25 years for the Waldbahn: Welzheim support association with passion!

25 years for the Waldbahn: Welzheim support association with passion!

Since its founding on March 17, 2000, around 25 years ago, the Welzheimer Bahn Association has fought tirelessly for the revival of the Swabian Forest Railway in the picturesque Wieslauftal. The volunteer members work towards their goal with a lot of passion and commitment and are not discouraged by setbacks and bureaucratic hurdles. These initiatives and the passion for the railway line are what sustain the club to this day, reports ZVW.

The history of the Wieslauftalbahn goes back to 1890. The construction of the line was originally intended to open up the Welzheim region, but due to unfavorable economic conditions the project was initially rejected. An application to examine the construction of the railway was submitted by the communities of Schorndorf, Rudersberg, Backnang and Plochingen as early as 1874, but the General Directorate of the Royal Württemberg State Railways rejected the proposal in 1890. Six years later, the route from Schorndorf via Rudersberg to Welzheim finally prevailed, which resulted in construction work from 1907, as the information from Wikipedia present.

The development of the Wieslauftalbahn

The route was opened on November 28, 1908 to Rudersberg and on November 25, 1911 to Welzheim. Initially, up to five pairs of trains ran daily, making the Wieslauftalbahn the steepest adhesion railway in Württemberg. After the First World War, the line became the property of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, but there was no economic boom in the region. An excursion train was offered between Stuttgart and Welzheim as early as the 1920s, but had to be discontinued at a later date due to declining passenger numbers.

The cessation of train services reached its climax in 1970 with the switch to bus replacement services. But reactivation came gradually: in 1992, the Verkehrsverband Wieslauftalbahn (ZVVW) was founded to ensure the continuation of train traffic. In the years that followed, the route was able to continue to be operated by the transport association with the support of the German Federal Railways and the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Current developments and challenges

The line between Schorndorf and Rudersberg will be put back into operation in 2025 after it was badly affected by flood damage in 2024. These damages amounted to over 10 million euros. The historic DBK railway is now running tourist services again between Schorndorf and Welzheim, with a museum operation on the route between Oberndorf and Welzheim being planned for 2026.

However, the challenge remains great: the reconstruction and maintenance of the infrastructure requires a lot of commitment from the members of the support association and all the supporters who are still united by a common love for the railway line. Despite all the setbacks, the tireless commitment of the volunteers and the diversity of historical and current developments give hope that the Swabian Forest Railway in the Wieslauftal will soon again become a central part of the regional transport network.