Holenbrunn–Selb railway

The Holenbrunn–Selb railway was a branch line in Bavaria in southern Germany. It opened on 25 October 1894 initially just between Selb-Plößberg to Selb Untere Stadt. At Selb Untere Stadt this Lokalbahn line branched from the Cheb–Oberkotzau railway that went to Asch and Franzensbad over the border. The railway continued, as a goods line only, to the Hutschenreuther porcelain factory at Ludwigsmühle.

Holenbrunn–Selb-Plößberg
Overview
Line number	5032 (Holenbrunn–Selb Stadt), 5033 (Selb-Plößberg–Selb Stadt)
Service
Route number	858 (Selb Stadt–Selb-Plößberg)
Technical
Line length	26.5 km (16.5 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Route map km elev from Weiden from Leupoldsdorf 0.0 Wunsiedel-Holenbrunn (formerly Holenbrunn) to Hof 2.9 Göpfersgrün 4.7 Johanneszeche 8.0 Thiersheim 12.4 Höchstädt-Thierstein 15.8 Schwarzenhammer 19.8 Unterweißenbach 22.7 3.8 Selb Stadt (former station) 2.7 Selb Nord Hutschenreuther porcelain factory siding Selb Untere Stadt (1894-1914) 1.7 Erkersreuth from Cheb 0.0 Selb-Plößberg (former station) to Oberkotzau (–Hof) Source: German railway atlas

History

On 1 May 1914 the Lokalbahn was extended via Thiersheim to Holenbrunn on the Hof–Marktredwitz line. As a result, the station of Untere Stadt was closed and a new station with goods facilities were built to the north of the town and called Selb Stadt. A small shed (Bahnbetriebswerk), which was maintained by Bw Hof, enabled locomotives to be serviced. Today a small railway museum is housed in this shed.

Numerous industrial sidings ran into the porcelain factories in the vicinity of the town that, like the Rosenthal AG, were worked by their own diesel locomotives or like, Heinrich & Co., with a fireless locomotive that handled goods wagons on the firm’s site.

Cross-border passenger services from Selb-Plößberg to Asch were suspended in 1945 at the end of the Second World War and reopened in 2015. The 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long section from Selb-Stadt via Höchstädt-Thierstein to Holenbrunn was finally closed in 1986.

When Wunsiedel Stadt station was closed to passenger services, Holenbrunn station was renamed Wunsiedel-Holenbrunn station.

References

Sources

• Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland [German railway atlas]. Schweers + Wall. 2017. ISBN 978-3-89494-146-8.

External links

• History of the railway in Selb (private)