Duisburg-Hochfeld Railway Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Duisburg–Hochfeld Railway Bridge spans the Rhine in the German city of Duisburg
on the Duisburg-Ruhrort–Mönchengladbach line. The first bridge was built by the Rhenish Railway Company
and put into operation at the end of 1873. It was replaced by a new bridge in 1927, which was badly damaged during the Second World War, but rebuilt and is still serves rail traffic between the Ruhr
region and Aachen
.
(Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, RhE) opened its line between Osterrath and Essen to connect the coal mines in the Ruhr region with its railway network, which at that time was mainly located on the west bank of the Rhine. This line included the Rheinhausen–Hochfeld train ferry
. Prior to the Austro-Prussian War
, the Prussia
n military opposed the building of fixed bridges across the Rhine for military reasons, except in fortified cities such as Cologne, Mainz
, Koblenz
and Düsseldorf
. Hints in 1869 that military opinion had changed led the company to apply immediately for permission to construct a bridge from Rheinhausen
to Duisburg.
on the following conditions:
Since the Rhenish Railway Company plans for the bridge was largely ready, construction of the double-track bridge was able to begin in 1872. Despite two floods, it was completed in two years. To the west of the Rhine, a 16 span brick approach bridge was built over the flood plain; each span had an internal length of 50 Prussian feet. The central pier of the swing bridge was about 34 metres long and 10 metres wide. In the event of an attack it could be turned 90° and thus made impassable for troops and trains. At the ends of the bridge there were defensive towers, which had pedestrian walkways on each side. The main bridge consisted of four spans, each 98 metres long, which were supported by three piers. Each span consisted of a two-hinged arch truss made of 2,800 tons of wrought iron made by Jacobi, Haniel and Huyssen (later GHH) in Oberhausen
. On the eastern side of the Rhine the bridge's defensive tower connected with a swing bridge and a shorter bridge over the flood plain with 6 spans, which were 50 Prussian feet long. The bridge had an overall length of 800 metres.
Freight operations on the bridge commenced on 24 December 1873. The passenger trains still used the train ferry until 14 January 1874. All four lines of the ferry could then be demolished. The construction costs for the Rhenish Railway were about 2.5 million thalers.
The ever-increasing rail traffic across the bridge and the increasingly heavy trains were already starting to damage to the bridge by 1910 and at the beginning of 1914 the first plans for a new bridge were being drafted, but were dropped because of the First World War.
a time bomb exploded while a Belgian military train was crossing the bridge. Eight people died and several were injured.
The new bridge had a clearance for navigation that was nearly 180 metres wide. The main bridge was 20 metres high with spans of 126 metres and 189 metres. It was continued on both sides by spans that were both 104 metres long and 10 metres high and on the eastern approach there was a bridge with a 51.8 metre-long span over local industrial rail tracks. To the west of the Rhine there was a brick approach bridge with 19 spans, each 15.60 metres long, over the flood plain. A pedestrian bridge was attached on its northern side. The steel superstructure for the 907 metre-long rail bridge was built by two local construction companies, Friedrich-Alfred-Hütte (part of the Krupp
group) of Rheinhausen and Harkort of Duisburg.
The eastern end of the bridge was made impassable by a bomb on 22 May 1944 during World War II
. The adjacent Krupp factory built a temporary bridge and temporary piers within 17 days and the bridge was extensively repaired. A year later, however, German troops blew up the entire bridge as they retreated from the western bank of the Rhine on 4 March 1945. They also completely destroyed the pier in the centre of the river.
Engineer Group "A") constructed a replacement railway bridge 2815 feet (858 m) long over the Rhine River in the record time of six days, fifteen hours and twenty minutes. The bridge was completed 8 May 1945 and was named the Victory Bridge in English. This line was put back into operation on 12 May 1945. The access tracks for it on both sides were partly assembled from the abundant debris that had accumulated in the local marshalling yards of Krupp and German railways
as a result of the war.
In addition to freight trains, the bridge is used by Regionalbahn
services RB 31, Der Niederrheiner, and RB 33, Rhein-Niers-Bahn, and Regional-Express service RE 2, Rhein-Haard-Express.
On the northern side of the bridge is a wide footpath, which is also used by cyclists.
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
on the Duisburg-Ruhrort–Mönchengladbach line. The first bridge was built by the Rhenish Railway Company
Rhenish Railway Company
The Rhenish Railway Company was along with the Cologne-Minden Railway Company and the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th century built the first railways in the Ruhr and large parts of today's North Rhine-Westphalia.-Foundation :The...
and put into operation at the end of 1873. It was replaced by a new bridge in 1927, which was badly damaged during the Second World War, but rebuilt and is still serves rail traffic between the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
region and Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
.
History
On 23 August 1866, the Rhenish Railway CompanyRhenish Railway Company
The Rhenish Railway Company was along with the Cologne-Minden Railway Company and the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th century built the first railways in the Ruhr and large parts of today's North Rhine-Westphalia.-Foundation :The...
(Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, RhE) opened its line between Osterrath and Essen to connect the coal mines in the Ruhr region with its railway network, which at that time was mainly located on the west bank of the Rhine. This line included the Rheinhausen–Hochfeld train ferry
Rheinhausen–Hochfeld train ferry
The Rheinhausen-Hochfeld train ferry was a German train ferry on the Rhine between Rheinhausen and Hochfeld, now districts of Duisburg. It was built by theRhenish Railway Company and commenced operations on 23 August 1866.-History :...
