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63-467: Most of the Elmstein valley lies within the county of Bad Dürkheim ; two smaller segments belong to Neustadt an der Weinstraße and the county of Südliche Weinstraße . The valley is 24 kilometres long and descends from west to east from about 470 to 170 metres above sea level. The Speyerbach stream flows through the Elmstein valley. Together with its tributary streams, the biggest of which are

126-609: A Prussian locomotive of Class T 3 dating to 1910. The latter had previously been deployed on the Acher Valley Railway . They haul various historic wagons through the Elmstein Valley. In addition, a diesel locomotive is available: a Class V 36 with running number 127, that was built in 1941. The station was opened on 25 August 1849 when the gap in the Palatine Ludwig Railway between Frankenstein and Neustadt

189-809: A heritage railway. After leaving Lambrecht station the railway line uses the southern track of the Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway before branching off to the southwest into the Elmstein Valley after about a kilometer. Immediately afterwards it passes over the B 39 federal highway on an overbridge. It passes the old Lambrecht Goods Station and the village of Frankeneck and then follows the Speyerbach stream, crossing it five times as it snakes back and forth repeatedly. After that it only passes through very small settlements like Sattelmühle, Erfenstein and Breitenstein as well as running past several castles such as

252-463: A length of just under seven route kilometres the trains run along the double-tracked, electrified Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway . At Lambrecht station the trains of the Cuckoo Line always depart from platform 1. From April to October two pairs of trains work the line on Sundays and holidays. The first train of the day leaves between 10 and 11 a.m. from Neustadt, where the final service of

315-450: A memorandum entitled "The Necessity of an Elmstein-Neustadt Valley Railway" ( Die Nothwendigkeit einer Elmstein=Neustadter=Thalbahn ). Finally, one year later, the company of Vering & Waechter was awarded the contract. Planning was completed by January 1897. Initially an industrial siding was laid from Lambrecht station, which ran via Frankeneck to the hamlet of Sattelmühle. It was opened in 1902 and served both to transport wood from

378-495: A spectator. The locomotive escaped with only a few scratches; the shed, however, suffered more serious damage that had to be repaired. As a replacement, a train from Lambrecht arrived at the end of the section at 8.15 am; around 10 am the first train finally left Elmstein for Lambrecht. The operator was initially the Bavarian State Railways who, since 1 January, had taken over the whole Palatine railway network; so that

441-464: Is a 12.97 kilometre long branch line in the central Palatine Forest , which runs through the region of Neustadt / Kaiserslautern from Lambrecht to Elmstein . It was built primarily to support the local forestry industry. In 1902 the section to Sattelmühle was opened, initially just as an industrial siding . In 1909 it was extended to Elmstein and upgraded to a fully fledged branch line. Regular passenger services were withdrawn in 1960 - due to

504-412: Is a bus service, number 517 (Neustadt an der Weinstraße– Iggelbach ), which has a journey time of about an hour. To reduce motorcycle accidents, the very winding road through the valley is closed to motorcycle traffic in the summer half-year (April to October); only residents, not visitors, may use motorcycles on the road during the out of bounds period. The Cuckoo Railway ( Kuckucksbähnel ) runs along

567-668: Is located on the eastern rim of the Palatinate Forest a line of hills called the Haardt . The German Wine Road ( Deutsche Weinstraße ), a scenic road along the best vineyards of the Palatinate wine region , runs through the district from north to south. The district is sometimes called "the heart of the Palatinate". The best wine-growing area is the Mittelhaardt (" Middle Haardt "), where

630-530: Is very sparsely populated; its population is under 3,000. Its most important parish is Elmstein , from which the valley derives its name. With the decline of forestry, more and more locals commute out of the valley to work. The valley is served by the Landesstraße 499 state road, which runs from Frankeneck to Johanniskreuz, linking the B 39 ( Frankenstein – Neustadt an der Weinstraße ) and B 48 federal highways ( Hochspeyer – Bad Bergzabern ). In addition there

