Nassau State Railway
Encyclopedia
The Nassau State Railway took over the privately built railway lines on the Rhine and Lahn
rivers in the Duchy of Nassau from the Nassau Rhine and Lahn Railway Company in 1861 and extended them further. It was taken over by the Prussian State Railways
in 1866.
reached Wiesbaden
in 1840, a private company was founded to continue the line along the Rhine. This was originally called the Wiesbaden Railway Company (Wiesbadener Eisenbahngesellschaft); from 1853 it was called the Nassau Rhine Railway Company (Nassauische Rhein Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft); and after 1855 it was called the Nassau Rhine and Lahn Railway Company (Nassauische Rhein- und Lahn Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft). The company was given a concession on 23 June 1853 by the Duchy of Nassau for the construction of the Nassau Rhine Valley Railway from Wiesbaden to Rüdesheim and Oberlahnstein
. On 31 March 1857, this was followed by the concession for the Lahn Valley Railway from Oberlahnstein to Wetzlar
.
Only parts of the 188 kilometres of lines covered by the concession were completed due to insufficient funding. Therefore, on 14 October 1858, the Duchy of Nassau withdrew the company’s concession and took over operations on the lines. The state formally took over the concession on 2 May 1861 on these lines:
On 20 November 1861, the company was reconstituted as the Nassau State Railway.
The Nassau State Railway completed the 56.6 km long gap in the Rhine Valley line between Rüdesheim and Oberlahnstein on 22 February 1862. The remaining 78 km of the Lahn Valley Railway to Wetzlar was completed in three sections on 10 January 1863. This work was directed by the railway surveyor and engineer, Moritz Hilf.
(Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn).
In order to make a connection in the Rhine Valley with other rail companies, there were two subsequent concessions:
, the Nassau State Railway was absorbed by the Prussian State Railways
.
An attempt by the Rhenish Railway Company, to take over the Nassau State Railway and to operate the planned extension along the Rhine failed because of the demands of the Prussian state. Since Prussia's budget was strained by the war, it made the sale of the railway conditional on the simultaneous takeover of the loss-making Rhine-Nahe Railway Company. The Rhenish Railway Company was not willing to take over the Rhine-Nahe Railway Company, which would have undermined the profitability of its Eifel line, then under construction.
The Prussian State Railway preserved the organisation of the former Nassau State Railway and it was initially an independent division
, based in Wiesbaden. Following the nationalisation of the Prussian private railways, its assets were incorporated in 1880 in the Prussian State Railway's Frankfurt am Main division.
Lahn
The Lahn River is a -long, right tributary of the Rhine River in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse , and Rhineland-Palatinate ....
rivers in the Duchy of Nassau from the Nassau Rhine and Lahn Railway Company in 1861 and extended them further. It was taken over by the Prussian State Railways
Prussian state railways
The term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...
in 1866.
Establishment
After the Taunus Railway (Taunus-Eisenbahn) from FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
reached Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
in 1840, a private company was founded to continue the line along the Rhine. This was originally called the Wiesbaden Railway Company (Wiesbadener Eisenbahngesellschaft); from 1853 it was called the Nassau Rhine Railway Company (Nassauische Rhein Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft); and after 1855 it was called the Nassau Rhine and Lahn Railway Company (Nassauische Rhein- und Lahn Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft). The company was given a concession on 23 June 1853 by the Duchy of Nassau for the construction of the Nassau Rhine Valley Railway from Wiesbaden to Rüdesheim and Oberlahnstein
Oberlahnstein
Oberlahnstein is a part of the city of Lahnstein in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It lies on the right bank of the Rhine, at the confluence of the Lahn 4 m. above Koblenz, on the Right Rhine railway from Cologne to Frankfurt-on-Main...
. On 31 March 1857, this was followed by the concession for the Lahn Valley Railway from Oberlahnstein to Wetzlar
Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
.
