1st June 1938
Sommerberg funicular railway

Sommerberg funicular railway

The Sommerbergbahn is a funicular railway in Baden-Württemberg that runs from Bad Wildbad (420m above sea level) to the Sommerberg. The length of the route is 738 meters, the height difference to the intermediate stop at Panoramastation is 80 meters and to the mountain station is 291 meters. The gradient is between 37 and 53 percent. Two cars run on a gauge of 1000 millimeters (meter gauge), which meet at the passing point in the middle .

The summer mountain railway was opened on 23rd May 1908, and construction began in April 1907. The construction was only made possible by private investors who founded a stock corporation to build the railway. The total costs were around 483,000 marks.

In 1910 the railway became the property of the city and has been run as a municipal company ever since. It was modernised in 1928 and 1968. In 1947, the waiting and viewing hall of the mountain station burned down and was replaced in 1954 by architect Rudolf Lempp with a new three-story building with a waiting room, café-restaurant and viewing terrace. The valley station was rebuilt between 1978 and 1980. In 1981/1982 the railway and track structure were renovated, and in 2003/2004 the escape route was expanded.

The 1928 modernisation was led by the technical director of Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB), Paul Loercher, who came from Calw , near Wildbad. The experiences with the Wildbader Bahn were incorporated into the design of the SSB's Stuttgart funicular. This was also built and put into operation in 1929 by the Esslingen machine factory, as the first semi-automatic funicular in Germany.

From November 29, 2010, the summer mountain railway was completely renovated. The entire track and the remaining operating technology, including the wagons, were replaced. This was necessary in order to maintain the future viability of the railway. The overhaul by the Swiss company Garaventa lasted until autumn 2011 and amounted to a new building. The new summer mountain railway undertook its maiden voyage on 30th September 2011 and was inaugurated with a ceremony from 1st to 3rd October.

The new cars were named King Wilhelm II and Queen Charlotte in memory of the Württemberg royal couple, who used the mountain railway to travel to the Sommerberg during their visit on 1st July 1910.

Source: Wikipedia

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