History
After the Zschopau Valley Railway from Chemnitz to Komotau was opened in 1872, plans were made to also connect the former mining town of Oberwiesenthal to the Saxon Railway system. The requirements and qualifications to build a narrow gauge railway from Cranzahl were already fulfilled by 1884, but it wasn't until April 6 of 1896 that construction started. The railway opening took place on July 20, 1897.By the end of that year, 67,756 passengers (and 57 dogs) had already traveled on the new railway.
Passenger count increased in the following years, and tourism played an increasing role in the passenger count. Freight traffic also increased significantly. Until 1906, freight had to be transloaded in Cranzahl, since then transporter wagons made the extra cargo handling unnecessary. The biggest cargo customer - even until the mid-1990s - was the quarry in Hammerunterwiesenthal, requiring around 30 freight cars daily.
After 1990 the railway lost its status as the most important carrier into Oberwiesenthal (which is the highest town in Germany), and in 1992 freight service was terminated. After 1994, the Deutsche Bahn became the new owner, and planned to either dismantle the railway, or sell it.
For the 100 year anniversary, the communities along the track, together with the operators of the Pressnitz Valley Railway and the Lößnitzgrund Railway organized a fest week that drew 40,000 visitors. With different rolling stock of narrow gauge railways from all over Germany, a train schedule of extra and regularly scheduled trains meant that there was a train on the track almost every hour. Fun fairs along the track and historic trains ensured the success of the event.
New thinking started after the success of the event, and the district of Annaberg prepared the acquisition of the railway. On June 1, 1998, the operator BVO Bahn GmbH, since 2007 Saxon Steam Railway Company took over operations from the Deutsche Bahn, and renamed the railway to the catchier Fichtelbergbahn. The new operator aligned operations with the tourism in the surrounding area, and within relative short time achieved country-wide recognition. Especially during the winter months the railway now has similar significance as in its heyday, as winter sports tourists in the towns of Neudorf and Cranzahl can reach the ski areas of Oberwiesenthal with ease and in style.
Read more about this topic: Fichtelberg Railway
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