gauge
Gauge ( ) may refer to:
Measurement
* Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments
* Gauge (firearms)
* Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire
** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...
heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...
in
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
History
Copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
ore has been mined around
Mansfeld
Mansfeld (), sometimes also unofficially Mansfeld-Lutherstadt, is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Protestant reformator Martin Luther grew up in Mansfeld, and in 1993 the town became one of sixteen places ...
since 1199. In 1885, a long railway opened linking the Glückhilf mine at
Welfesholz
Welfesholz is a village and a former municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Gerbstedt. The place became famous because of the Battle of Welfesholz
The Battle of Welfe ...
Hettstedt
Hettstedt () is a town in Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on the Wipper. It consists of Hettstedt proper and the ''Ortschaften'' (municipal divisions) Ritterode and Walbeck.Klostermansfeld.
By 1930, the railway extended to of track, serving 13 copper mines and two smelteries, and had interchanges with two station served by
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
trains.
Transporter wagon
A transporter wagon, in railway terminology, is a goods wagon, wagon (International Union of Railways, UIC) or railroad car (US) designed to carry other railway equipment. Normally, it is used to transport equipment of a different rail gauge. ...
s were introduced in the 1930s, as well as air brakes on rolling stock. Traffic on the ''Mansfelder Bergwerksbahn'' reached its peak in 1955. The first
diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...
s were introduced in 1961. In 1965,
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
No. 10 became the first
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
locomotive in Germany converted to heavy oil fuel.
Between 1964 and 1969, the last copper mines at
Eisleben
Eisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as both the hometown of the influential theologian Martin Luther and the place where he died; hence, its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben.
First mentioned in the late 10th century ...
and Hettstedt were closed. Carriage of passengers ceased in 1970. The smeltery in Eisleben closed in 1972, and the track between Eisleben and
Helbra
Helbra is a municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the A ...
was lifted some years later. In 1989, the smeltery and power station at Helbra closed, and with it the railway.
Preservation
In 1990, the railway between Hettstedt and Klostermansfeld reopened as a heritage railway. By 1993, all other lines had been lifted. In 1994, the remaining line was transferred to the Mansfelder Bergwerksbahn e.V. It is maintained as part of Germany's industrial and mining heritage.
See also
*
Otavi Mining and Railway Company
The Otavi Mining and Railway Company (''Otavi Minen- und Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'' or OMEG) was a railway and mining company in German South West Africa (today's Namibia). It was founded on 6 April 1900 in Berlin with the Disconto-Gesellschaft an ...
BHP Nevada Railroad
The BHP Nevada Railroad was a shortline railroad that operated in Nevada from 1996 to 1999. BHP acquired the line from Nevada Northern Railway. Constructed by Utah Construction Company in 1908, the railroad hauled copper ore concentrate from BH ...