693-684: The Helmbach and the Breitenbach , the Speyerbach drains the winding valley and the heights surrounding it. The hills on the left-hand or northern side of the valley reach a maximum height above sea level of 514 metres in the Mückenberg and are clearly lower than those opposite. On the right hand, southern, side the Bloskülb (570 m) and the Brogberg (567 m) are the highest peaks. The highest point in

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756-600: The Julius Glatz GmbH paper fabric from the direction of Lambrecht. Entsprechende Gleisreste befinden sich im Firmengelände. Five years later the factory was given a new siding, this time from the direction of Elmstein. A lorry with additional wheelsets for rails is available for the loading of goods. The trains of the Cuckoo Railway generally start at platform 5 of the central station in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Over

819-519: The Riesling wine is cultivated, which is considered to be one of the best German wines. The coat of arms displays: 49°30′N 8°10′E  /  49.5°N 8.17°E  / 49.5; 8.17 Cuckoo Railway The Cuckoo Railway ( German : Kuckucksbähnel , literally "Little Cuckoo Railway"), in its early days the Elmstein Valley Railway ( Elmsteiner Talbahn ),

882-521: The diesel locomotive , V 36 127 , due to restrictions placed by the Bundesbahn . Since then the line has been mainly used by holidaymakers and day trippers. As a result of the large numbers of customers, trains also had to be lengthened. In the years that followed, special trains were often run, for example, the Glass Train visited twice. In June 2004 the Cuckoo Line celebrated its 20th anniversary as

945-408: The "Lambrecht Goods Yard" ( Güterbahnhof Lambrecht ). Several years after the closure of the line, it was redesignated as "Frankeneck Yard of Lambrecht (Pfalz) Station" ( Bahnhofsteil Frankeneck des Bf Lambrecht (Pfalz) ). With the regular opening of the railway the station was given a station building as it was the only intermediate station along the route. Because it had a rather low importance it

1008-455: The "Little Cuckoo Line Operating Company" ( Kuckucksbähnel-Betriebs-GmbH ) or KKB, which was initially owned by the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße , the collective municipality of Lambrecht, three clubs from the region and several private individuals. Finally, on 2 June 1984, the museum line was opened. The inaugural train departed at 9.45 am from Neustadt Central Station and carried 350 passengers. It had to be hauled to Lambrecht by

1071-694: The Interior - at that time the Palatinate belonged to the Kingdom of Bavaria - with the aim of building a tramline from Neustadt via Lambrecht and Frankeneck to Elmstein. However, this submission was not successful: the administration of the Palatine Railways came to the conclusion that the road network was satisfactory and the distance to the existing stops on the Ludwig Railway was too short to justify an additional connection. The forest authorities also criticized

1134-625: The Middle Ages. Several medieval castles show the significance of the region during the early Holy Roman Empire . The district was established in 1969 by combining portions of the former districts of Neustadt and Frankenthal. The dialect of Bad Dürkheim and environs is closer to the Pennsylvania Dutch language—also known as Pennsylvania German or as Deitsch, the native tongue of the Amish and others—than any other dialect of German. The district

1197-563: The Palatine Forest as well as to serve the timber yard in Frankeneck. At the same time it formed the first stage of the planned branch line. The committee continued to campaign for a full branch line by the construction of an extension of the industrial siding to Elmstein. The government in Bavaria took the view that it should be a national responsibility to build the line, especially because of

1260-527: The Sattelmühle Goods Loading Yard ( Güterverladestelle Sattelmühle ) was the transshipment point for goods from the Elmstein Valley. In the last years of goods services operating between Frankeneck and Elmstein, freight was only moved on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The last scheduled DB goods train was on 30 June 1976. It hauled two empty wagons and one laden with timber. Officially goods traffic on this section of line, which by this stage

1323-483: The Speyerbach from Frankeneck to Elmstein. This line was opened in 1909 and ran passenger services until 1960. In 1984 the line was reactivated and has since been run as a heritage railway for tourists . Landkreis Bad D%C3%BCrkheim Bad Dürkheim ( German pronunciation: [ˌbaːt ˈdʏʁkhaɪm] ) is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate , Germany . It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise)

