Celebrations in Saxony
Ten years on,the rain-sodden centenary of the Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal line is recalled by Philip Horton.
The opening of the narrow-gauge Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal line on 19 July 1897 probably went largely unreported outside the immediate area. The line was one of many similar ones opened during this period by the Saxon State Railway. A few years earlier the Government had determined that 750mm should become the norm for lines in areas where standard gauge would be difficult to construct or could not be justified financially. Building narrow-gauge railways was therefore the Government’s only option if it was to achieve its objective of putting a railway within one hour’s walk of every inhabitant. The small town of Cranzahl, in the Erzgebirge region of southern Saxony, was already served by a railway, the standard gauge single line between AnnabergBuchholz and Chomutov, now in the Czech Republic. Although today the rail border crossing is little used, in 1897 it formed an important link between the major cities of two of Europe’s super-powers, the German Reich and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The narrow-gauge line climbs steadily away from Cranzahl, 654 metres above sea level, along the valley side above the village of Neudorf, five kilometres away. Climbing then begins in earnest through woodland to the hamlet of KretschamRothensehma situated eight kilometres from Cranzahl and 792 metres above sea level. Just beyond Kretscham the line crosses the watershed and descends slightly into Hammerunterwiesenthal. Here it runs along the border with the Czech Republic before climbing once more into Oberwiesenthal itself, 17.3 kilometres from Cranzahl and 893 metres above sea level. The town is reputedly the highest in Germany.
Although the line was originally promoted to tap the rich mineral and timber resources of the Erzgebirge region, Oberwiesenthal soon developed into a health resort. The prefix ‘Kurort’ or ‘curing place’ was then added to the station name. The disease from which visitors hoped to be cured was all too frequently tuberculosis. In addition, with the increasing popularity of winter sports, Oberwiesenthal also flourished as a major skiing resort. Local legend has it that a Norwegian construction worker on the railway brought his
skis with him and hence introduced skiing to the area! Whether or not this is true, the prosperity of town and railway have been closely linked with skiing ever since. Since 1897 the fortunes of the line have waxed and waned as wars were fought and lost. In 1938 the infamous ‘Munich Agreement’ between Britain, France and Hitler’s Germany allowed Czech land along the German border, the Sudetenland, to be ceded to Germany. It was restored to Czechoslovakia after the Second World War. After the War the East German
(Top) Meyer tanks Nos. 99 1542-2 and 99 1608-1 leave Cranzahl with the 15.48 to Oberwiesenthal on 19 July 1997. The inscription on the side tank of 1542-2 sends good wishes for the 100th anniversary from the nearby Pressnitztalbahn line, where the locomotive is preserved. At the time No. 1608remained a DB engine. The train also included the DB’s traditional stock including two open coaches, then based at Radebeul. (Lower) The same two locomotives pause at Hammerunterwiesenthal on the 18.05 special from Oberwiesenthal to pass the 17.32 service train from Cranzahl, which has arrived behind 2-10-2T No. 099 749-4. 19 July 1997.
NARROW GAUGE WORLD – N0 52 ■11
