Nassau State Railway

The Nassau State Railway managed until 1866 the Duchy of Nassau belonging to the railroad tracks along the Rhine and Lahn, some of which even built the state, had taken part in 1861 by a private company.

Private predecessor

Wiesbaden Railway Company until 1852 founded as a private company that wanted to continue the path along the Rhine - Although already in 1840, coming from Frankfurt route of the Taunus Railway Company Wiesbaden had achieved was - after a first initiative in 1844.

After Wiesbaden Railway Company the concession to build the Nassau Rhine Valley Railway Wiesbaden from the Duchy of Nassau on June 23, 1853 - Rüdesheim - had received Oberlahnstein, they traded as Nassau Rhine Railway Company.

She realized part way through the Rheingau from Wiesbaden to Rüdesheim. This was technically the easiest to produce and therefore built as the first and after undergoing sea trials from 24 July on August 11, 1856 with a length of 26 kilometers. Construction manager was already experienced in railway Briton Charles Vignoles. Here, the "Wiesbaden " the terminus of the railway station Biebrich Mosbach was initially (later Wiesbaden- Biebrich ), until February 11, 1857, the extension (5 miles) to Wiesbaden Rhein station was put into operation.

After the Nassau Rhine Railway Company had been granted a provisional license for the Lahntalbahn of Oberlahnstein to Wetzlar on August 24 in 1855, it was called from 1856 Nassau Rhine and Lahn Railway Company.

A first stretch of the river Lahn railway from Oberlahnstein to Bad Ems was opened on 1 July 1858 but impassable shortly thereafter by a landslide.

Because of the unreliability of the company, the Duchy withdrew this concession on 11 December 1855, decided to build this train at their own costs. Nevertheless, a final license was issued to the Company on 31 March 1857.

State Railway

The Nassau Rhine and Lahn railway company lacked obvious the will and the necessary capital for the rapid expansion of the rail network. Therefore, the state revoked on 14 October 1858 got further concessions. The state-owned railway construction was based now on a law of November 3, 1858 On May 1, 1859, the leg Oberlahnstein could -. Bad Ems are finally opened to traffic. Thus, operation of the railway began under government control.

The Nassau State Railway started on 22 February 1862, the distance between Rüdesheim and Oberlahnstein in operation, concluding the 56.6 km long gap between the Rhine Valley Railway and the Lahn Valley Railway. Then she took a contract dated May 2, 1861 at June 12, 1862 and the 30- kilometer stretch between Wiesbaden and Rüdesheim by the private company, which subsequently dissolved.

For the buildings, particularly the stations, stops, railway keeper's house and tunnel portals, especially the architect and Royal Railway and operating Inspector Heinrich Velde was responsible. In his design, built along the Rhine Valley line numerous typed station building.

After the Duchy of Nassau and the Kingdom of Prussia had agreed in a treaty of February 8, 1860, the railway construction in the Lahn valley, presented the Nassaui state the remaining 86 km stretch in four sections done, namely on July 9, 1860 by Bad Ems to Nassau ( 8 km), on 5 July 1862 by Nassau to Limburg ( 26 km), on 14 October 1862 to Weilburg ( 29 km) and on 10 January 1863 to Wetzlar (23 km ); which at that time was already part of Prussia. Leading this was the railway pioneer and engineer Moritz Hilf. The Rhine Valley line was extended on June 3, 1864 by Oberlahnstein to Niederlahnstein and received following the route of the Rhenish Railway Company and its left bank of the Rhine to Koblenz railway network.

Connections to other railways

• In Wiesbaden, the Nassau State Railway joined in the Taunus Railway to Frankfurt am Main.
• Between Rüdesheim and Bingen connect to the Rhein-Nahe Railway Company was from November 1861 to the ferry Bingen- Rüdesheim made ​​. Thus, a trade between the Rhine -Main area and the Saar area who offered a new sales territory, especially the Saar coal resulted.
• In Oberlahnstein the connection was made to the Rhenish Railway Company. In preparation of its completion was from the 2nd half of 1862 to 3 June 1864 Ferry pride rock Oberlahnstein. This compound was used primarily to transport ore from the Lahn valley and the supply industry there with Ruhr coal.
• The Lahn Valley Railway joined the Deutz- Gießen Railway near Wetzlar.

Transition at Prussia

With the downfall of the Duchy of Nassau as an independent state as a result of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the line was part of the Prussian state railways.

The attempt by the Rhenish Railway Company, to take over the Nassau State Railway, and to operate as an extension of their planned right bank route failed due to demands of the Prussian state. Since its cash situation was strained by the war, he made the sale of the web on the simultaneous acquisition of loss- Rhein-Nahe Railway Company. To this end, however, the Rhenish Railway Company was not willing to put the Nahe Valley Railway but the profitability of their under construction Eifelbahn in question.

Thus, the facilities of the former Nassau State Railway remained Prussian state property and were initially managed by a separate Directorate, headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany. In the course of further nationalizations of private railways in Prussia its network in 1880 in the Royal was. Prussian railway department Frankfurt incorporated.