The second volume of a two-part detailed history of the railway lines serving the three towns of Wuppertal, Remscheid and Solingen in the Bergisches Land. The topography of the area gave rise to some outstanding feats of engineering when the lines were being constructed, not least the striking steel-constructed "Müngsten Viaduct", opened in 1897, which is Germany's highest railway bridge to this day.
As well as the direct lines connecting the towns, the work also examines construction of the new routes to Wipperfürth, Marienheide and Opladen and that through the Wupper valley to Radevormwald. It also looks at the growing importance of Lennep as a junction station.
Locomotives and rolling stock used on the lines are also covered. In its early years the steam motive power depot at Lennep was home mostly to steam locomotive of the Prussian series, but it also hosted battery powered railcars before the First World War. The first Class 62 locomotives were also located here at the time of the Reichsbahn.
In addition, a large tram network was constructed in Remscheid that connected with neighboring towns’ tram systems to create a network of lines that reached deep into the Ruhr area. Wuppertal is, of course, also home to the world famous Schwebebahn, that operates above the streets and the river Wupper.
This second volume looks in detail at the operation of each individual line in the region, as well as at the tasks undertaken by the railway depots at Remscheid-Lennep, Solingen-Ohligs and Opladen. It contains 443 illustrations, mainly archive black & white images but also with a selection of more recent colour images from renowned railway photographers, plus maps, track diagrams and other reproductions. 280 pages. Hardback. German text.