The 9th Historik Mobil took place from Friday, July 31, 2015, through Sunday, August 2, 2015. It was a festival organized by the Zittau Narrow-Gauge Railroad for all railroad enthusiasts and nostalgia lovers. Our university participated for the second time in this major event along the route of the small steam railroad. Colleagues and students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science welcomed approximately 350 visitors at the Zittau Süd station on Brückenstraße over the weekend and met with great interest.
As early as July 31, the agreement granting access to the signal box rooms at Zittau Süd Station was signed during a ceremony by SOEG’s managing director, Mr. Ingo Neidhardt, and the University’s Chancellor, Ms. Karin Hollstein.
SOEG is making the signal box rooms at Zittau Süd Station available to Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences free of charge for educational purposes. This allows classes / courses to take on a particularly practical focus.
The university administration extends its express thanks to the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and in particular to Mr. M.A. Patrick Hornung, who worked with great dedication to ensure that SOEG made the signal box available without complications for the training of electrical engineers.
On Saturday and Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day, the signaling systems of the training signal box were demonstrated to the public. The systems include
- equipment in the indoor facility, notably the lever bench of the standard signal box dating from 1937
- Outdoor facilities, including a mechanical point machine with transmission mechanisms, a shaped main signal, and several light signals
- Safety equipment for the at-grade crossing with the road, specifically a WSSB 64b-type railroad crossing safety system
- Industry-specific components and signaling equipment as part of the DIE University archives exhibition
Based on the extensive safety systems, visitors were able to understand the train operations actually taking place at the station from both an operational and a safety perspective, and to perform the necessary control steps themselves from the start to the end of a train journey.
During technical discussions with visitors, further technical and historical details about the railway station and local rail operations came to light. These discussions also drew on the accounts of former and current employees of the railway companies. Among those who visited over the weekend were the following individuals:
- The former head of the Zittau Signal and Telecommunications (SF) post, Mr. Peter Ettrich.
- The managing director of the railway operator SOEG mbH, Mr. Ingo Neidhardt.
- The former dispatcher, Mr. Christian Rönsch (who served in Zittau South from 1955 to 1967).
- Mr. Egbert Gocht, foreman of the Control and safety technology (LST) department.
- Other former and currently employed train dispatchers.
- As well as former and current locomotive engineers with route knowledge.
There was unanimous agreement that developments surrounding the signal box in recent years have been very positive. Since early 2014, the University has been working to restore and convert the facility—which was damaged by the 2010 floods—for educational purposes. In addition to faculty members and numerous students, various volunteers have also contributed their time to this effort.
The commitment of Mr. Christian Rönsch (see above) deserves special mention. As a retiree, he provided significant support for the project—from providing information and teaching materials (some of which he created himself) on the operational handling of safety technology to conducting simulated operations during the “Historik Mobil” event.
Likewise, thanks to the support of Mr. Thomas Dießner, the exhibition—which began in 2014 and focuses on typical components and signaling equipment as well as the history of the railroad line (see above)—has been significantly expanded through additional permanent loans.
Over the weekend, however, it once again became clear just how important the commitment of Zittau’s citizens was in preventing the closure of the railroad line in the 1990s. Thanks to their efforts and foresight at that time, this technical monument is now able to make a valuable contribution to educating future generations.
We therefore extend our heartfelt thanks to all visitors and supporters of the narrow-gauge railway—both past and present!
As early as August 10, the class / course on control and safety technology will begin again at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, during which the training signal box and the Zittau Süd training station will once again prove invaluable.
Contact
Patrick Hornung
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Phone: +49 3583 - 611571
Fax: +49 3583 - 611330