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1386-629: The Trift Way ( Triftwanderweg ) along the Speyerbach explains the technology associated with timber rafting . Die Touristinformation der Gemeinde Elmstein bietet geführte Wanderungen an. From the Middle Ages to the Modern Period, forestry was the main source of income in the whole region. Numerous log driving facilities were used to transport sawn timber on the streams, whose water power was also used to drive water mills and hammer mills . The valley

1449-608: The confluence of the Hochspeyerbach and the Speyerbach. The hope was that, using this planned operating point on the Palatine Ludwig Railway , would save on transportation costs. These efforts were initially unsuccessful. However, at the end of 1881, the Palatine Ludwig Railway Company built a stackyard at Lambrecht railway station. On 28 May 1888, 67 entrepreneurs sent a request to the Bavarian Ministry of

1512-480: The county of Bad Dürkheim and also the parish of the collective municipality of Lambrecht . In addition to the town of Lambrecht, it also links the communities of Frankeneck, Esthal (from the abandoned halt of Esthal to Breitenstein) and Elmstein (from Helmbach to the end of the line). Between Breitenstein and Helmbach it twice crosses the territory of Kirrweiler (Pfalz) , an exclave of the county of Südliche Weinstraße . From Iptestal until just before Breitenstein

1575-514: The day from Elmstein ends between 18 and 19 00 hours. The other two services begin and end in Lambrecht. The journey time between Lambrecht and Elmstein is roughly one hour. Ticket prices vary from 5 to 25 euros. There are reductions for children, families and groups. Tickets for the Cuckoo Railway are also valid for the DB connecting train between Lambrecht and Neustadt. Special trains may also use

1638-569: The direct route between Neustadt and Kaiserslautern. The valley follows the upper reaches of the Speyerbach river, the most important Palatine tributary of the Rhine . The key resource of the Speyerbach source region has always been its wood. For centuries, cut or split logs were transported by timber rafting down the river, i.e. propelled by the current, and were sold in the almost treeless Anterior Palatinate . As early as March 1874 entrepreneurs from

1701-533: The districts of Kaiserslautern , Donnersbergkreis and Alzey-Worms , the city of Worms , the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis , the city of Neustadt/Weinstraße , the districts of Südliche Weinstraße , the city of Landau (the Taubensuhl/Fassendeich forest part of the city), the district Südwestpfalz , and the city of Kaiserslautern . The eastern rim of the Palatinate forest has been densely populated since

1764-560: The imminent transfer of the Palatine Railways into the ownership of the Royal Bavarian State Railways . This railway was intended predominantly to be used for the transportation of timber, which formed the bulk of the goods traffic, and not so much for passenger services. Nevertheless, it was recognized that, because 130 workers worked away from their homes in Elstein and its outlying villages of Appenthal and Iggelbach , there

1827-455: The last scheduled steam-hauled passenger train. On this day it was decorated with the words "Cuckoo's last journey" ( Kuckucks letzte Fahrt ). From the early 1960s, diesel traction replaced steam for goods haulage. Because the Neustadt engine shed was, at this time, being gradually wound down, the line was increasingly becoming the responsibility of its counterpart in Ludwigshafen. Until 1973

1890-501: The latter deployed locomotives of Class V 20 that had originally served the wartime Wehrmacht . From 1973 until the cessation of goods services to Elmstein, Köf III engine, number 333 170-9, was utilized for the remaining sporadic requirements. From March until the withdrawal of passenger services in 1960, passenger trains used Uerdingen railbuses . These were stabled in Bahnbetriebswerk Landau ; from where they served

1953-513: The line borders on the borough of Neustadt immediately to the south. In the early months three pairs of trains operated daily between Lambrecht and Elmstein. But as early as May 1909 a new timetable appeared, according to which there were four trains each way on working days and five on Sundays. The trains comprised second, third and, until 28 Oct 1928, fourth class coaches. In addition, the Palatine Forest Club , founded in 1902, arranged for

