LEW Hennigsdorf
Encyclopedia
The rail vehicle factory in Hennigsdorf
, Germany was founded in 1910 by AEG
. Locomotive production began in 1913, and in the 1930s absorbed the work of the August Borsig locomotive factory, being renamed the Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH until 1944. After the Second World War the factory was nationalised in the German Democratic Republic
and produced electric locomotives for home use and for export, mainly to Communist Bloc countries under the name Lokomotivbau-Elektrotechnische Werke (LEW).
After German reunification
in 1990, the plant returned to AEG ownership, becoming AEG Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH, and then passed through mergers of its parent companies to Adtranz
(1996) and then Bombardier Transportation
(2001). Under Adtranz's ownership production of locomotives ended, and the site now manufactures diesel
and electric multiple unit
s.
for the creation of a ceramics factory which began production in 1911. In 1913 AEG's locomotive works was relocated from Brunnenstrasse in Berlin to Hennigsdorf and began manufacturing electric vehicles. Between 1914 and 1918 the plant underwent a considerable change in production - being converted to the production of steam locomotive
s.
In 1920/1 a joint venture Rosenthal-Isolatoren GmbH (Rosenthal Insulators) with Rosenthal & Co. AG as well as a steel plant were founded in Hennigsdorf. In 1921 the maufacturer of steam power plants for industry began, and in 1927 the first operational steam engine powered by powdered coal was built.
In 1931 AEG merged with Borsig AG which had been bankrupted by the effects of the Great Depression
. The locomotive company's production was moved from Borsig's factory in Tegel
to the Hennigsdorf plant, in 1935 AEG acquired all of Borsig's shares and became sole owner. Production of locomotives as Hennigsdorf continue under the name Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH as a subsidiary of the AEG group up till 1944.
After then end of the Second World War 80% of the factory had been destroyed, and came under the control of the USSR being in the eastern part of Germany. In 1947 the factory was nationalised, becoming the "VEM Vereinigung Volkseigener Betriebe des Elektro-Maschinenbaus-Lokomotivbau Elektrotechnische Werke Hennigsdorf (Osthavelland)", and in 1948 production of electric locomotives began. In 1951 the plant was renamed VEB Lokomotivbau-Elektrotechnische Werke "Hans Beimler"Named after Hans Beimler
, german anti-nazi, and member of the ReichstagVEB Volkseigener Betrieb
(people-owned enterprise) shortened to LEW.
In 1955 production of a wide range of rail vehicles including trams, diesel locomotives, underground and rack locomotives, and mineral wagons was underway, with 60% of the production for export. In 1960 the factory began to undertake the production of ultra-pure metals by electron beam furnace
. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the factory produced new classes of electric locomotive for the Deutsche Reichsbahn including the DR Class 250
(1974), the DR Class 243
(1982).
From the mid 1980s, LEW began to cooperate with AEG, in which Daimler-Benz
took majority contol around the same time, in exports to third countries, peaking in the 601 Series (today Class 520) intercity diesel multiple unit
s for Greece's OSE in 1989. In 1989 the two companies signed a memorandum of cooperation. In 1990, at the time of the German reunification
, LEW was transformed from a combine
into a non-public company as LEW Hennigsdorf GmbH, and talks about a takeover by AEG started the same year. In November 1991, AEG agreed with the Treuhand
to purchase the rail core business parts of LEW and invest in the Hennigsdorf production facilities for altogether 600 million DM. From 1 January 1992, the works became a separate subsidiary under the AEG Bahnsysteme (AEG Rail Systems) business area of AEG Daimler Benz under the name AEG Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH. In 1992, AEG Bahnsysteme was reorganised into four business sub-areas, one for North America and the Fernverkehr (Long-Distance Traffic), Nahverkehr (Local Traffic) and Bahngesamtsysteme (Complete Rail Systems) areas for Europe, and concentrated and headquartered the Long-Distance Traffic business area at Hennigsdorf.
In January 1996, AEG Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH was integrated into the newly formed ABB Daimler Benz Transportation (Adtranz
), a joint venture of ABB and Daimler-Benz formed by merging AEG Bahnsysteme and its subsidiaries with ABB Transportation. As Adtranz reorganised production among its factories, locomotive production ended at Hennigsdorf and was transferred to the former ABB Henschel
works in Kassel
in 1998. With the acquisition of Adtranz by Bombardier Inc. in May 2001, the Hennigsdorf works became part of Bombardier Transportation
.
