Kleinbahn Eltville–Schlangenbad, Kleinbahn in Südhessen
The Kleinbahn Eltville–Schlangenbad was a narrow-gauge railway with 1-meter (3 ft) wide tracks running between the wine town of Eltville and the spa town of Schlangenbad across nearly 8 kilometers (5 miles). It used small steam locomotives pulling open and closed passenger cars through city streets and hilly landscape with grades up to 4.5 percent.
The railway opened on July 1, 1895, to bring visitors and spa guests from Eltville station up the hills to Schlangenbad and make the resort more accessible. After financial struggles, it closed in 1922, was revived in 1927 when the city of Eltville took over, but finally shut down in 1933 as automobiles and buses took over passenger transport.
The railway connected a wine town with a spa resort, each playing its own role in the region's life. Locals and visitors alike saw the steam tram pass through streets regularly, its bell and whistle becoming a familiar sound that warned pedestrians of its approach.
The route left Eltville from the main station through city streets, then followed the landscape through vineyards and villages toward Schlangenbad. Today visitors can walk along parts of the old route, where some original signal posts and station buildings still stand to mark where the line once ran.
This was a steam-powered street tram that ran partly along regular city streets shared with pedestrians and wagons, not just on separate tracks like typical railways. This made it an unusual hybrid between a city tram and a mountain train, creating a close interaction between the train and everyday street life.
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