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2016-411: The line now lay, politicians began attempts in 1971 to preserve the line as a heritage railway. This was initially unsuccessful because DB blocked it. Nevertheless, these efforts to preserve the line did not come to a halt. For example, in the time that followed the then Transport Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Heinrich Holkenbrink , took part in an inspection visit. Initially DB was persuaded to delay

2079-406: The line on 1 June 1971. In 1977, goods traffic also ceased because the line had been used less and less by the forestry industry and goods takings had reduced sharply. The last scheduled goods train had already run on 30 June 1976. In its last years of operation the railway line had only had the official status of an industrial siding. In the county of Bad Dürkheim , formed in 1969 and in which

2142-608: The line. The nearest depot, Bahnbetriebswerk Neustadt , was primarily responsible for the running and rolling stock used on the line. The steam locomotives used in the first years of operation, were those of classes T 4.I and T 4.II of the Palatinate Railway . They were working the Cuckoo Railway until the late 1930s. From 1927, the Prussian T 9 - designated by the Deutsche Reichsbahn as DRG Class 91 - could be found on

2205-526: The local territorial lords here for centuries. Today their ruins are visited by tourists , not least because of the legend of the Leather Bridge that is supposed to have existed between Erfenstein and Spangenberg. The best known of the remaining structures in the valley is the ruined tower of the 1488 church in Appenthal . Three museums inform visitors to Elmstein about forestry; two of them are located in

2268-530: The model given. During this time, the establishment of a branch line from Lambrecht to Elmstein was also discussed, for which the MP, Andreas Deinhard , used his influence in the Chamber of Representatives. With the gradual demise of timber rafting at the end of the 19th century, the main source of livelihood in the Elmstein Valley was threatened and the population was forced to find other sources of income. Those affected saw

2331-672: The name until it eventually became the official name of the line. After the Second World War the railway line was the responsibility of the Operating Association of Southwest German Railways ( Betriebsvereinigung der Südwestdeutschen Eisenbahnen ) or SWDE, which was transferred into the newly founded Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) in 1949. The latter assigned the Cuckoo Line to the Mainz Federal Railway Division ( Bundesbahndirektion Mainz ) to which all railway lines in

2394-523: The necessary land for the railway without being paid. In addition, Elmstein strove to increase the contributions from Esthal , Hambach and Lachen. During the course of the negotiations, it turned out that a sum of money in the five-figure range would be needed. Elmstein wanted a grant of 35,000 marks towards land acquisition costs, but because of the opposition of the royal treasury, they were only awarded 30,000 marks. In addition, individuals such as Albert Biirklin and Count D'Arlon gave both money and land for

2457-566: The newly created state of Rhineland-Palatinate were allocated. At the same time the profitability of the line was questioned. On top of the rapid increase in car traffic of that time, DB itself contributed to the competition by introducing a bus service running parallel to the railway. On 28 May 1960, regular passenger services were finally withdrawn. After the disbandment of the Mainz Division, its counterpart in Karlsruhe became responsible for

2520-467: The opening of the railway was its first official duty there. On 1 April 1920 the line became the property of the Deutsche Reichsbahn . In 1922 it was incorporated into the newly founded Ludwigshafen Reichsbahn Division ( Reichsbahndirektion Ludwigshafen ). In the wake of its disbandment on 1 April 1937 the line was allocated to the Mainz Division ( Reichsbahndirektion Mainz ). Although it

2583-495: The planned closure and intended lifting of the line to a later date. At this time the trackage was already showing signs of needing structural repair. In addition, the Karlsruhe Federal Railway Division declared itself ready to sell all the land on the collective municipality of Lambrecht ( Verbandsgemeinde Lambrecht ). Because the revival of the line initially appeared unrealistic, plans were made to convert

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2646-452: The proposal for a tram line because it would have made an additional transhipment of wood necessary. The Bavarian government considered it pointless to create a transport link parallel to the Ludwig Railway between Neustadt and Lambrecht. The Bavarian government had received a draft law on 5 April 1892 concerning the construction of branch lines in the Palatinate . This was intended to assign interest rate guarantees to certain routes based on

