Deggendorf–Metten railway
Encyclopedia
The Deggendorf—Metten railway was a local Bavarian branch line (Lokalbahn) in southern Germany. It was established by the Aktiengesellschaft der Lokalbahn Deggendorf
-Metten
, a railway company in eastern Bavarian that built and operated this standard gauge line between the two towns.
The company was founded, on the one hand, to provide a railway link to the town of Metten, well known for the its monastery (Kloster Metten) and, on the other hand, to export stone from the granite quarries in the surrounding area.
The concession
was issued on 7 September 1890. That same year construction started and, on 17 October 1891, it was opened to traffic. The length of the Paterbahn, as it was called in the local dialect, was 4.22 kilometres. In addition, in Metten there was a 1.1 kilometre long branch to the quarries. The two steam locomotives that worked the line were called Deggendorf (Krauss 1891/ 2451 - B n2t - 1,435 mm, scrapped in 1965) and Metten (Krauss 1891/ 2452 - B n2t - 1,435 mm, scrapped in 1953).
The line was taken over on 1 February 1928 by the Regentalbahn AG who continued to operate it. They worked it with their locomotive Osser (Maffei 1922/ 5478 - C h2t - 1,435 mm) as well as the 'new' Deggendorf (Maffei 1927/ 5684 - D h2t - 1,435 mm).
On 6 November 1975 the last steam train ran down the line. On 23 September 1983 the last passenger train was underway. Goods traffic ceased in 1991 and on 1 August 1993 the line was finally closed.
Deggendorf
Deggendorf is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Deggendorf.The earliest traces of settlement in the area are found near the Danube, about 8,000 years ago. Both Bronze Age and Celtic era archeological finds indicate continuous habitation through the years...
-Metten
Metten
Metten is a municipality in the district of Deggendorf in Bavaria in Germany. The town grew up round Metten Abbey, founded in 766. Metten is also the birthplace of former Bayern Munich goalkeeper Sepp Maier....
, a railway company in eastern Bavarian that built and operated this standard gauge line between the two towns.
The company was founded, on the one hand, to provide a railway link to the town of Metten, well known for the its monastery (Kloster Metten) and, on the other hand, to export stone from the granite quarries in the surrounding area.
The concession
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
was issued on 7 September 1890. That same year construction started and, on 17 October 1891, it was opened to traffic. The length of the Paterbahn, as it was called in the local dialect, was 4.22 kilometres. In addition, in Metten there was a 1.1 kilometre long branch to the quarries. The two steam locomotives that worked the line were called Deggendorf (Krauss 1891/ 2451 - B n2t - 1,435 mm, scrapped in 1965) and Metten (Krauss 1891/ 2452 - B n2t - 1,435 mm, scrapped in 1953).
The line was taken over on 1 February 1928 by the Regentalbahn AG who continued to operate it. They worked it with their locomotive Osser (Maffei 1922/ 5478 - C h2t - 1,435 mm) as well as the 'new' Deggendorf (Maffei 1927/ 5684 - D h2t - 1,435 mm).
On 6 November 1975 the last steam train ran down the line. On 23 September 1983 the last passenger train was underway. Goods traffic ceased in 1991 and on 1 August 1993 the line was finally closed.
See also
- List of closed railway lines in Bavaria
- Bavarian branch linesBavarian branch linesBavarian branch lines comprised nearly half the total railway network in Bavaria, a state in the southeastern Germany that was a kingdom in the days of the German Empire...
- RegentalbahnRegentalbahnThe Regentalbahn is railway company based in Bavaria, and is a subsidiary of Arriva Deutschland. It runs railway infrastructure, as well as regional and long-distance passenger services in Bavaria and Saxony with links into the Czech Republic, and Germany-wide goods trains.- Emergence of the...
External links
- Information about the Deggendorf-Metten Lokalbahn (private)
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany
Sources
- Gerd Wolff: Deutsche Klein- und Privatbahnen. Band 7: Bayern. EK Verlag, Freiburg 2002
- Andreas Fried, Klaus-Peter Quill: Regentalbahn. Bufe-Fachbuch-Verlag, Egglham 1999