Schwäbisch Gmünd station
Encyclopedia
Schwäbisch Gmünd station was opened in 1861 and is located northwest of the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd
in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
. It is on the Rems Railway
and is a stop for InterCity
trains.
Three options were discussed in 1858 for the route of the Rems Railway through the city and the location of the station:
In the first options would have meant passing through parks or the built-up area and the future expansion of the city would have been affected. It was decided that the line would run north of the Rems, which meant that the station would be away from the city centre. It also required the relocation of the Rems river, which would protect the city against flooding.
Responsibility for the design of the station building was assigned in Württemberg in the 1850s and 1860s to the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the rail track, which in the case of Rems Railway was Georg Morlok. The construction followed the neoclassical
style of station architecture already in use in Württemberg
. The small central bell-tower and the pilasters between the arches on the ground floor are typical of Morlok buildings of this era.
The first official trial run on the Schorndorf–Gmünd section of the Rems line was held on 29 June 1861 in a festive atmosphere with great general interest. An official opening trip with guests of honour was held on 18 July 1861 and on 25 July scheduled services began between Stuttgart and Wasseralfingen. The station tracks initially included 25 sets of points, a turntable and a water station with two water crane
s. A ticket from Gmünd to Stuttgart cost, in second class, 81 kreuzer
s and, in third class, 51 kreuzers.
, the Hohenstaufen Railway. This involved the building of an island platform with an underpass leading to it. A level crossing east of the station was replaced by an underpass. Two stub tracks and a turntable were built for the Hohenstaufen Railway south of the main tracks on the western side of the station building, where there had previously been a goods shed. North of the main tracks, two locomitive sheds were demolished in order to build the new freight yard. The second track of Rems line was being extended from Deinbach block post
to Gmünd and this was put into operation on 27 April 1910. After the redevelopment the station tracks had 116 sets of points and two turntables. It became one of the 24 “first class” stations in Württemberg. The Gmünd–Wäschenbeuren section of the Hohenstaufen line was opened on 1 August 1911.
In 1923 an eastern industrial track was created, running from the freight yard to an industrial area north of the Rems Railway, which from 1937 included a subsidiary of Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen
in Ziegelberg. In 1936, the western industrial track was built south of the main line.
Next to the entrance building is platform track 1, which is a through track, on the island platform are track 2 (a through track), track 3 (which is a terminating track from Stuttgart) and the seldom-used platform 4.
The station building built in 1861 is still used as such. Today the facilities for the public are a ticket office, a kiosk, a snack bar and a restaurant.
on the Karlsruhe–Stuttgart–Nuremberg route stop at the station. Regional services operated by the DB Regio
consist of a pair of Interregio-Express
services each day between Aalen
and Stuttgart
, hourly Regional-Express services on the same route with extra services in peak periods and some Regionalbahn
services between Schwäbisch Gmünd and Schorndorf
. Karlsruhe
– Stuttgart
– Schwäbisch Gmünd – Aalen
– Nuremberg
Stuttgart – Schorndorf
– Schwäbisch Gmünd – Aalen Stuttgart – Waiblingen
– Schorndorf – Schwäbisch Gmünd – Aalen Schorndorf – Schwäbisch Gmünd
Schwäbisch Gmünd
Schwäbisch Gmünd is a town in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 62,000, the town is the second largest in the Ostalbkreis and the whole region of East Württemberg after Aalen...
in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. It is on the Rems Railway
Rems Railway
The Rems Railway , also known as the Rems Valley Railway was historically the main line route from Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt via Aalen to Nördlingen. Today the designation Rems Railway only refers to the section from Stuttgart to Aalen, the Aalen–Nördlingen line becoming part of the Ries Railway...
and is a stop for InterCity
Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)
Intercity is the second-highest train classification in Germany, after the ICE. Intercity services are loco-hauled express services, usually over long-distances. There are Intercity routes throughout Germany, and routes generally operate with a two-hour frequency, with multiple routes giving a more...
trains.
History
Three options were discussed in 1858 for the route of the Rems Railway through the city and the location of the station:
- south of the city
- north of the city, but south of the RemsRemsThe Rems is a right tributary of the Neckar in eastern Baden-Württemberg. It is 78 km long. Its source is in Essingen, near Aalen. It flows generally west through the towns Böbingen an der Rems, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Plüderhausen, Schorndorf, Remshalden and Waiblingen. At Remseck the Rems flows...
- north of the Rems
In the first options would have meant passing through parks or the built-up area and the future expansion of the city would have been affected. It was decided that the line would run north of the Rems, which meant that the station would be away from the city centre. It also required the relocation of the Rems river, which would protect the city against flooding.
Responsibility for the design of the station building was assigned in Württemberg in the 1850s and 1860s to the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the rail track, which in the case of Rems Railway was Georg Morlok. The construction followed the neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style of station architecture already in use in Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
. The small central bell-tower and the pilasters between the arches on the ground floor are typical of Morlok buildings of this era.
Opening
Water crane
A water crane or standpipe is a device used for delivering a large volume of water into the tank or tender of a steam locomotive. As a steam locomotive consumes large quantities of water, water cranes were a vital part of railway station equipment, often situated at the end of a platform, so that...
s. A ticket from Gmünd to Stuttgart cost, in second class, 81 kreuzer
Kreuzer
The Kreuzer, in English usually kreutzer, was a silver coin and unit of currency existing in the southern German states prior to the unification of Germany, and in Austria.-Early history:...
s and, in third class, 51 kreuzers.
