Its operation was a challenge for the
Royal Württemberg State Railways (K.W.St.E.) as well as the
Deutsche Reichsbahn and
Deutsche Bundesbahn. In the steam locomotive age every train, even the
Orient-Express, had to be assisted. As a result, the
railway stations at
Geislingen (Steige) and
Amstetten are correspondingly large. For the banking locomotives on stand-by duty there was a depot (
Bahnbetriebswerk) with the necessary facilities. In 1933 the line was electrified by the
Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft.
Electric locomotives were considerably more powerful than steam locomotives. That meant banking duties were reduced. For the remaining work locomotives of
DRG Class E 93 (later 193) and
DRB Class E 94 (194) were employed. Amongst others, they relieved the steam locomotives of
DRG Class 59. In the
Deutsche Bundesbahn era the trains were mainly hauled by standard electrics, the so-called
Einheits-Elektrolokomotiven, and also the
DB Class 103. In February 1975 the so-called
Gleiswechselbetrieb between Geislingen (Steige) and Amstetten was introduced. This means that both tracks can be used in either direction and enables, for example, slower trains to change tracks to allow faster trains to overtake. In March 1986 this was also brought in between Geislingen West and Geislingen (Steige). In 1987
Class 140s (temporarily) and
150s replaced the Class 194s as pusher locomotives. The Class 150s have since been retired. Since 1991 banking duties have largely been done away with on passenger trains as a result of the introduction of the
ICEs and more powerful locomotives (e.g.
DBAG Class 101,
DB Class 120). As before the InterRegioExpress (IRE) runs every two hours, which during the week is run four times a day with a
Sprinter with two
Class 218 diesel locomotives; the rest of the time with
Class 146.2, from
Lindau to
Stuttgart and back. By hooking the
banking engines up front and back, the least time is lost for passengers on the Geislinger Steige. As before, however, heavy goods trains are pushed. For
Railion trains (formerly DB Cargo) there are two
DB Class 151 engines at Geislingen. Since increasingly private railway companies in Germany are transporting freight, private banking engines may also be encountered on the Geislinger Steige (e.g.
Class 66 of the
Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (HGK). == Future ==