Donnersberg Railway

Alzey–Marnheim
Overview
Line number	3322 (Marnheim state border) 3523 (state border–Alzey)
Service
Route number	661 (2017)
Technical
Line length	20.5 km (Line class: C4 )
Track gauge	1,435 mm
Minimum radius	300 m
Operating speed	100 km/h max.
Maximum incline	13.5 ‰  %
Route map Line to Mainz Rhenish Hesse Railway from Bingen 8.974 Alzey Rhenish Hesse Railway to Worms 7.902 EIU DB/RPE boundary DB/RPE 7.8 Alzey West 4.115 Wahlheim (Alzey) 2.8 Freimersheim 0.000 25.729 old state border 24.4 Morschheim (old Pbf) 20.9 Awanst Basalt AG 20.3 Kirchheimbolanden 19,548 Kirchheimbolanden (old Bf) 15.862 Pfrimm Viaduct Zeller Valley Railway from Monsheim 14.136 Marnheim Zeller Valley Railway to Langmeil

The old trains, Selztaler …

… and Elwetritsche in Alzey station (2009)

The Donnersberg Railway (German: Donnersbergbahn) is a branch line from Alzey to Kirchheimbolanden, which originally ran as far as Marnheim. Although it was once part of the main line from Kaiserslautern to Mainz, the Pfrimm Viaduct was blown up in 1945 during the Second World War between Kirchheimbolanden and Marnheim, disrupting the route. Plans to reinstate the main line with a new route came to nothing. Passenger services ceased on the remaining section of line in 1951, but were reactivated in 1999.

Pfrimm Viaduct Marnheim station, early 20th century The Donnersberg Railway just before Kirchheimbolanden

Literature

• Holzborn, Klaus D. (1993), Eisenbahn-Reviere Pfalz (in German), Berlin: transpress, ISBN 3-344-70790-6

External links

• RP-Eisenbahn, operator of the Donnersberg Railway