Up to the Waldfriedhof: BRAWA’s Stuttgart funicular

BRAWA’s red cable cars have a real Stuttgart railway behind them. The Standseilbahn connects Südheimer Platz in Heslach with the Waldfriedhof, climbing 87 metres along a 536-metre route.

The line opened in 1929. Its two cars are connected by a steel cable, with a passing place on the route. The historic vehicles have teakwood bodies, brass fittings and enamel signs.

Stuttgart’s own account notes an unusual feature at the opening: automatic control. The attendants pressed a button to start the journey, rather than controlling every stage themselves.

Our museum’s BRAWA H0 set, no. 6310, shows the two red cars meeting on a wooded slope on the box lid. The model turns a very particular piece of Stuttgart transport into a railway-layout feature. Has anyone here ridden the real line?