After traffic on the Wiehl Valley Railway was suspended first because of Corona and then because of a closure of the "Guild Bridge (Zunftbrücke)" in Wiehl-Bielstein, the steam train of the "Bergischer Löwe" of the IG Bw Dieringhausen is scheduled to start again at Easter 2023..
In addition to the railway bridge over the Wiehl in Bielstein, further work on the Wiehl Valley railway line had and will have to be done so that railway operations can be resumed. A ongoing issue is the pruning of the vegetation. Due to the closure of the line in 2020, nature has been able to spread massively again in the last two years. This must now be cut back.
In addition to the railway bridge over the Wiehl in Bielstein, further work on the Wiehl Valley railway line had and will have to be done so that railway operations in 2020, nature has been able to spread massively again in the last two years. This must now be cut back.
In the course of the past year, our volunteers carried out clear-cutting work along the route on a number of working dates. However, further work is still necessary:
A lonely railway signal in the forest? But where is the railway line?
We would be very pleased if we could motivate other members of the association to help with the clear-cutting work, but also friends of the Wiehl Valley Railway are are cordially invited to do so.
Another focus of the work for the reopening of the line is the maintenance and repair of the level crossing safety systems. Again and again there is damage due to vandalism or cable theft, but also age-related damage to components occurs.
The aim is to make the Wiehl Valley Railway line passable again by Easter 2023.
Track inspection on January 28th, 2023
But what condition is the line up to Wiehl really in? This was the question posed to the of the "Society For The Preservation Of The Wiehl Valley Railway (Förderkreis zur Rettung der Wiehltalbahn)". From a pedestrian's perspective this is difficult to judge. Therefore, with the approval of the EVB as the owner of the locomotive and the RSE as the rail transport company, a reconnaissance and work trip could be carried out on January 28th, 2023.
Track inspection on January 28th, 2023
The Köf III 335 064 is normally used by EVB for loading timber at Osberghausen Stn. at the RB25.
The result of the ride surprised all the passengers. The track had been cut free in parts by one single Wiehl Valley Railway enthusiast since Christmas! The colleague was also found at work in Wiehl.
One can only say: "Great performance!"
A lot was also accomplished during this trip. There are only 2-3 sections that still need intensive cultivation. For this, a mulcher has to deal with the trees along the route.
Work assignment on February 04th, 2023
On Saturday, February 04th, 2023, a total of 17 hard-working helpers came together between Osberghausen and Wiehl to cut the last overgrown sections free. Our colleagues from the IGBW Dieringhausen actively supported us, many thanks to all the hard-working helpers.
Volunteers before the start of their deployment in Osberghausen