. Prior to the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
, the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n military opposed the building of fixed bridges across the Rhine for military reasons, except in fortified cities such as Cologne, Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
and Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. Hints in 1869 that military opinion had changed led the company to apply immediately for permission to construct a bridge from Rheinhausen
Rheinhausen
Rheinhausen is a district of the city of Duisburg in Germany, with a population of 79,566 and an area of 38.68 km². It lies on the left bank of the river Rhine....
to Duisburg.
The first bridge
The Prussian government issued a concession on 29 July 1871 for the construction of a railway bridge on the Osterrath–Essen line near RheinhausenRheinhausen
Rheinhausen is a district of the city of Duisburg in Germany, with a population of 79,566 and an area of 38.68 km². It lies on the left bank of the river Rhine....
on the following conditions:
- Chambers with minesLand mineA land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
were to be built in all bridge piers, - Towers were to be constructed with defensive facilities at both bridgeheads and there were to be swing bridgeSwing bridgeA swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
s at the end of the main bridge that could be activated during wartime, - Train ferry facilities on the banks were to be removed,
- 300 thalersVereinsthalerThe Vereinsthaler was a standard silver coin used in most German states and the Austrian Empire in the years prior to German unification.- Introduction :...
was to be paid to the Prussian government for two military gunboats.
Since the Rhenish Railway Company plans for the bridge was largely ready, construction of the double-track bridge was able to begin in 1872. Despite two floods, it was completed in two years. To the west of the Rhine, a 16 span brick approach bridge was built over the flood plain; each span had an internal length of 50 Prussian feet. The central pier of the swing bridge was about 34 metres long and 10 metres wide. In the event of an attack it could be turned 90° and thus made impassable for troops and trains. At the ends of the bridge there were defensive towers, which had pedestrian walkways on each side. The main bridge consisted of four spans, each 98 metres long, which were supported by three piers. Each span consisted of a two-hinged arch truss made of 2,800 tons of wrought iron made by Jacobi, Haniel and Huyssen (later GHH) in Oberhausen
Oberhausen
Oberhausen is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen . The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is also well known for the...
. On the eastern side of the Rhine the bridge's defensive tower connected with a swing bridge and a shorter bridge over the flood plain with 6 spans, which were 50 Prussian feet long. The bridge had an overall length of 800 metres.
Freight operations on the bridge commenced on 24 December 1873. The passenger trains still used the train ferry until 14 January 1874. All four lines of the ferry could then be demolished. The construction costs for the Rhenish Railway were about 2.5 million thalers.
The ever-increasing rail traffic across the bridge and the increasingly heavy trains were already starting to damage to the bridge by 1910 and at the beginning of 1914 the first plans for a new bridge were being drafted, but were dropped because of the First World War.
Bombing
On 30 June 1923, during the occupation of the RuhrOccupation of the Ruhr
The Occupation of the Ruhr between 1923 and 1925, by troops from France and Belgium, was a response to the failure of the German Weimar Republic under Chancellor Cuno to pay reparations in the aftermath of World War I.-Background:...
a time bomb exploded while a Belgian military train was crossing the bridge. Eight people died and several were injured.
The second bridge
The construction of the second bridge began in 1925 and it was commissioned on 13 October 1927. It was built only a few metres downstream of the first bridge. This was demolished as far as the left-bank bridge pylon in order to remove impediments to shipping and the discharge of floods.The new bridge had a clearance for navigation that was nearly 180 metres wide. The main bridge was 20 metres high with spans of 126 metres and 189 metres. It was continued on both sides by spans that were both 104 metres long and 10 metres high and on the eastern approach there was a bridge with a 51.8 metre-long span over local industrial rail tracks. To the west of the Rhine there was a brick approach bridge with 19 spans, each 15.60 metres long, over the flood plain. A pedestrian bridge was attached on its northern side. The steel superstructure for the 907 metre-long rail bridge was built by two local construction companies, Friedrich-Alfred-Hütte (part of the 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...
group) of Rheinhausen and Harkort of Duisburg.
The eastern end of the bridge was made impassable by a bomb on 22 May 1944 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The adjacent Krupp factory built a temporary bridge and temporary piers within 17 days and the bridge was extensively repaired. A year later, however, German troops blew up the entire bridge as they retreated from the western bank of the Rhine on 4 March 1945. They also completely destroyed the pier in the centre of the river.
The third bridge
Immediately after the American army crossed of the Rhine, the 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment (as a member of ADSECADSEC
ADSEC or ADSEC/COMZ represents "The Advance Section, Communications Zone", European Theater of Operations, United States Army, which was formally activated at Bristol in February 1944. It is commonly referred to as simply 'ADSEC'. This was a U.S. Army logistical agency, the first on the...
Engineer Group "A") constructed a replacement railway bridge 2815 feet (858 m) long over the Rhine River in the record time of six days, fifteen hours and twenty minutes. The bridge was completed 8 May 1945 and was named the Victory Bridge in English. This line was put back into operation on 12 May 1945. The access tracks for it on both sides were partly assembled from the abundant debris that had accumulated in the local marshalling yards of Krupp and German railways
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...
as a result of the war.
The fourth bridge
In August 1945 work began on the recovery of the remains of the destroyed bridge superstructure. Still usable parts were recovered and reused. Almost half of the old structure was incorporated into the new bridge in its original form. The fourth bridge was put into operation on 1 October 1949 and it remains in operation.In addition to freight trains, the bridge is used by Regionalbahn
RegionalBahn
The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...
services RB 31, Der Niederrheiner, and RB 33, Rhein-Niers-Bahn, and Regional-Express service RE 2, Rhein-Haard-Express.
On the northern side of the bridge is a wide footpath, which is also used by cyclists.