1 April 1891: The first train arrives on the platform at Wuppertal Küllenhahn station – almost a hundred years later, in 1988, it is over. The railway line from Wuppertal-Steinbeck (at the bottom of the valley of the Wupper) to Wuppertal-Cronenberg on top of the hill was set up primarily to transport raw materials and goods from the flourishing Cronenberg tool industry. Later a passenger train was added. These were railbusses which must have rocked and swung quite a bit on the winding route through the forest up the mountain. The passengers felt it was like samba dancing and so the railway line got its nickname: Samba Train.
Like many small railway lines, the Samba was no longer profitable and the line was closed down. The Küllenhahn station remained without function. In 1992 the building was included in the list of monuments of the city of Wuppertal. There were various ideas for its use, even an artists’ meeting room was planned. But then serpula lacrymans was spotted. The end. Serpula lacrymans is one of the most difficult fungi to combat. The cost of restoration was estimated at 1.5 million euros. The station will be demolished. My photos were taken in November 2020.
The former railway line was converted into a bicycle track.