Hantzbahn

The Hantzbahn was a 25.7 km long narrow-gauge railway with a gauge of from Saint-Blaise-la-Roche in Alsace over the Hantz Pass and beyond.

History
The Hantzbahn was laid in 1916 during World War I by German troops, Russian prisoners of war and local civilians as a military light railway using prefabricated rail track panels with a length of 5 meters. The railway was 25.7 km long and connected Saint-Blaise-la-Roche with Ban-de-Sapt to transport weapons, ammunition and supplies to the front and to return wounded soldiers in the opposite direction to hospitals. The highest point of the railway was 798 m at Col des Braques about 2 km  west of Saales. The railway ended in Bestru, a district in Provenchères-sur-Fave.

Route
The light railway connected Saint-Blaise via the Hantz Pass with the front line at Ban-de-Sapt, in order to transport weapons, ammunition and supplies to the front and wounded soldiers in the opposite direction to the hospitals.

Operation
The light railway line started operating in July 1916. The operation was organized according to a timetable with precise service instructions regarding the type of locomotives, the number of wagons, the speeds and the tonnages that had to be complied with depending on the section of the route. A total of 176 people were employed for the smooth operation of the six steam locomotives and four benzene locomotives as well as for the maintenance of the rail vehicles and tracks. It was single track line with eight stations, where trains could be crossed or overtaken using the double-track passing loops.

In the vicinity of the front line, the less powerful gasoline locomotives offered advantages over the 0-8-0 brigade locomotives, because the smoke was easy to spot by the enemy. For better camouflage in the woodless area, camouflage tunnels were installed, which gave the station "Spanische Wand" its name, meaning paravent in German.

Remains
In the post-war period, the tracks were dismantled and scrapped. The old customs house on the road to the Col du Hantz, the former border station at the top of the pass and the Château des St Louis on the D61 are still standing.