Hantzbahn

Hantzbahn
Military steam locomotive (Brigadelok) at km 1.2 of the Hantzbahn with a view onto the Katzenstein
Technical
Line length	25.7 km (16.0 mi)
Track gauge	600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
Route map Former route of the light railway on a modern map[1] Height profile in a longitudinal section km (mi)[2] m (ft)[2] 0.0 (0.0) Heiligblasien St Blaise 445 (1,460) 3.3 (2.1) Zollhaus 552 m (1,811 ft) 6.4 (4.0) Hantz 655 m (2,149 ft) 8.4 (5.2) Spanische Wand German for paravent 10.0 (6.2) St. Ludwig St. Louis 770 m (2,530 ft) 15.7 (9.8) Wildpark Les Broques 18.2 (11.3) Zig zag 1. 20.5 (12.7) Zig zag 2. 24.1 (15.0) Grenzhorn Brafosse 467 m (1,532 ft) 25.7 (16.0) Jägersteig Bestru 440 m (1,440 ft)

The Hantzbahn was a 25.7 km (16 mi) long narrow-gauge railway with a gauge of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) from Saint-Blaise-la-Roche in Alsace over the Hantz Pass and beyond.[3]

History

The Hantzbahn was laid in 1916 during World War I by German troops, Russian prisoners of war and local civilians as a military light railway using prefabricated rail track panels with a length of 5 meters.[3] The railway was 25.7 km (16 mi) long and connected Saint-Blaise-la-Roche with Ban-de-Sapt to transport weapons, ammunition and supplies to the front and to return wounded soldiers in the opposite direction to hospitals. The highest point of the railway was 798 m (2,618 ft) at Col des Braques about 2 km (1.2 mi) west of Saales. The railway ended in Bestru, a district in Provenchères-sur-Fave.

Route

The light railway connected Saint-Blaise via the Hantz Pass with the front line at Ban-de-Sapt, in order to transport weapons, ammunition and supplies to the front and wounded soldiers in the opposite direction to the hospitals.[3]

Operation

Timetable

The light railway line started operating in July 1916. The operation was organized according to a timetable with precise service instructions regarding the type of locomotives, the number of wagons, the speeds and the tonnages that had to be complied with depending on the section of the route. A total of 176 people were employed for the smooth operation of the six steam locomotives and four benzene locomotives as well as for the maintenance of the rail vehicles and tracks. It was single track line with eight stations, where trains could be crossed or overtaken using the double-track passing loops.[3]

Tunnel-shaped camouflage panel between Spanische Wand station and St. Louis station

In the vicinity of the front line, the less powerful gasoline locomotives offered advantages over the 0-8-0 brigade locomotives, because the smoke was easy to spot by the enemy. For better camouflage in the woodless area, camouflage tunnels were installed, which gave the station "Spanische Wand" its name, meaning paravent in German.[3]

Remains

La cense de Belfays à Saint-Stail, 768 metres (2,520 ft) above sea level

In the post-war period, the tracks were dismantled and scrapped. The old customs house on the road to the Col du Hantz, the former border station at the top of the pass and the Château des St Louis on the D61 are still standing.[3][4][5][6]

References

1. Jean Randé und Francois Librini: Archéologie ferroviaire (v2) – Atlas des lignes de chemins de fer disparues.
2. Profile of the Hantzbahn.
3. Mairie Saulxures: Histoire de la vallée, la Hantzbahn, en 1916. 7. Februar 2019.
4. Zollhaus, 8 Route du Hantz (D424), Saulxures, Grand Est on Google Street View.
5. Col du Hantz: A l’Ancienne Frontiere at Col du Hantz on Google Street View.
6. Château des St Louis, D61, Saint-Stail, Grand Est, on Google Street View.

External links

• Media related to Hantzbahn at Wikimedia Commons
• A commemoration of the travels on railways that were built or operated by Kodeis B (commander of the railway troops) in the period from 28 May to 3 June 1918, Goswin von Haag, Captain & Commander of the Railway Troops

48.40756°N 7.16516°E / 48.40756; 7.16516 (Saint-Blaise-la-Roche railway station)