The Kamieniec Ząbkowicki–Złoty Stok railway (formerly known as Reichensteiner Bahn) is a defunct long branch line in Poland, connecting the junction station in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki and the town of Złoty Stok. The railway opened in 1900 and was closed in 1997 due to the flood.

The railway used to be numbered 209 according to D29 from 1949, the number was changed to 265 in 1971, and changed to the current number 334 in 1985 where the current number is still used after the closure.

Route The line starts at Kamieniec Ząbkowicki railway station on both of the railways called Sudeten Main Line and Wrocław–Międzylesie railway, the line crosses the Ogrodowa street next to the station and heads south to Byczeń, the line is branched with the brickworks via an industrial track, heading south west it crosses the Voivodeship road 382 and passes Byczeń station (3.2 km of the line).Line diagram of the Kamieneic Ząbkowicki–Złoty Stok railway – Jelenia Rail

Next it crosses the Eastern Neisse river and passes the village of Śrem alongside, the line crosses the road to Śrem and passes Sosnowa Śląska station (6.2 km of the line), then it follows the Voivodeship road 390 crossing the road to Błotnica and passing Płonica Śląska station (9.1 km of the line). The line enters the town of Złoty Stok and stops at Złoty stok railway station located towards Traugutta street (part of the National road 46).

History

Beginning

Early proposals The first proposals for a new railway was made in June 1883. The local mine and factory owner Hermann Güttler proposed connecting the railway to Reichenstein (Złoty Stok). According to original assumptions, the planned railway was to connect Camenz (Kamieniec Ząbkowicki), Reichenstein, and Landeck (Lądek Zdrój). A committee was formed to assess the profitability of the project.Der Gebirgsbote no 75, 16.09.1890, no 76, 19.09.1890; no 19, 4.03.1904; no 99, 9.12.1904; no 46, 8.06.1883; no 30, 12.04.1892 The idea of connecting Reichenstein with Landeck by traversing the Golden Mountains seemed impossible, which the idea was scrapped. The idea of constructing a railway took place in 1892, when the same industrialist Hermann Güttler proposed the construction of a secondary railway from Camenz to Reichenstein, or a railway along the Patschkau (Paczków)–Reichenstein–Wartha (Bardo)–Silberberg (Srebrna Góra)–Frankenstein (Ząbkowice Śląskie) road. The Princess Alexandrina, wife of Wilhelm von Mecklenburg-Schwerin and owner of the Weißwasser (Bílá Voda) estate, chose the proposal of constructing a railway between Camenz and Reichenstein in which she agreed, and Prince Albrecht Hohenzollern was also expected to support the proposal.

Plans The law on local railways and private branch lines from 28 July 1892 (Gesetz über Kleinbahnen und Privatanschlussbahnen vom 28. Juli 1892) changed the scope of the committee's activities in favor of connecting Camenz and Reichenstein by rail. Local activists forming the committee chaired by Herman Güttler took action on their own. In 1895 the local activists contacted the experienced royal surveyor Kraus from Glatz (Kłodzko), which in October conducted measurements determining the route of the planned railway. Kraus envisioned the location of the future station in Reichenstein behind the shooting range (Schützenhause) on the Camenz road.Münsterberger Zeitung no 90, 9.11.1895. A few days later, the committee sent the preliminary draft of the route to the president of the Breslau (Wrocław) regency Dr. Wilhelm von Heydebrand und der Las.State Archives in Wrocław, Wrocław District, reference number 9550, Letter from the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki – Złoty Stok Railway Committee to the President of the Wrocław District regarding a permit for the construction of the Wrocław railway, dated November 18, 1895.

In addition to the measurements, the submitted application included a justification prepared by the mayor of Reichenstein Tschäcke, who wrote the main reason for constructing the railway was to improve transportation to the neighboring lime deposits, which were used since 1870 at a rate of 100 thousand hundredweights (5080 tons) annually. 40 workers were in the lime deposits, in previous years the number reached to 120 workers. The Reichenstein lime deposits could not compete with the production plants in Gogolin and Groß Strehlitz (Strzelce Opolskie) without the right transportation. Other important plants indicated by the mayor that would benefit from the railway included the brickworks, the forestry industry, the quarries, and the gravel pit.State Archives in Wrocław, Wrocław District, file reference 9550, Letter from the Mayor of Złoty Stok to the President of the Wrocław District regarding the construction of the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki – Złoty Stok railway, dated December 7, 1895.

Consultations at the ministerial level showed the state was interested in Reichenstein's industrial potential, which is the reason the minister initially refused to grant consent for the planned railway as a private tertiary railway. The minister claimed that if the construction of the railway to Maifritzdorf (Mąkolno) and Jauernig (Javornik) were to continue, the railway should be state-owned, implemented according to the railway Act of 1838.State Archives in Wrocław, Wrocław District, reference number 9550, Letter from the Supreme President of the Silesian Province to the President of the Wrocław Regency regarding the construction of the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki – Złoty Stok railway, dated February 4, 1896. Most likely for financial reasons, the consent was granted.

