperbach and from the Breckerfeld plateau. For this purpose, a standard gauge was used. The railway passed over the Haspe Dam. One of the trains is now in display in a museum railway in Switzerland ([1]).
After World War I, the company went into financial crisis and had to adjust its passenger load in 1921 due to the economic downturn.
To avoid bankruptcy, the company was bought in 1927 by Hagener Straßenbahn AG in Hagen, and the city of Hagen expanded its services at that time. The railway was then electrified, using 1100 V DC.
Today only the station at Breckerfeld, the viaduct below the Haspe dam, the locomotive shed and the transformer works at Hagen-Haspe by the shooting range are left. The trackbed is now largely used as a walking route and cycle path. The inclines do not exceed 3% at any point, so it is a very comfortable route for those cycling from the Ruhrgebiet into the Sauerland.
The route of the Kleinbahn, together with the Herkulesbahn at Kassel is one of the most picturesque rural railway lines in Germany. It runs out of the narrow valley of the Hasperbach with a bend in the area of the Haspe Dam and again at Voerde station onto the broad plateau of Breckerfeld, that dominates the surrounding area at a height of 350 m above sea level (Normalnull).
External links
(in German)