As part of Bombardier transportation the plant manufactures passenger rail vehicles including the RegioSwinger
and Itino
DMUs, the DBAG Class 422
, DBAG Class 424
and NS Sprinter Lighttrain
EMUs and the Bombardier Talent, ICE 3
and MOVIA
trains.
other
Hennigsdorf
Hennigsdorf is a town in the district of Oberhavel, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated north-west of Berlin, just across the city border, which is formed mainly by the Havel river.-History:...
, Germany was founded in 1910 by AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
. Locomotive production began in 1913, and in the 1930s absorbed the work of the August Borsig locomotive factory, being renamed the Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH until 1944. After the Second World War the factory was nationalised in the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
and produced electric locomotives for home use and for export, mainly to Communist Bloc countries under the name Lokomotivbau-Elektrotechnische Werke (LEW).
After German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990, the plant returned to AEG ownership, becoming AEG Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH, and then passed through mergers of its parent companies to Adtranz
Adtranz
ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation , commonly known under its brand Adtranz, was a multi-national rail transport equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the USA....
(1996) and then Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
(2001). Under Adtranz's ownership production of locomotives ended, and the site now manufactures diesel
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
and electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s.
History
In 1910 the AEG company acquired a 700000 m² (0.270271511014775 sq mi) of land in Hennigsdorf near BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
for the creation of a ceramics factory which began production in 1911. In 1913 AEG's locomotive works was relocated from Brunnenstrasse in Berlin to Hennigsdorf and began manufacturing electric vehicles. Between 1914 and 1918 the plant underwent a considerable change in production - being converted to the production of steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s.
In 1920/1 a joint venture Rosenthal-Isolatoren GmbH (Rosenthal Insulators) with Rosenthal & Co. AG as well as a steel plant were founded in Hennigsdorf. In 1921 the maufacturer of steam power plants for industry began, and in 1927 the first operational steam engine powered by powdered coal was built.
In 1931 AEG merged with Borsig AG which had been bankrupted by the effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The locomotive company's production was moved from Borsig's factory in Tegel
Tegel
Tegel is a locality in the Berlin borough of Reinickendorf on the shore of Lake Tegel. The Tegel locality, the second largest in area of the 95 Berlin districts, also includes the neighbourhood of Saatwinkel.-History:...
to the Hennigsdorf plant, in 1935 AEG acquired all of Borsig's shares and became sole owner. Production of locomotives as Hennigsdorf continue under the name Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH as a subsidiary of the AEG group up till 1944.
After then end of the Second World War 80% of the factory had been destroyed, and came under the control of the USSR being in the eastern part of Germany. In 1947 the factory was nationalised, becoming the "VEM Vereinigung Volkseigener Betriebe des Elektro-Maschinenbaus-Lokomotivbau Elektrotechnische Werke Hennigsdorf (Osthavelland)", and in 1948 production of electric locomotives began. In 1951 the plant was renamed VEB Lokomotivbau-Elektrotechnische Werke "Hans Beimler"Named after Hans Beimler
Hans Beimler (Communist)
Hans Beimler was an active member of the German Communist Party and a deputy in the Reichstag.Beimler was born in Munich and served in the Kaiserliche Marine during the First World War...
, german anti-nazi, and member of the ReichstagVEB Volkseigener Betrieb
Volkseigener Betrieb
The Volkseigener Betrieb was the legal form of industrial enterprise in East Germany...
(people-owned enterprise) shortened to LEW.
In 1955 production of a wide range of rail vehicles including trams, diesel locomotives, underground and rack locomotives, and mineral wagons was underway, with 60% of the production for export. In 1960 the factory began to undertake the production of ultra-pure metals by electron beam furnace
Electron beam furnace
An electron beam furnace is a type of vacuum furnace employing high-energy electron beam in vacuum as the mean for delivery of heat to the material being melted...
. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the factory produced new classes of electric locomotive for the Deutsche Reichsbahn including the DR Class 250
DR Class 250
The Deutsche Reichsbahn Class 250 is a German electric locomotive used on freight trains. Nicknamed the “Electric Container” or “Powercontainer” due to its distinctive carbody shape. The less favorable nickname “Stasi-Container” is also heard every now and then...
(1974), the DR Class 243
DR Class 243
The DR Class 243 is a universal electric locomotive of the Deutsche Reichsbahn which is used for general rail service. Deutsche Bahn lists the locomotive as Class 143. The locomotives of class 143/243 still belong to the most successful class of German electric locomotives.- Development :Since...