2709-510: The railway. Furthermore, road construction engineers confirmed that the maintenance costs of the planned railway line would be significantly lower than that of the local roads. After a lengthy campaign for a railway through the Elmstein Valley the Landtag of Bavaria finally gave permission on 10 Aug 1904 for the construction of a branch line. Construction work finally began in March 1905. It entailed

2772-542: The removal of 800,000 cubic metres (28,000,000 cu ft) of earth and cost a total of 692,000 marks. Responsibility for the course of line and the earthworks fell to the Neustadt Railway Division. The construction of the 9.55-kilometre-long (5.93 mi) section from Sattelmühle to Elmstein was carried out by German and Italian workers. In 1907, the required expansion of Lambrecht railway station followed. The local construction industry also benefited from

2835-573: The route and, later, its sub-type, the Class T 9.3 was a common sight. Some years later, the DRG Class 64 locomotives, which had been stabled in Neustadt since 1928, also worked the branch line. In the first half of the 1950s, classes 57.10 (formerly the Prussian G 10) and 74 (formerly the Prussian T 12) were also used. The latter was especially employed on shunting duties. On 22 August 1954, number 91 593 headed

2898-526: The ruins of Erfenstein and Spangenberg , both linked to a local legend . It then runs through almost undisturbed nature. After Helmbach is a section with an incline of 1 : 69 (14 ‰) as it passes through a gorge. The line ends at the entrance to Elmstein, where the main operating point is located. The signs for the halts are written in Fraktur lettering and their platforms are largely grassed over. The Lambrecht–Elmstein railway runs entirely within

2961-582: The same historic building. The Forestry Museum ( Waldarbeitsmuseum ) in the upper storey is concerned with comprehensively covering all activities relevant to the forest. The Armoury ( Wappenschmiede ) on the ground floor is an iron hammer mill , that once used the waters of the Speyerbach for power for the smith's trade; today it produces electrical power that is fed into the public network. Die Alte Samenklenge hat speziell die Geschichte der Forstwirtschaft zum Thema und gibt Auskunft über Nutzung der Wälder, Samengewinnung und Aufforstung. The information board of

3024-477: The solution to the problem as a railway link that would act as a replacement for the transportation of wood using timber rafts. In addition the planned line was seen as a way of stimulating the economy of the valley. In August 1895 a committee was formed under the chairmanship of Lambrecht's mayor that sent another petition to the Bavarian government. At the same time the committee engaged the relevant communities with

3087-485: The sparse population of the region it had always played a secondary role. This was followed in 1977 by the cessation of goods traffic between Frankeneck and Elmstein. Since 1984 the line has been operated as a heritage railway . Goods trains still run as far as Frankeneck. The Elmstein Valley , densely covered in woods and hence sparsely populated, suffered in earlier times from a poor road infrastructure, especially away from

3150-406: The test arrived at Elmstein station at 11 am. The official inauguration took place five days later. The first train was due to depart Elmstein at 6.20 am. However, as it was about to leave there was a fatal accident. The Jungfern service was just a few metres from the end of the line when, owing to a wrongly set turnout, the train accelerated at full steam into the locomotive shed and killed

3213-441: The timetable to be adjusted for excursion traffic. The journey time between Lambrecht and Elmstein was initially between 45 and 51 minutes, but this reduced over the course of time to around 30 minutes. Goods traffic, which always had a greater significance on the railway than passenger traffic, was largely sustained by the timber industry of the region. Consequently, flatbeds and open wagons were utilized. From 1902 to 1909

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3276-591: The track repaired in places. Shooting itself took place in May 1983. At the same time there were lengthy discussions with DB which saw the railway being sold to the county. The contract was signed in Spring 1984. The plans envisaged operating the line as a heritage railway in cooperation with the German Railway History Company 's museum at Neustadt an der Weinstraße . On 14 February 1984 railway fans founded

3339-452: The trackage, leaving the station with just three tracks. The halt and former station is also in the borough of Lambrecht not far from the northeastern edge of the village of Frankeneck . During Bavarian State Railway times it was classified as Type 2 station, which meant that it handled "passenger, luggage and express goods". Because space at Lambrecht station was restricted and at the limits of its capacity, this station acted for decades as

3402-443: The trackbed into a cycleway or track for post coaches. Meanwhile, the broadcasters, Südwestfunk , were planning a television series, The Soldier of Fortune - The Adventures of Robert Curwich . The company saw the village of Breitenstein, including the railway, as a suitable location, which is why the partially overgrown line between Lambrecht and Breitenstein had to be cleared. In addition, the railway embankment had to be made safe and

3465-464: The villages of Frankeneck and Neidenfels complained that transporting goods to Lambrecht station by road would be very expensive. For this reason, they launched a petition to the Palatine Railways , which aimed at the establishment of a halt and loading point, exclusively for goods traffic, between the stations of Weidenthal and Lambrecht. This was to be built in Frankeneck immediately next to

3528-413: The west, also the start of the valley, lies on the watershed between the Rhine and Moselle rivers, separating here the catchment areas of the Speyerbach and Schwarzbach . In the east the valley ends at the confluence of the Hochspeyerbach with the Speyerbach. The four medieval castles above the valley, namely Elmstein , Breitenstein , Erfenstein and Spangenberg , guarded the sovereignty of

3591-487: The whole of the Palatinate region. The engines and wagons of the Cuckoo Line are maintained for the KKB in the railway museum in Neustadt by the German Railway History Company (DGEG). This railway museum is housed in the historic engine shed at Neustadt's central station. The locomotives working the heritage line are the tender engine, Speyerbach , a three-axled former industrial engine dating to 1904, and number 89 7159,

3654-404: The work of the track. The latter was done mainly by hand, but was also helped by the construction of a Feldbahn , a light field railway worked by a small steam locomotive . The track bed was built on a sandstone foundation. Eleven bridges across the Speyerbach stream were built. On 18 January 1909, a test run on the line was undertaken in order to check it technically. The train being used for

3717-497: Was built in 1957. Since 12 March 1964 the station has also been electrified. It was integrated in 2003 into the network of the S-Bahn RheinNeckar . The old goods shed, which was last used as a private house , was torn down in 1999 to create car parking . From 16 May that year, an electronic signal box became operational in Neustadt whereupon the station lost its last employees. In addition, Deutsche Bahn dismantled some of

3780-497: Was closed. The completion of this section overcame the complicated topography of the Neustadt valley which had hitherto stood in the way. Lambrecht was one of two intermediate stations along this stretch of line. Its original station building was designed in a style that was common for stations in the Palatinate especially in the second half of the 19th century. It was destroyed in the Second World War. The current station building

3843-461: Was initially called the Elmstein Valley Railway ( Elmsteiner Talbahn ), over time the nickname "Little Cuckoo Line" ( Kuckucksbähnel ) was adopted. The call of cuckoos was once a common sound in the Elmstein Valley, which is why the local population in Elmstein were given the nickname "cuckoos" ( Kuckucke ). The term Kuckucksbähnel was probably coined by the owner of the s Lokschuppen restaurant at Elmstein station. The regional press gradually adopted

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3906-406: Was only an industrial siding, was ceased on 29 May 1977. That said, the Bundesbahn announced it was prepared to transport freight from the storage areas of the railway. Frankeneck station, which was now just a part of Lambrecht station, continued to be served. Until 1996 timber was still loaded here; one year later the goods tracks were lifted. Until the end of 2004 there was an industrial siding to

3969-519: Was some potential for passenger traffic as well. At the beginning of 1904, a meeting of the Palatine Forest Railway Committee ( Pfälzer Waldbahn-Komitee ) took place. Because the line affected various parishes whose villages were some way from the direct route - for example, Hambach , Kirrweiler and Lachen – determining the course of the trackbed proved very difficult. The villages of Elmstein and Kirrweiler were prepared to offer

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