History
The first section of the line from Gotha to Ohrdruf was opened on May 8, 1876. The reason for the construction was primarily the desire of the people of Ohrdruf for the railway and the demand of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to be able to reach all the official towns in the duchy easily.
The initial owner was the Gotha-Ohrdruf Railway Company, whose main shareholders were the domain administration of the Duchy of Gotha and the town of Ohrdruf. The town of Gotha and the railway construction contractor Herrmann Bachstein were also involved. Bachstein's executive planner was the "Railway Construction and Operations Director and Royal Württemberg Master Builder" Alfred Philippi. The operation was run by the Thuringian Railway Company until 1882, then by the Prussian State Railway.
When the Erfurt-Schweinfurt railway line was completed in 1883, the people of Ohrdruf also wanted to have a connection to this side. Since the entire area of the Ohratalbahn belonged to Saxony-Coburg.