Breitspurbahn
Encyclopedia
The Breitspurbahn (ˈbʁaɪtʃpuːɐ̯baːn, translation: broad-gauge railway) was a planned broad-gauge
railway, a personal pet project of Adolf Hitler
during the Third Reich of Germany, supposed to run on 3 metre gauge track with double-deck coaches between major cities of Grossdeutschland, Hitler's expanded Germany.
due after World War I had to be paid, Deutsche Reichsbahn
, Germany's railway company lacked money for appropriate expansion and sufficient maintenance of their track network and rolling stock.
After the Machtergreifung
(seizure of power) of Hitler and the NSDAP, plans for war were laid out and secret preparations started. As commercial and civilian traffic had increased due to economic stimulation by the NSDAP, Deutsche Reichsbahn was now faced with a serious capacity problem. As a result, in part driven by their military objectives, Hitler and the NSDAP began to prepare plans to modernize the railway network and increase transport capacity
In May 1942, Hitler enthusiastically embraced a suggestion from Fritz Todt
to built a new high-capacity Reichsspurbahn (Imperial Gauge Railway) with notably increased gauge, and made this one of his favourite pet projects. Objections from railway experts - who foresaw difficulties in introducing an incompatible gauge (and proposed 4-track standard gauge lines instead) and who could not imagine any use for the vast transport capacity of such a railway - were ignored and Hitler personally ordered the Breitspurbahn to be built with initial lines between Hamburg, Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich and Linz.
The project engaged commercial partners Krauss-Maffei
, Henschel, Borsig, BBC
, Krupp
, but did not develop beyond line planning and initial survey.
Originally proposed as a 4 metre track, the Breitspurbahn was developed with a track width of , over double the width of the common standard gauge track, and around three times the width of the common narrow gauge similar metre gauge track. Planning called for a ballast
less track (much as was developed 30 years later for San Francisco BART
and 40 years later for German high speed lines
) which consisted of two parallel steel-concrete walls embedded in the ground with the rails fixed on top, with an elastic material between rail and concrete. Without sleepers
this would also have formed an ideal road for maintenance and military purposes.
For further routes, see German version and Dutch version.
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
railway, a personal pet project of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
during the Third Reich of Germany, supposed to run on 3 metre gauge track with double-deck coaches between major cities of Grossdeutschland, Hitler's expanded Germany.
History
Since reparationsWorld War I reparations
World War I reparations refers to the payments and transfers of property and equipment that Germany was forced to make under the Treaty of Versailles following its defeat during World War I...
due after World War I had to be paid, Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
, Germany's railway company lacked money for appropriate expansion and sufficient maintenance of their track network and rolling stock.
After the Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
(seizure of power) of Hitler and the NSDAP, plans for war were laid out and secret preparations started. As commercial and civilian traffic had increased due to economic stimulation by the NSDAP, Deutsche Reichsbahn was now faced with a serious capacity problem. As a result, in part driven by their military objectives, Hitler and the NSDAP began to prepare plans to modernize the railway network and increase transport capacity
In May 1942, Hitler enthusiastically embraced a suggestion from Fritz Todt
Fritz Todt
Fritz Todt was a German engineer and senior Nazi figure, the founder of Organisation Todt. He died in a plane crash during World War II.- Life :Todt was born in Pforzheim to a father who owned a small factory...
to built a new high-capacity Reichsspurbahn (Imperial Gauge Railway) with notably increased gauge, and made this one of his favourite pet projects. Objections from railway experts - who foresaw difficulties in introducing an incompatible gauge (and proposed 4-track standard gauge lines instead) and who could not imagine any use for the vast transport capacity of such a railway - were ignored and Hitler personally ordered the Breitspurbahn to be built with initial lines between Hamburg, Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich and Linz.
The project engaged commercial partners Krauss-Maffei
Krauss-Maffei
The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG or simply Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer and defence company based in Munich, Germany...
, Henschel, Borsig, BBC
Brown, Boveri & Cie
Brown, Boveri & Cie was a Swiss group of electrical engineering companies.It was founded in Baden, Switzerland, in 1891 by Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown and Walter Boveri who worked at the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In 1970 BBC took over the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon...
, Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
, but did not develop beyond line planning and initial survey.
Tracks
Track ballast
Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...
less track (much as was developed 30 years later for San Francisco BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
and 40 years later for German high speed lines
High-speed rail in Germany
Construction on the first German high-speed lines began shortly after that of the French LGVs . Legal battles caused significant delays, so that the InterCityExpress trains were deployed ten years after the TGV network was established...
) which consisted of two parallel steel-concrete walls embedded in the ground with the rails fixed on top, with an elastic material between rail and concrete. Without sleepers
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
this would also have formed an ideal road for maintenance and military purposes.
Vehicles
The proposal was that high-performance-locomotives should pull 8-axle double-floor carriages with a length of 40 metres (131.2 ft), and width/height of 6 metre (width) / 7 metre (height). The trains would be fitted with a restaurant, cinema, swimming pool, barbershop and sauna. The whole train would have a length of about 500 metres (1,640.4 ft), allowing a capacity of between 2,000 and 4,000 passengers, travelling at speeds of 200 kilometres per hour (124.3 mph). Various designs of locomotive were proposed, from steam to diesel, all requiring power of between 24,000 and 40,000 PS.Proposed routes
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- Spain
For further routes, see German version and Dutch version.
External links
- breitspurbahn.de Pictures of the "Breitspurbahn"