More Sidings at Herzogenrath?

[pblanksb]

I recently saw an interior photograph of Herzogenrath dated 1989 posted on the Facebook 'Signalboxes and Signalling Group' page. There are a number of through sidings showing on the route to Alsdorf but these are not replicated in the sim. Have those sidings been removed between 1989 and now?

 

Regards,

 

Phil.

[Helmut]

Hi Phil,

 

I don't possess the simulation and don't know exactly which through sidings you are speaking about.

 

I've found an item in the German Wikipedia.
There they say that the rail route to Alsdorf and Stolberg was used in former times mainly by cargo trains as there were three coal mines on this route. Only a few passenger trains were running at that time. After the closing of the mines the cargo traffic went down and the passenger trains were replaced by busses. The route was finally closed in 1998. Many parts of the route were renaturalized. 

In 2004/2005 the route was reopened for passenger trains by a private railroad company named "Euregio" with only one track till Alsdorf and new-build stops on the way. In 2011 the route was reopened until Stolberg.

 

Maybe this answers your question.

 

Regards

[Sp Dr L20]

Hello Phil,

 

Merkstein was a station on the route from Herzogenrath to Stolberg. 

Merkstein itself was controlled from the signalbox in Herzogenrath. As written by Helmut the route was closed in 1998 and reopened in 2004/2005 for "Euregio" which is operating on this route.

Between 1998 and 2004/2005 nothing happened here, vegetation has grown a lot since the route was closed. 

First the route was reopened from Herzogenrath to Alsdorf-Annapark (one of the coal mines) and only one train at a time was driving between Herzogenrath and Alsdorf Annapark so no switches and tracks were needed and they removed them.

Since june 2016 the track from Herzogenrath towards Stolberg via Alsdorf-Annapark is opened, "Euregio" is still operating on this route.

Informations from this signalbox are from year 2013/2014 where you couldnt see anything from Merkstein on any pictures/plans.

 

BTW: In the end of 2016/beginning of 2017 there were a lot of construction works at Herzogenrath where a lot of tracks (sidings like track 004 to 010, 044 to 015) were owned by Euregio and are controlled by the signaler from Euregio at Stolberg (ESTW). So Herzogenrath in the simulation is also now history, like today there are only tracks 1 to 4 which are controlled by the signaler at Herzogenrath.

 

[pblanksb]

Thank you both for your replies.

 

It must be strange for the signalman at Herzogenrath now, where he controls the main lines but a box miles away controls the sidings he can see from his window.

 

Regards,

 

Phil.