Only parts of the 188 kilometres of lines covered by the concession were completed due to insufficient funding. Therefore, on 14 October 1858, the Duchy of Nassau withdrew the company’s concession and took over operations on the lines. The state formally took over the concession on 2 May 1861 on these lines:
- 30 km of the Rhine Valley Railway from Wiesbaden via Biebrich to Rüdesheim
- 21 km of the Lahn Valley Railway from Oberlahnstein to NassauNassau, GermanyNassau is a town located in the German Land of Rhineland-Palatinate. It lies in the Lahn River valley between the cities of Bad Ems and Limburg an der Lahn. Nassau is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Nassau. The town is on the German-Dutch holiday road, the Orange Route...
.
On 20 November 1861, the company was reconstituted as the Nassau State Railway.
The Nassau State Railway completed the 56.6 km long gap in the Rhine Valley line between Rüdesheim and Oberlahnstein on 22 February 1862. The remaining 78 km of the Lahn Valley Railway to Wetzlar was completed in three sections on 10 January 1863. This work was directed by the railway surveyor and engineer, Moritz Hilf.
Connections to other lines
In Wiesbaden the Nassau state railway connected with the Taunus Railway from Frankfurt to Wiesbaden, opened in 1839 and 1840. At the end of the Lahn Valley line in Wetzlar, it connected with the Deutz-Giessen line completed in 1862 by the Cologne-Minden Railway CompanyCologne-Minden Railway Company
The Cologne-Minden Railway Company was along with the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company and the Rhenish 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.-Founding :The founding of the...
(Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn).
In order to make a connection in the Rhine Valley with other rail companies, there were two subsequent concessions:
- The Bingerbrück–Rüdesheim train ferryBingerbrück–Rüdesheim train ferryThe Bingerbrück–Rüdesheim train ferry was operated as a train ferry from 1862 to 1900 across the Rhine between Bingerbrück now in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and Rüdesheim now in the state of Hesse....
was opened between Rudesheim and Bingen in 1862, connecting the line to the Rhine-Nahe Railway Company’s (Rhein-Nahe-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) Nahe Valley Railway. This created a freight connection between the Rhine-Main and Saar areasSaarlandSaarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
and opened a new market for Saar coal. The ferry carried freight wagons until 1900. - A concession was granted to connect Oberlahnstein with the Rhenish Railway CompanyRhenish Railway CompanyThe 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...
’s (Rheinischen Eisenbahngesellschaft), requiring bridges over the Lahn and the Rhine. A train ferryTrain ferryA train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
connected Oberlahnstein with the Rhenish Railway’s West Rhine line (Linke Rheinstrecke) at Königsbach station for two years from the second half of 1862. It primarily served the transport of ore from the Lahn valley and the supply of industry in the Lahn valley with Ruhr coal. The Pfaffendorf BridgePfaffendorf BridgeThe Pfaffendorf Bridge is the oldest bridge over the Rhine at Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It carries federal highway B 49 over the Rhine and connects central Koblenz with the suburbs of Pfaffendorf and Ehrenbreitstein. The first bridge was completed in 1864...
over the Rhine at Pfaffendorf (KoblenzKoblenzKoblenz 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 the bridge over the Lahn between Niederlahnstein and Oberlahnstein were put into operation on 3 June 1864.
Takeover by Prussia
With the end of the Duchy as an independent state as a result of the Austro-Prussian WarAustro-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 Nassau State Railway was absorbed by the Prussian State Railways
Prussian state railways
The term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...
.
An attempt by the Rhenish Railway Company, to take over the Nassau State Railway and to operate the planned extension along the Rhine failed because of the demands of the Prussian state. Since Prussia's budget was strained by the war, it made the sale of the railway conditional on the simultaneous takeover of the loss-making Rhine-Nahe Railway Company. The Rhenish Railway Company was not willing to take over the Rhine-Nahe Railway Company, which would have undermined the profitability of its Eifel line, then under construction.
The Prussian State Railway preserved the organisation of the former Nassau State Railway and it was initially an independent division
Railway divisions in Germany
In Germany and Austria, the running of railway services for a railway administration or the regional network of a large railway company was devolved to railway divisions, variously known as Eisenbahndirektionen , Bundesbahndirektionen or Reichsbahndirektionen ...
, based in Wiesbaden. Following the nationalisation of the Prussian private railways, its assets were incorporated in 1880 in the Prussian State Railway's Frankfurt am Main division.