Royal Württemberg State Railways

The Royal Württemberg State Railways ( KWSt.E. ) were the state railways of the Kingdom of Württemberg (since 1918 free people's state Württemberg ), between 1843 and 1920.

Prehistory

As in many other states of the German Confederation, there were also in the Kingdom of Württemberg from 1825 about considerations to improve the transport infrastructure of the country. Private interest groups were formed, from 1834 also the state dealt with this question and gave advice in order that should demonstrate appropriate solutions. Applications for concessions for the construction of private railways ( based, for example, of the 1836 Württemberg railway company ) were initially rejected. The main lines were provided as state railway. This government and King wanted true interests of the state in regard to the lucrative appearing transit. To guide the lines in the neighboring states of intergovernmental negotiations were necessary anyway.

The track construction was established by law by the Railway Act of 18 April 1843 which this day to birth KWSt.E. been. Expressly provided for the law, that the construction of branch lines should also be possible by private companies. This law was also the impetus for the founding of the Maschinenfabrik Esslingen, railway vehicles and railway technology in Württemberg significantly contributed.

Overview of the emergence of the state railways

Trunk routes

In the Kingdom of Württemberg, the rail network initially developed with the central train from Stuttgart on the Neckar river, on the one hand on the Eastern Railway to Ulm and continue on the Southern Railway to Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, on the other hand on the Western Railway in the Bruchsal Baden. From Bietigheim the Northern Railway branched off to Heilbronn.

Additions to the original routes

After break of several years, the construction of the Upper Neckar Railway, the episcopal city of Rottenburg am Neckar and 1864/66 first Eyach and then the later node Horb reached Plochingen from 1859 Reutlingen, Tübingen am Neckar 1861 began.

In the eastern Württemberg the Rems Railway from Cannstatt was built in 1861 On Schorndorf - Aalen to Nördlingen Wasseralfingen and 1863 made ​​in connection to the Bavarian railway network.

The kettle train ran through 1862 from Heilbronn the Hohenlohe plain to Schwäbisch Hall and from 1867 to Crailsheim, where in 1866 the trains of the Upper Jagst train arrived from Aalen and 1869 the Tauber Valley Railway joined to Mergentheim.

A cross- connection through the Ostalb from Aalen to Ulm should offer the Brenz Railway, which opened in 1864 to Heidenheim an der Brenz, but not until 1875/76 reached their destination. The spa town of Wildbad in the Black Forest in 1868 connected with the Enztalbahn at the Baden node Pforzheim.

From Heilbronn from you extended the Lower Neckarbahn 1866 to Jagstfeld and from here three years later the Lower Jagsttal train to Osterburken; in both stations were new connections to the Baden State Railways.

The Upper Neckar Railway reached 1867/68 of Horb from Rottweil and from there in 1869 the Baden town of Villingen in the Black Forest. In the same year, the first trains of the Upper Danube path of Rottweil drove to Tuttlingen, from where in 1870 the connection Immendingen at the Baden Black Forest Railway was established.

From Ulm, they built the Donautalbahn in 1868 towards blue Beuren Riedlingen, but reached Sigmaringen until 1873. Further six years, it took until the Zollernalb railway established the connection of Tübingen, which had reached in 1869 Hechingen and 1874 Balingen.

The Black Forest Railway chained 1868/69 in Zuffenhausen according to Weil der Stadt from 1872 and came to the town of Calw and further to Nagold; 1874 reversed the Nagold train stop from Pforzheim Calw - Nagold to Horb.

In 1869, the chain Herbertingen Allgäu railway over - Aulendorf from Saulgau to Waldsee. There it was 1870 to Kißlegg and 1872 to Leutkirch im Allgäu on; 1874 was Isny station.

Subsequently, the state railway compacted their power nor by the construction of the following routes:

Workshops

While were carried out since 1844 building and repairs to the locomotives, cars and other machinery operating largely in the private furnished by the State Railways Maschinenfabrik Esslingen, stood for car repairs initially only set up on the first Heilbronner station workshops. Therefore, originated in 1869 in Cannstatt an Centrale car workshop, which became the nucleus of the repair work.

Rolling stock

Operationally to let the K.W.St.E. not until about 1865 - like most German states - led by the British, but from the U.S. model. For the vehicles - both for locomotives as well as carriage - this meant, for example, the use of wide-body cars and the use of bogies. This advanced approach was abandoned due to strong influences mainly from Prussia temporarily again.

Responsible for sourcing and rebuilding of locomotives was from 1885-1896, among other top machinist Adolf Klose. Under his leadership composite locomotives and Zahnradlokomotiven were procured for the first time. He also designed an engine to improve the cornering performance of locomotives

He was followed by Eugen Kittel. He led the superheated steam in Württemberg. Under his leadership, among other steam railcar design coat, express locomotives and freight locomotives Württemberg Württemberg C K were put into service. Were also tested for gasoline and Akkumulatortriebwagen.

A compilation and collection of used -down at the Württemberg State Railways locomotives can be found on the page List of Württemberg locomotives and railcars.

1913 showed the statistics from the following figures.

• Length of the route (including private railways ): 2256 km
• Stations: 639
• Locomotives: 855
• Railcars: 17
• Passenger car: 2394
• Mail and baggage cars: 760
• Wagons ( including railway company cars): 14,565

The Bodensee- steamers of the State Railways was built in 1909 and destroyed in 1944 Salon steamship Friedrichshafen.

After the defeat in the First World War, the Imperial Constitution of 1919 ended the autonomy of Württemberg railway system. By a treaty between the German Reich and the countries among others, the Württemberg State Railways went on 1 April 1920 ( the additional Royal was the abdication of King William II lapsed on 30 November 1918) the property of the kingdom over, and together with the former state railways of Bavaria, Prussia, Saxony, Baden, Mecklenburg and Oldenburg's the foundation, which was founded on April 1, 1920 Reichsbahn.