Hesper Valley Railway

{{Short description|Railway line in Germany}}

{{routemap

| title=Hespertalbahn

| map=

STR~~Prince William Railway from Essen-Steele

ABZgl~~Prince William Railway to Wuppertal-Vohwinkel

STR+GRZq~~DB–Hesper Valley Railway junction

BHF~~0.0~~Essen-Kupferdreh Hesper Valley Rly~~(ex. Essen-Kuperdreh)

eABZgr~~Ruhr Valley Railway to Essen-Werden

STR+GRZq~~former DB–Hespertalbahn junction

eABZg+l~~to Prinz Friedrich mine

BHF~~ ~~Cement works~~(former transfer station)

BS2+l\BS2c4

STR\exKHSTa~~Kupferdreh Hesper Valley Railway

BS2l\eBS2r

BS2+l\eBS2+r

DST\exSTR~~ ~~ ~~siding

KHSTxe\exSTR~~3.5~~Haus Scheppen

exSTR\exHST~~Margrefstraße

exDST\exSTR~~Pörtingsiepen mine

exBS2l\exBS2r

exKBHFe~~Hesperbrück

}}

The Hesper Valley Railway (German: Hespertalbahn) is a German heritage line running steam locomotive services between Kupferdreh Old Station and Haus Scheppen on the Baldeneysee lake in Essen.

File:Hespertalbahn01.jpg

As a narrow gauge wagonway it linked opened up Erzgruben in 1867, and the Pörtingsiepen mine in 1877. The upgrading of part of the line to standard gauge followed in 1918. In 1973 the line was closed. In June 1975 the Hesper Valley Railway Preservation Society (Verein zur Erhaltung der Hespertalbahn) saved the route and has since operated it as a heritage railway. The top speed on the line is 15 km/h.

The Hesper Valley Railway is part of the Route der Industriekultur, route 12 (The Ruhr — past and present) and route 15 (Railways in the area).