The best running trails around Blumberg

The Wutach Valley Railway is a 61.7-kilometer-long, standard-gauge, single-track railway line. It connects Lauchringen station, on the High Rhine Railway, with the Hintschingen junction near Immendingen, where it joins the Black Forest Railway. The winding route of the middle section, and especially the reversing tunnel in the Stockhalde, gave it its nickname, the Sauschwänzle Railway. The line was built for strategic military reasons and opened in 1890. Because the standard railway line partially runs through Switzerland, the plan was to bypass it. Because the geography of the Wutach Valley in the middle section, from Weizen to Blumberg, resulted in an elevation difference of over 230 meters, the line had to be artificially extended. At just 9.6 km as the crow flies, the railway line is 25 kilometers long. This artificial extension was achieved with several bridges, a circular reversing tunnel, and a double loop. The circular tunnel is the only structure of its kind in Germany. With a gradient of only 10 ‰, heavy (military) trains could be transported without additional traction. Since this artificial extension of the line also increased ticket prices and travel times, passenger traffic was insignificant and was discontinued on the central section in 1967. Today, the central section is used for heritage traffic, usually with steam locomotives.

The Wutach Valley Railway is a 61.7-kilometer-long, standard-gauge, single-track railway line. It connects Lauchringen station, on the High Rhine Railway, with the Hintschingen junction near Immendingen, where it joins the Black Forest Railway. The winding route of the middle section, and especially the reversing tunnel in the Stockhalde, gave it its nickname, the Sauschwänzle Railway. The line was built for strategic reasons for the military and opened in 1890. Because the standard railway line partially runs through Switzerland, the aim was to bypass it. Because the geography of the Wutach Valley in the middle section, from Weizen to Blumberg, resulted in an elevation difference of over 230 meters, the line had to be artificially extended. At just 9.6 km as the crow flies, the railway line is 25 kilometers long. This artificial extension was achieved with several bridges, a circular reversing tunnel, and a double loop. The circular reversing tunnel is the only structure of its kind in all of Germany. With a gradient of only 10 ‰, heavy (military) trains could be transported without additional traction. Since this artificial extension of the line also increased ticket prices and travel times, passenger service was insignificant and was discontinued on the central section in 1967. Today, the central section is used for heritage services, usually with steam locomotives.

Sauschwänzlebahn A heritage railway that runs from Blumberg to Weizen. The 25 km long railway line is now a technical cultural monument of national importance. Because of its winding route, the line is popularly known as the "SAUSCHWÄNZLEBAHN" (Sauschwänzle Railway).

A heritage railway that runs from Blumberg to Weizen. The 25 km long railway line is now a technical cultural monument of national importance. Because of its winding route, the line is popularly known as the "SAUSCHWÄNZLEBAHN" (Saustail Railway).

The station is served by regional transport and is also the start and end point of the "Sauschwänzle-Bahn" museum railway to Weizen. There is also a museum here. But you can also see a lot outside, such as the historic equestrian signal box that was rescued from Rastatt and rebuilt here and some other sights from the days of the railway. Information about the museum railway here: https://sauschwaenzlebahn.de/ The construction of the line was largely driven forward by the military. The line, which was opened in 1890, was intended to serve as a strategic railway, colloquially known as the cannon railway, in a possible further war against France... For the history of the railway line, I recommend: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wutachtalbahn

From here you can take the historic “Sauschwänzlebahn” to Weizen. The approximately one-hour journey is a real experience. You can find more information and the timetable here: https://sauschwaenzlebahn.de/.

Eichbergstutz - great view towards Wutachschlucht and Aargau

Nice starting point for numerous hikes. There is also the arrival from Tuttlingen with a change to the Sau Schwänzlebahn from April 30th, 2023 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.