History Freital-Potschappel station

track plan of potschappel station in 1920s

from 1856 1875, more million loads 100 tons of coal each handled in potschappel. meant 1860s station 1 of important stations handling freight in saxony. @ same time, passenger traffic between dresden , growing industrial communities of döhlen basin developed. in 1886, approximately 488,000 passengers carried daily in 22 trains, , in 1897 twice many trains each day handled on 1 million passengers.

in 1886, potschappel–wilsdruff narrow-gauge railway opened , provided further traffic. line, extended nossen in 1889, first part of system developed wilsdruff network (wilsdruffer netz). narrow-gauge railway used track bed of niederhermsdorf coal branch railway between potschappel , niederhermsdorf, third rail inserted. station infrastructure had been expanded end of 1870s.

freital potschappel station during flood of 2002

the resulting high traffic density on railway congested , delayed traffic. situation further intensified start-up of tramway through plauenscher grund (the valley of weißeritz between plauen , freital) in 1902. exit potschappel towards dresden created chokepoint, eased raising of railway 1905 1909. result of upgrading, reconstruction work carried out @ entrance building erected in 1855. railway upgraded 4 tracks, work completed in 1914, allowing passenger , goods traffic handled separately @ potschappel station. during time, signal box b1 built, still preserved 1 , under heritage protection.

narrow gauge precinct of station in 2015

the introduction of narrow-gauge link between hainsberg , potschappel first considered in 1900s. allow exchange of locomotives between wilsdruff narrow-gauge network , weißeritz valley railway (weißeritztalbahn), starts in hainsberg. realised possible have weißeritz valley railway start in potschappel via route. after upgrading of dresden-werdau railway, potschappel–hainsberg connecting railway (potschappel-hainsberger verbindungsbahn, phv) operational september 1913 onwards; included section of industrial connecting line third rail had been inserted. after that, carriages of weißeritz valley railway serviced in carriage repair shop @ potschappel narrow-gauge depot. until 1960s , again in 1990s special excursions offered on weißeritz valley railway potschappel via phv.

with formation of town of freital municipalities of deuben, döhlen , potschappel, potschappel station renamed freital-potschappel on 1 june 1921. bomb dropped during air raids on dresden hit station facilities on 16 april 1945.

the coal mining industry on left (eastern) bank of weißeritz abandoned @ end of 1950s. consequently, sections of line running mining sites no longer profitable. narrow-gauge railway running wilsdruff closed in 1972, although standard-gauge section continued operate few years afterwards. tracks have been preserved in station area day. since closure, potschappel station has reverted being through station only.

since 31 may 1992, freital-potschappel station has been served dresden s-bahn. flood in august 2002 caused devastating damage tracks, in following years extensive repairs , new works had carried out. platform , bridge north of station moved southeast, abutments of old building including entrance platform preserved. during reconstruction work, large parts of phv line dismantled continuous narrow-gauge link between hainsberg , potschappel no longer exists. carriages of weißeritz valley railway , of radebeul–radeburg railway (lößnitzgrundbahn) have since been transported low-loader carriage repair shop in potschappel.