Bavarian Eastern Railway Company

The Royal privileged Actiengesellschaft the Bavarian Ostbahnen was founded in 1856. It was built in just two decades in the hitherto largely untouched by railways Eastern Bavaria, Upper Palatinate and Lower Bavaria, an extensive rail network, which is still in local and long-distance transport of Deutsche Bahn important to a large extent even today.

Foundation

The construction of the Bavarian state railway network had focused on the routes of the Ludwig South - North Railway, the Ludwigs- west railway, and finally the Bavarian Maximilian train in the first decade. Now the majority of the Bavarian state parliament rejected a further expansion of the national railway network because of the tight cash situation of the state and at that time still unprofitable operation of railways. This Eastern Bavaria would continue to remain without rail connections, the state legislature had not at March 19, 1856 passed a law that would have allowed again in Bavaria the establishment of private railway companies and facilitates their financing by public interest guarantees.

To improve their own business conditions thereupon committed alongside individuals, merchants, factory owners and brewers of this country's area and Prince Maximilian Karl von Thurn und Taxis of Regensburg, four lending institutions in this area and the manufacturers Theodor von Cramer -Klett, Nuremberg and JA Maffei, Munich. They made an initial capital of 60 million guilders for the construction in East Bavaria and the necessary vehicles. In the same year they founded the

"Royal privileged Actiengesellschaft the Bavarian Ostbahnen "

King Maximilian II of Bavaria approved on 12 April 1856, the founding of the company and gave it the license applied for

Build and ... to the operations of the railways

From Nuremberg to Regensburg Amberg,

From Munich to Landshut on the Danube,

Of Regensburg Straubing and Passau on the border,

Director of the company was the famous railway expert Paul Camille von Denis (1795 - 1872), who had not only the first German railway from Nuremberg to Fürth, but also built in other countries first German railway lines. He succeeded, within 5 years, ready to build shown in the concession lines and remain at 17 million guilders less than the estimated 60 million guilders costs. Jointly responsible for the successful implementation of this rail project, Heinrich von Hügel (1828-1899) was, which as " Principals architects " building design and supervision was responsible.

Streckenbau

On the first line of the City of Munich Freising to the Lower Bavarian capital Landshut (71 km) began passenger and freight services on 3 and 15 November 1858. In Munich had the Eastern Railway has its own station on the site of today's Starnberger wing station. The course was going against the current route, east of Nymphenburg directly north towards Feldmoching. A year later, on December 12, 1859, the route was about Neufahrn - Geiselhöring to Straubing to the Danube extended (57 km). From Geiselhöring same time went the diversion in the direction of Regensburg and continues through the Upper Palatinate railway line Nuremberg - Schwandorf about Schwandorf - Amberg - Neukirchen to Hersbruck (left of the Pegnitz ) with 133 km in operation. The section Hersbruck - Nuremberg ( 28 km) was covered as early as May 9, 1859. The route Straubing - Plattling - Passau, 77 km long, the Eastern Railway opened on September 20, 1860 in Landshut and Regensburg terminal stations were developed, which were rebuilt in 1880 and 1873 through stations.. The building diaries of the section Regensburg - Schwandorf are owned by the City Archives of Regensburg.

For the merchants participating in the Eastern Railway was the continuation of the historically evolved trade, now, however, extremely important to the faster railroad, across the borders to Austria and Bohemia. Therefore, already came on 1 September 1861 in Passau concluded a first connection with the Austrian rail network by connecting it to the Empress Elisabeth Western Railway. That same year, the combination of Schwandorf about Cham (January 7 ) and followed Furth im Wald (September 20 ) to the border (15 October ) to the Bohemian West train to Pilsen. This had created the approved in the founding charter of 1856 rail network with 446 kilometers within five years.

It soon became the Schwandorf station to the hub in the middle of Upper Palatinate. In the station Irrenlohe - 4 km north of Schwandorf located on the route to Nuremberg - began on October 1, 1863 the Naab following line to Weiden (40 km), the aufteilte there in two branches: from 1 December 1863 after Bayreuth (58 km) and from August 15, 1864 after midnight pond (39 miles). From there, the node Eger in Bohemia was born on October 15, 1865 and reached for a third connection, 21 km long, made ​​with the Austrian / Czech railway network. The construction of two short Hafenbahnen to the Donauländen in Regensburg and Passau closed on October 1, 1865 from the second phase, which had regulated the concession of 3 January 1862.

