Bergstation - Aussicht vom Bergplateau
Mountain station - View from the mountain plateau
Photos: © Bergbahnen im Siebengebirge AG
Since 1883, many thousands of passengers
per year have been transported
by a rack railway to the Drachenfels
and until the late 1950s also to the Petersberg.
Even during the pandemic,
the operation of the Drachenfelsbahn
could be maintained for the most part,
thanks to reliable transport providers
such as MBS Logistics.
The cogwheel railways, which were
brought together by Ferdinand Mülhens,
owner of "4711 - Echt Kölnisch Wasser",
under the name "Bergbahnen im
Siebengebirge AG", mainly used steam
locomotives. In the 1950s, the Drachenfelsbahn
began to convert to electric operation.
By 1960, four electric railcars had
been put into service, completing the
replacement of the steam locomotives
with electric railcars. In 1979, the current
fleet was completed by a 5th railcar of
the company's own construction.
During the turn of the millennium, the
railcars were modernised and equipped
with the modern safety devices still used
today. The expertise for the construction
and operation of rack and pinion vehicles
is mainly located in Switzerland, because
many rack railway operators, but also
suppliers and engineers of the supply industry
are based there. The Drachenfelsbahn
makes use of these competencies
and in particular has drive components
and the ride safety system maintained
and repaired in Switzerland.
At the beginning of this year, a
spring-loaded cylinder showed a leak.
For the shipment of components such
as this spring-loaded cylinder, we trust in
the good cooperation with MBS Logistics
due to multiple experiences. From the
placing of the order to the collection and
customs clearance to the delivery, the
transports run transparently and quickly.
Furthermore, we have used MBS Anytime
several times in recent months. The
planned overhaul of our electronic vehicle
monitoring system is indispensable for
the operation of the trains, so that a fast
transport to and from Switzerland after
the revision of the systems is necessary
for an uninterrupted operation of the
railcars.
In order to reduce the downtimes of
the railcars, we used the time window
of our annual vehicle inspections for the
revision. Through close communication
with the MBS Anytime team, we always
had a full overview of the shipping status
of our driving safety systems. This meant
that the reinstallation and subsequent
integration of the railcar into regular services
could be planned and carried out
with foresight.
Almost 139 years after its maiden
voyage, the mileage of Germany's oldest
rack-and-pinion railway stands at more
than three million total kilometres, which
should not mark the end for a long time
yet. ■
Kontakt / Contact
Jonas Thomalla
Operating Engineer
Bergbahnen im
Siebengebirge AG
info@drachenfelsbahn.de
Railcar at the mountain station with the
Drachenfels ruins in the background.
Unterbau eines Triebwagens von der
Grube der Werkstatt aus betrachtet.
Substructure of a railcar viewed from the
pit of the workshop.
Kontakt / Contact
Max Sommershof
Anytime Supervisor
Anytime Supervisor
MBS Logistics Köln
anytime@mbslogistics.com
INSIGHT 2 . 2022 7
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