Waggonfabrik Rastatt was a public limited company (Aktiengesellschaft

Aktiengesellschaft

Aktiengesellschaft is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...

or AG) based in Rastatt

Rastatt

Rastatt is a city and baroque residence in the District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50'000...

 in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. Its chief products were tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

way vehicles and railway coaches and wagons. The firm was founded in 1897 and built, for example, tramways for the Upper Rhine Railway Company (Oberrheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft or OEG), Karlsruhe Transport Company (Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe GmbH) and Stuttgart Tramways (Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG). It the early days it also built rolling stock for the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways.

After the acquisition of the majority of shares by Bauknecht the coach factory in 1971 was converted into a limited liability company (GmbH) and its production was refocussed on the repair and conversion of wagons. After several name changes and takeovers, not least due to the bankruptcy of Bauknecht, it finally became the 'BWR Wagon Repair Company' (BWR Waggonreparatur GmbH).

External links

• Website of the present-day BWR Waggonreparatur GmbH with a history of the company
• There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany