Photo: From Wolfegg Station (Kißlegg–Aulendorf line) to the wider world? Until 2003, the Kleber Express carried passengers daily from Wolfegg directly to Munich or Freiburg. Photo taken on September 5, 2004, by Ingo Ehrlich

Heckeneilzug—what on earth is that? The term was limited to the Deutsche Bundesbahn, which, in the early 1950s, sought to connect rural areas to metropolitan regions. This created intercity connections that provided access to regions without long-distance rail service—without the need to transfer, at an acceptable travel speed, and, moreover, without the D-Zug surcharge.

As the name suggests, these were express trains that ran on branch lines or secondary long-distance lines away from the major main lines. The long-distance connections that ran, for example, via branch lines to the Allgäu, Upper Bavaria, or the Bavarian Forest were not designated as “Hecken-Eilzüge.” Even though they were not referred to as such by the Deutsche Reichsbahn in the GDR, there were also some unusual long-distance routes there, such as the Sonneberg–Leipzig express train.

With the increasing regularization of regional service, these trains disrupted locomotive and car rotations; in some cases, line closures simply made continuous train service impossible. The last of its kind, the Kleber-Express between Munich and Freiburg, remained in service until December 2003.

The route ran from Munich through Buchloe, Memmingen, Aulendorf, Bad Saulgau, Herbertingen, Sigmaringen, Tuttlingen, Donaueschingen, and Neustadt im Schwarzwald, via the steep Höllentalbahn railway, to Freiburg im Breisgau.

The Kleber-Express was a legendary express train that ran daily from 1954 to 2003 on a 379-kilometer-long, picturesque branch line from Munich to Freiburg. It is the only train in German railway history to be named after a living person—the hotelier Andreas Kleber from Bad Saulgau, who saved the route from being shut down for decades.

A Ride on the “Heckeneilzug” Through the Idyllic Landscape

• The train traveled as a traditional rear-driven express through three regions: the Allgäu, the Upper Danube Valley, and the Black Forest.
• The 379-kilometer route consisted almost entirely of single-track lines (less than 20 percent were double-track).
• The trip took about four and a half to six and a half hours—a leisurely journey across the south.

The Man Who Gave It Its Name and His Rolling Legacy

• Andreas Kleber came from a family of hoteliers (owners of the famous “Kleber Post” in Bad Saulgau).
• When the German Federal Railroad (Bundesbahn) repeatedly sought to discontinue the unprofitable diesel train in the 1980s and 1990s, Kleber fought tooth and nail to keep it running.
• Starting in 1997, Deutsche Bahn officially renamed the train the “Kleber-Express” because, without his insistence, it would have been history long ago.
• A legendary gesture: Passengers could order a packed lunch from the Hotel Kleber through the train crew, which Andreas Kleber personally handed to the train at the station in Bad Saulgau.

The End of an Era

• In December 2003, the last Kleber-Express ran as a Regional-Express (RE 21208/21213), marking the end of the last direct, transfer-free connection on this historic cross-country route.

The History of Traction

The livery of the Kleber-Express reflects the entire history of postwar German railways—from heavy steam operation to modern diesel traction. Because the route ran through rugged terrain and was not fully electrified until relatively late, there were often spectacular locomotive changes.

1. The Steam Locomotive Era (1954 to 1965)

• Class 39 (Prussian P 10): This legendary heavy passenger locomotive was the standard workhorse on the Bavarian-Württemberg section between Munich and Aulendorf during the first ten years. The last scheduled steam service on this route ended here in the winter of 1965.
• Class 18.5 (Bavarian S 3/6): Was used intermittently in the 1950s for the long flatland and Allgäu segments.
• Class 85: In its early years, this sturdy tender locomotive often handled the steep sections of the Höllentalbahn in the Black Forest.

The Shift to Diesel (Starting in 1965)

• V 200 / 221 Series: The iconic large diesel locomotives of the Bundesbahn replaced the steam locomotives and powerfully pulled trains up the gradients of the Alpine foothills.
• Class 215: In the 1970s, it was primarily in service on the challenging, single-track central section between Aulendorf and Neustadt (Black Forest).

3. The Era of the 218 Series

• Class 218: Starting in 1972, the versatile Class 218 diesel locomotive gradually took over train service.
• The Record Run (Starting in 1976): Beginning that year, the Class 218 ran nonstop from Munich to Neustadt (Black Forest). By covering this enormous distance without changing locomotives, DB set the record for the longest daily mileage by a Class 218 locomotive in the company’s entire history.
• Nonstop Operation (Starting in 1988): Beginning with the 1988 summer schedule, the train was pulled directly by a Class 218 locomotive along the entire route (Munich–Freiburg) without changing locomotives.

4. Electrified Section (Freiburg – Neustadt)

Class 139 / 143: Since the Höllentalbahn between Freiburg and Neustadt was electrified early on, electric locomotives were used here. Before the Class 218 took over the entire route, the Class 139 pulled the train on this final section. Starting in 1994, the electric locomotives heading toward Neustadt were even used to assist the diesel locomotives.