Palatine Ludwig Railway Company
Encyclopedia
The Palatine Ludwigsbahn Company (Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn-Gesellschaft) was a German railway concern that was founded to operate the Palatine Ludwig Railway (Ludwigsbahn) in the Palatinate, a region of southwest Germany that was once part of the Kingdom of Bavaria
within the German Empire
.
On 1 January 1870, the Palatine Ludwigsbahn Company, the Palatine Maximilian Railway Company
and the Palatine Northern Railway (with which the Neustadt-Dürkheim Railway Company had amalgamated) had formed a management and operational association under the name "United Palatine Railways" (Vereinigte Pfälzische Eisenbahnen) or Palatinate Railway
(Pfalzbahn) for short, with its headquarters in Ludwigshafen. Nevertheless Palatine Ludwigsbahn was responsible for the subsequent opening of the following railway lines:
In addition the following narrow gauge routes belonging to the Palatine Ludwigsbahn should be mentioned:
On 1 January 1909, the Ludwigsbahn was transferred into the ownership of the Royal Bavarian State Railways
along with the other companies belonging to the Palatinate Railway.
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
within the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
.
On 1 January 1870, the Palatine Ludwigsbahn Company, the Palatine Maximilian Railway Company
Palatine Maximilian Railway Company
The Palatine Maximilian Railway Company was a German railway enterprise that acted as the railway operator when the Palatine Maximilian Railway was built....
and the Palatine Northern Railway (with which the Neustadt-Dürkheim Railway Company had amalgamated) had formed a management and operational association under the name "United Palatine Railways" (Vereinigte Pfälzische Eisenbahnen) or Palatinate Railway
Palatinate Railway
The Palatinate Railway or Pfalzbahn was an early German railway company in the period of the German Empire prior to the First World War. It was formed on 1 January 1870, as the United Palatinate Railway based in Ludwigshafen, by the amalgamation of the following railway companies:*The Palatine...
(Pfalzbahn) for short, with its headquarters in Ludwigshafen. Nevertheless Palatine Ludwigsbahn was responsible for the subsequent opening of the following railway lines:
- Ludwigshafen–Frankenthal–Bobenheim, 19 km (11.8 mi), on 15 November 1853
- Speyer–Germersheim, 13 km (8.1 mi), on 14 March 1864
- Speyer–Rhein station – towards Schwetzingen, 4 km (2.5 mi), on 10 December 1873
- Landau–Annweiler, 15 km (9.3 mi), on 12 September 1874
- Annweiler–Biebermühle–Zweibrücken, 57 km (35.4 mi), (QueichQueichThe Queich is a tributary of the Rhine, which rises in the southern part of the Palatinate Forest, and flows through the Upper Rhine valley to its confluence with the Rhine in Germersheim. It is 52 km long and is one of the four major drainage systems of the Palatinate Forest along with the...
valley line) and - Biebermühle–Pirmasens main station, 7 km (4.3 mi), on 25 November 1875
- Einöd–Bierbach–Reinheim–Saargemünd, 33 km (20.5 mi), on 1 April 1879 (BliesBliesThe Blies is a right tributary of the Saar River in south-western Germany and north-eastern France . The Blies flows from three springs in the Hunsrück mountains near Selbach, Germany. It is approximately 100 km long, ending in the French city of Sarreguemines...
valley line) - Biebermühle–Waldfischbach, 5 km (3.1 mi), on 1 June 1904 (Biebermühl line)
In addition the following narrow gauge routes belonging to the Palatine Ludwigsbahn should be mentioned:
- Ludwigshafen–Dannstadt, 13 km (8.1 mi), and Ludwigshafen–Frankenthal, 11 km (6.8 mi), on 15 October 1890
- Frankenthal–Großkarlbach, 13 km, on 1 July 1891
- Speyer Lokalbahnhof–Geinsheim, 19 km (11.8 mi), on 26 August 1905 (Pfefferminzbähnel/Gäubähnel)
- Geinsheim–Neustadt branch line station, 10 km (6.2 mi), on 31 October 1908 (Pfefferminzbähnel/Gäubähnel)
On 1 January 1909, the Ludwigsbahn was transferred into the ownership of the Royal Bavarian State Railways
Royal Bavarian State Railways
As a nation-state, Germany did not come into being until the creation of the German Empire in 1871 from the various German-speaking states such as Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden and Württemberg. By then each of the major states had formed its own state railway and these continued to remain...
along with the other companies belonging to the Palatinate Railway.
See also
- History of rail transport in GermanyHistory of rail transport in GermanyGerman Railway history began with the opening of the steam-hauled Bavarian Ludwig Railway between Nuremberg and Fürth on 7 December 1835. This had been preceded by the opening of the horse-hauled Prince William Railway on 20 September 1831...
- Royal Bavarian State RailwaysRoyal Bavarian State RailwaysAs a nation-state, Germany did not come into being until the creation of the German Empire in 1871 from the various German-speaking states such as Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden and Württemberg. By then each of the major states had formed its own state railway and these continued to remain...
- List of Palatine locomotives and railbuses
External links
- There is an English-language discussion forum at Railways of Germany