Railways of the Wilsdruff narrow gauge net


The "Wilsdruff net" was the largest connected narrow gauge railway network of Saxony and covered the area between Freital-Potschappel near Dresden in the east, Döbeln and Nossen in the west, Meißen in the north and Frauenstein in the south of Klingenberg-Colmnitz. Wilsdruff was the operating center.

The Weißeritz valley railway from (Freital-)Hainsberg to Kipsdorf via Rabenau, Dippoldiswalde and Schmiedeberg was in fact the oldest narrow gauge railway of the region, but it was not part of the Wilsdruff net in the narrower sense. But in 1913, there was built a three rail connection track between Freital-Hainsberg and Freital-Potschappel.

Today, the Wilsdruff net has completely disappeared. The only still existing narrow gauge railways around Dresden are the Weißeritz valley railway, which has been indeed destroyed from the flood in 2002, but which is intended to be rebuilt again, and the Lößnitz ground railway (an official "tradition railway line") between Radebeul East (in the north of Dresden) and Radeburg.
Stone arch bridge at Naundorf
H.-M. Hebsaker
23.09.2006
Stone arch bridge at Naundorf

It belonged to the former narrow gauge line between Oberdittmannsdorf (at the line between Wilsdruff and Nossen) and Klingenberg-Colmnitz.
Today, a bicycle and hiking way leads over this bridge.
All at-grade photos: © Hans-Martin Hebsaker
Weißeritz valley between Rabenau and Freital-Hainsberg
H.-M. Hebsaker
23.09.2006
Weißeritz valley between Rabenau and Freital-Hainsberg
Considering this little streamlet, it is nearly unbelievable, what a heavy destructiveness the Weißeritz had exhibited while the great flood in 2002. But the following pictures show what was left from the railway line after the flood was gone.