Bahnbetriebswerk Leipzig-Wahren
THE ABANDONED STATION IN GERMANY
This is the abandoned ‘Bahnbetriebswerk Leipzig-Wahren’ built in 1905 and eventually abandoned in 1994.
At the beginning of the 20th century, all railway yards were moved from central Leipzig to the suburbs. This included the Leipzig-Wahren freight yard, which was opened on 9 April 1905. At the same time, the ‘Bahnbetriebswerk Leipzig-Wahren’ locomotive depot was built on the north side on the yard.
The Wahren passenger station was already opened in 1841. But after 1905 the focus shifted to cargo transport. The railway towards Schönefeld were electrified in 1914. But shortly after the beginning of the First World War the operation of electric trains in central Germany was stopped and the systems were dismantled for the production of non-ferrous metals. The overhead wiring systems were eventually rebuilt between 1921 and 1923. But the railway was not electrified until 1934. During the course of the Second World War, the station was repeatedly attacked from the air and as a result considerably damaged. As a result the electrification of the line for the second time took place in 1960. In the middle of the 1970s, a workshop for the training of electric signal mechanics was set up in the rooms of the former station restaurant.
In 1994 the last train left the yard. The two roundhouses and several buildings became abandoned. The 32 tracks are long gone, but there still is an old railroad police building, several offices and the twin water towers. These photos of ‘Bahnbetriebswerk Leipzig-Wahren’ were taken in 2009. More abandoned roundhouses can be found here.