Permitting and acceptance for the construction In April 1896, the minister permitted the construction of the railway from Camenz to Reichenstein and the Güttler's factory with a branch to Maifritzdorf, with the stipulation of which the railway would not extend beyond.State Archives in Wrocław, Wrocław District, reference number 9550, Letter from the Minister of Public Works to the President of the Wrocław Regency regarding the construction of the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki – Złoty Stok railway, dated April 29, 1896. The justification for the limited route of the railway stemmed from the desire to avoid complicated international negotiations, which were not necessarily commensurate with the generated operating revenues. The ministerial decision meant the work began on preparing railway plans. The preparation was entrusted to the surveyor Krause from Glatz. The documentation preparation for the location of a small railway station next to Camenz railway station required several weeks of work. According to administrative and legal procedures, the station plans were ready to be accepted in October 1896. Routine officials participated in the acceptance of the railway plans. On behalf of Breslau railway management were Registrar's Counselor Wilde, Privy Counselor Schmökel, and Registrar's Assessor Fauk. The Starost of Frankenstein Held (as a representative of Albrecht Hohenzollern), the Director of Camenz Castle Eschs, the Mayor of Reichenstein Tschäcke, Registrar's Counselor Buchholz and Buddenberg, referred to as the commercial counselor H. Güttler and surveyor Krause. The next steps required field verification of the plans. Between 1896 and 1897, together with the railway management in Breslau, final arrangements were made regarding the location of the small station in Camenz, and in the following year also for other facilities along the railway.State Archives in Wrocław, Wrocław Regency, reference number 9550, Protocol of acceptance of the plans of the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki railway station of 20 October 1896.

Construction of the railway On February 9, 1898, the president of Breslau regency granted commercial counselor Hermann Güttler a concession to build and operate a standard-gauge railway from Camenz railway station to Reichenstein with a branch line to Maifritzdorf. According to the provisions of the Private Railways Act of 1892, the concession provided passenger and freight transport using steam traction. The construction and enabling traffic was to be completed within three years, under penalty of a fine of 50,000 goldmarks. In order to secure the amount, the owner was required to deposit an aforementioned deposit amount at the cashier's office of the Breslau regency.County Council of the King's Railways in Breslau, No. 10, March 5, 1898, Concession for the construction and operation of the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki – Złoty Stok railway line of February 9, 1898.

The concession specified the rules for the railway's administration requiring the maintenance of renewal and reserve funds. It defined the most important rules for traffic restrictions which for example, the maximum speed could not exceed 30 km/h. According to the regulations the railway was supervised by the president of Breslau regency and also by the railway management in Breslau from a technical perspective. The cost of constructing the railway estimated by the European Commission in Breslau at 2,200,000 goldmarks, assumed financial participation from the city of Reichenstein, which at its meeting on 27 March 1897 committed to subsidizing the railway owner by up to 550,000 goldmarks. The Silesian Province committed to covering one-quarter of the construction costs.State Archives in Wrocław, Wrocław District, file reference 9551, Letter from the Minister of Public Works to the President of the Wrocław District regarding the costs of building the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki – Złoty Stok railway, September 20, 1901. Due to the lack of state capital participating in the construction of the railway, it prevented the construction of a branch line to Maifritzdorf, which was never built again. This was caused from an unexpected increase in steel and land prices that lead to a significant cost overruns and a significant overrun of the initial capital.State Archives in Wrocław, Wrocław District, file reference 9554, Letter from the President of the Wrocław District to the President of the Legnica District regarding the mortgage on the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki – Złoty Stok railway line of 24 October 1912.

In 1898, the construction of a 12-kilometer railway has begun. Field supervision was provided by Counselor Krause, while District Counselor Urban supervised the work on behalf of the Breslau Railway Management. Among the major structures, three passenger stations were built, a bridge over Eastern Neisse river in Baitzen (Byczeń) was built, and three road underpasses in Baitzen, Schrom (Śrem), and Reichenstein were made. The railway equipment and facilities with the participation of Counselors Schmökel and Urban was scheduled to be accepted on January 19, 1899.State Archives in Wrocław, Wrocław District, file reference 9550, Letter from H. Güttler to the President of the Wrocław District regarding the construction of the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki – Złoty Stok railway, June 19, 1898State Archives in Wrocław, Wrocław District, reference number 9550, Letter from the European Commission in Wrocław to the President of the Wrocław District regarding the technical acceptance of the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki – Złoty Stok railway equipment, dated January 19, 1899.

1900 - 1945