Reconstruction in 1907
The station was reconstructed between 16 September 1907 and 1910 to handle increasing traffic and the proposed branch line to GöppingenGöppingen station
Göppingen station is a station in the town of Göppingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is a transit station and is situated km 42.1) from Stuttgart on the Fils Valley Railway, which was completed in 1850 from Stuttgart to Ulm.-Location :...
, the Hohenstaufen Railway. This involved the building of an island platform with an underpass leading to it. A level crossing east of the station was replaced by an underpass. Two stub tracks and a turntable were built for the Hohenstaufen Railway south of the main tracks on the western side of the station building, where there had previously been a goods shed. North of the main tracks, two locomitive sheds were demolished in order to build the new freight yard. The second track of Rems line was being extended from Deinbach block post
Block post
A block post in railway signalling is the signal box at one end of a block section. -German practice:In Germany block posts are known as Blockstellen and are defined as railway facilities on the open line that, as part of a block system, mark the end of a block section. The usually have a home...
to Gmünd and this was put into operation on 27 April 1910. After the redevelopment the station tracks had 116 sets of points and two turntables. It became one of the 24 “first class” stations in Württemberg. The Gmünd–Wäschenbeuren section of the Hohenstaufen line was opened on 1 August 1911.
In 1923 an eastern industrial track was created, running from the freight yard to an industrial area north of the Rems Railway, which from 1937 included a subsidiary of Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen
ZF Friedrichshafen
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German public company headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German region of Baden-Württemberg....
in Ziegelberg. In 1936, the western industrial track was built south of the main line.
Second World War
As part of Second World War in late 1944 bomb attacks and gun fire from allied fighter-bombers repeatedly killed and injured people in the station and on the surrounding railway lines and disabled rail services by the destruction of railway track and vehicles. A bomb explosion on 19 April 1945 destroyed a railway bridge to the west of the station and broke the connection on the Rems Railway to Stuttgart.Post-war period
North of the passenger station the freight yard was served by approximately 14,900 freight wagons in 1959. A few years ago it was shut down and the tracks are currently being demolished.Services
The station has two platforms, connected by an underpass. The underpass has not yet been made accessible for the disabled. However, conveyor belts are available for luggage.Next to the entrance building is platform track 1, which is a through track, on the island platform are track 2 (a through track), track 3 (which is a terminating track from Stuttgart) and the seldom-used platform 4.
The station building built in 1861 is still used as such. Today the facilities for the public are a ticket office, a kiosk, a snack bar and a restaurant.
Operations
Every two hours inter-city services operated by DB FernverkehrDB Fernverkehr
DB Fernverkehr AG is a semi-independent division of Deutsche Bahn that operates long-distance passenger trains in Germany. It was founded in 1999 in the second stage of the privatisation of German Federal Railways under the name of DB Reise&Touristik and renamed in 2003.DB Fernverkehr operates all...
on the Karlsruhe–Stuttgart–Nuremberg route stop at the station. Regional services operated by the DB Regio
DB Regio
DB Regio AG is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates short and medium distance passenger train services in Germany, and operates light and heavy rail infrastructure in the United Kingdom.-Germany:...
consist of a pair of Interregio-Express
Interregio-Express
The Interregio-Express is a local public transport railway service operated by the Deutsche Bahn which is only available in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin as well as in Switzerland...
services each day between Aalen
Aalen station
Aalen station is a junction on the Rems Railway from Stuttgart, the Brenz Railway from Ulm, the Upper Jagst Railway to Crailsheim and Ries Railway to Donauwörth...
and Stuttgart
Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof of the city of Stuttgart, the capital of the Land of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. It is the largest regional and long-distance railway station in Stuttgart, the main node of the Stuttgart S-Bahn network, and, together with the halt at Charlottenplatz, the main...
, hourly Regional-Express services on the same route with extra services in peak periods and some Regionalbahn
RegionalBahn
The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...
services between Schwäbisch Gmünd and Schorndorf
Schorndorf station
Schorndorf station is in the city of Schorndorf in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was opened in 1861 along with the Rems Railway from Stuttgart to Aalen...
. Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof
is the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :...
– Stuttgart
Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof of the city of Stuttgart, the capital of the Land of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. It is the largest regional and long-distance railway station in Stuttgart, the main node of the Stuttgart S-Bahn network, and, together with the halt at Charlottenplatz, the main...
– Schwäbisch Gmünd – Aalen
Aalen station
Aalen station is a junction on the Rems Railway from Stuttgart, the Brenz Railway from Ulm, the Upper Jagst Railway to Crailsheim and Ries Railway to Donauwörth...
– Nuremberg
Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof
Nuremberg Central Station is the main railway station for the city of Nuremberg in Germany. It is the largest station in north Bavaria and belongs to the 20 stations in the highest category of importance allocated by DB Station&Service....
Stuttgart – Schorndorf
Schorndorf station
Schorndorf station is in the city of Schorndorf in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was opened in 1861 along with the Rems Railway from Stuttgart to Aalen...
– Schwäbisch Gmünd – Aalen Stuttgart – Waiblingen
Waiblingen station
Waiblingen station is a railway station in the city pf Waiblingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The station is located at the junction of the Rems Railway and the Murr Railway .-The first station building :...
– Schorndorf – Schwäbisch Gmünd – Aalen Schorndorf – Schwäbisch Gmünd