After several years of investment break the Eastern Railway began on the basis of a concession from August 3, 1869 1871-1873 errors and detours in the route from the early years to clean up, by connecting the major cities of the region on the shortest paths to each other, as for B. Nuremberg Regensburg Neumarkt, Regensburg Straubing and Regensburg with Radldorf Landshut Neufahrn. This 160 -kilometer-long connections and a spur track of Wiesau after Tirschenreuth went 1872/73 in operation. The direct route Nuremberg - Regensburg over the Frankish / Upper Palatinate Jura, shortened the connection to 40 km, was only made possible by the temporary construction of more powerful locomotives. For this construction program includes the 81 km long route Mühldorf ( Upper Bavaria ) Neumarkt ( Rott ) Pilsting - Plattling, opened on October 15, 1875, and the track Weiden - Neukirchen bei Sulzbach, 51.5 km long, the same day could be opened.

A fourth 72 km long cross-border rail link from Plattling about Deggendorf and Zwiesel to Bavarian Eisenstein ( the so-called Bavarian Forest Railway ) with connection to the Pilsen- Billed - Komotauer railway, for the Bavarian Eastern Railway had in 1872 obtained the concession was based on the nationalization still in construction and until 1877 was taken from the Bavarian State Railroad in operation. The same is true for the 41.6 km long connecting train Landshut - Pilsting, opened on 15 May 1880 with a connection to the line Mühldorf ( Upper Bavaria ) - Plattling.

Nationalization

In the recession years after the war of 1870/71 worsened the economic situation of the Eastern Railway, so that in 1874 threatened the participation in the government interest Guarantee. Thereupon the Bavarian State decided to take over the private car. The Law of 15 April 1875, he acquired the Eastern Railway on 10 May 1875, and led them on 1 January 1876, the Bavarian State Railways together. The Bavarian Eastern Railway possessed at this time already has a rail network of 905 kilometers in length. She had a registered capital of 80 million guilders. To finance the acquisition of the Bavarian government bonds went in the local currency equivalent of 167 million marks. He also took over from the company whose priority bonds with a value of approx. 40 million marks. The shareholders received for a share with a nominal value of 200 guilders these 4 % bayer. Government bond with a nominal value of 400 marks.

Locomotives and cars

It should be mentioned that all acquired by the Bavarian Eastern Railway locomotives of YES Maffei were built in Munich. This is understandable, but the CEO was instrumental in the share capital of the Eastern Railway. From the capital, the Company had provided 6.6 million guilders for the initial procurement of vehicles. In addition to the locomotives of the purchase of 200 cars, 30 vans and 720 boxcar and 398 gondola for various purposes was scheduled.

From December 1857, the company raised for the fast passenger Crampton locomotives (Class A) with the wheel arrangement 2A. These 12 machines had wheels of 1219 mm and 1829 mm diameter drive wheels. From 1859 onwards an additional 12 machines were purchased with the wheel arrangement 1A1 Maffei. All machines were converted from 1869 to the wheel arrangement 1B and set in the class B.

In the early days they drove no pure freight trains, but hung the freight cars to passenger trains. For these mixed trains and later pure passenger trains a total of 85 locomotives of class B were acquired with the wheel arrangement 1B over many years.

It was only in 1862 procured the Eastern Railway Company as a class C now 3 -coupled machines the wheel arrangement C with initially large wheel diameter of 1524 mm. A total of 64 such locomotives were bought with different wheel sizes, later mainly with 1253 mm diameter, which also carried the pure freight trains from 1867.

As locomotives of class D, the tender locomotives were performed, of which the Eastern Railway procured a total of 12 pieces and took over two machines of the Deggendorf Plattlinger Eisenbahn AG.

/ * after conversion to 1870 in 1B n2 machines.

For details of each series of locomotives can be found in the list of Bavarian locomotives and railcars.