(1982).
From the mid 1980s, LEW began to cooperate with AEG, in which Daimler-Benz
Daimler-Benz
Daimler-Benz AG was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles, and internal combustion engines; founded in 1926. An Agreement of Mutual Interest - which was valid until year 2000 - was signed on 1 May 1924 between Karl Benz's Benz & Cie., and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, which had...
took majority contol around the same time, in exports to third countries, peaking in the 601 Series (today Class 520) intercity diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s for Greece's OSE in 1989. In 1989 the two companies signed a memorandum of cooperation. In 1990, at the time of the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, LEW was transformed from a combine
Combine (enterprise)
Combine has several related meanings:* A big industrial enterprise that combines several different enterprises that are related to each other by a technological process or through an administration....
into a non-public company as LEW Hennigsdorf GmbH, and talks about a takeover by AEG started the same year. In November 1991, AEG agreed with the Treuhand
Treuhand
The Treuhandanstalt was the agency that privatized the East German enterprises, Volkseigener Betrieb , owned as public property. Created by the Volkskammer on June 17, 1990, it oversaw the restructuring and selling of about 8,500 firms with initially over 4 million employees...
to purchase the rail core business parts of LEW and invest in the Hennigsdorf production facilities for altogether 600 million DM. From 1 January 1992, the works became a separate subsidiary under the AEG Bahnsysteme (AEG Rail Systems) business area of AEG Daimler Benz under the name AEG Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH. In 1992, AEG Bahnsysteme was reorganised into four business sub-areas, one for North America and the Fernverkehr (Long-Distance Traffic), Nahverkehr (Local Traffic) and Bahngesamtsysteme (Complete Rail Systems) areas for Europe, and concentrated and headquartered the Long-Distance Traffic business area at Hennigsdorf.
In January 1996, AEG Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH was integrated into the newly formed ABB Daimler Benz Transportation (Adtranz
Adtranz
ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation , commonly known under its brand Adtranz, was a multi-national rail transport equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the USA....
), a joint venture of ABB and Daimler-Benz formed by merging AEG Bahnsysteme and its subsidiaries with ABB Transportation. As Adtranz reorganised production among its factories, locomotive production ended at Hennigsdorf and was transferred to the former ABB Henschel
Henschel & Son
Henschel & Son was a German company, situated in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons....
works in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
in 1998. With the acquisition of Adtranz by Bombardier Inc. in May 2001, the Hennigsdorf works became part of Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
.
As part of Bombardier transportation the plant manufactures passenger rail vehicles including the RegioSwinger
RegioSwinger
The RegioSwinger is a tilting Diesel Multiple Unit passenger train used for fast regional traffic on unelectrified lines.- Development and Service :...
and Itino
Bombardier Itino
Bombardier Itino Y31/Y32 is an diesel multiple unit manufactured by Bombardier Transportation, originally developed by Adtranz. It has two or three cars and is capable of 140 –160 km/h. 40 units have been built and 17 more are on order. It is in service in Germany and Sweden.-Germany:In...
DMUs, the DBAG Class 422
DBAG Class 422
The Class 422 is a series of four-car electric multiple units that are a derivative of the DBAG Class 423.- History :The units were commissioned by Deutsche Bahn in 2005...
, DBAG Class 424
DBAG Class 424
The Class 424 is a class of electric multiple units in use on the Hanover S-Bahn network.- Description :They are similar to Deutsche Bahn's Class 425 and Class 423 trainsets, but feature a comparatively low floor height of to allow step-free access on 76 cm platforms.- Naming :In total, 40...
and NS Sprinter Lighttrain
NS Sprinter Lighttrain
The Sprinter Lighttrain or SLT is an Electric Multiple Unit train type operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen in The Netherlands. They were built from 2007 Bombardier and Siemens . For the original type of Sprinter, see NS Stadsgewestelijk Materieel.-General information:The SLT is designed to...
EMUs and the Bombardier Talent, ICE 3
ICE 3
ICE 3 is a family of high-speed EMUs of Deutsche Bahn. It includes classes 403 and 406, which are known as ICE 3 and ICE 3M respectively...
and MOVIA
Movia
Movia is a family of metro train built by Bombardier Transportation. The structure and body shell are fully customisable for the needs of each system that orders it. Unlike most traditional metro trains, they usually have full-width gangways between carriages, allowing passengers to walk the entire...
trains.
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