Allertalbahn
Route of the former railway connection from Verden via Celle to Gifhorn (Unter- and Oberallertalbahn).
Originally, the Allertalbahn existed as a railway line of regional importance in Lower Saxony. It ran along the Aller river and connected Gifhorn to Verden via Celle.
Figure 1 (source: © OpenStreetMap-Mitwirkende, www.openstreetmap.org, last access: 19.07.2017)
Since the middle of the 19th century plans existed to create a rail connection between Bremen and Hanover running through the Allertal. After the forced incorporation of the Kingdom of Hanover by Prussia in 1866, these plans were implemented by creating a rail connection from Bremen to Magdeburg.
The rail section from Verden to Celle (Unterallertalbahn) was gradually opened between 1903 and 1905. The completion of the eastern section from Celle to Gifhorn (Oberallertalbahn) occured in 1913. Passenger traffic was halted in the aforementioned eastern section on September 27th, 1981. Freight traffic, however, continued, between Gifhorn and Gamsen-Kästorf until March 1st, 1983 and between Celle and Müden-Diekhorst (Flettmar) until May 1993. Apart from a few bridges, little evidence remains of the former railway line. Most of the route has been dismantled.
Figure 2 (source: Albert Ohlms, Müden)
Figure 2 was taken during a ride and shows a bridge over the Alte Ise river. A crossbuck can also be seen in the background, along which this trail continues. At the very end you can see a clearing. This is your current position.
Figure 3 depicts the bridge over the Alte Ise from the south.
Figure 3 (source: Mr. Lauterbach, Müden)
Figure 4 (source: Von Stefan K-50678 - own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16097720 Die Allertalbahn in Gifhorn Stadt (26. September 1981))
Figure 4 shows a VT 95 rail bus in the Gifhorn Stadt station on September 26th, 1981. Rail buses of this type were developed by the Waggonfabrik Uerdingen and introduced on this route in the 1950s. They ran until the end on September 27th, 1981 on the Oberallertal route.
These diesel powered railcars were faster than the previously used steam locomotives. This reduced the travel time from Gifhorn to Celle by 10 minutes.
Figure 5 shows the Allertalbahn route in the Dragen forest area, which was still in existence in 1981, in close proximity with the intersection of the federal road 188. From this point on, the route ran parallel to the Gifhorn - Wieren railroad (near Uelzen).
Figure 5 (source: Ralf Schwarz, Rednitzhembach, 1981)
Text: Bernhard Kracht, Stüde und Jörg Thaden, Westerbeck
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