Wallersdorf–Münchshofen railway
Encyclopedia
The Wallersdorf–Münchshofen railway was a metre gauge
railway in the province of Lower Bavaria
in southern Germany
. It was operated from 1926 to the end of 1949 by the Wallersdorf and Country Narrow-Gauge Railway Cooperative (Kleinbahngenossenschaft Wallersdorf und Umgebung) whose head office was in Büchling. The line started from the station in the market town of Wallersdorf
, in Dingolfing-Landau district, and ran to Münchshöfen in the municipality of Oberschneiding
, in Straubing-Bogen district. The railway was exclusively used by goods trains.
lies in the lower Isar
valley, 20 kilometres from where the River Isar flows into the Danube
near Plattling
. Today the town is served by the electrified, single-tracked line from Landshut
to Plattling (KBS 931). The station's former marshalling and loading yards − at kilometre post 52.9 – have been dismantled apart from a simple crossing loop for the current regional passenger and goods trains.
The construction of a standard gauge
railway from Straubing to Landau an der Isar
had been approved in 1869 and from 1872 onwards the Gäuboden communities, led by the town of Straubing
, made persistent attempts to have it built, but these efforts remained unsuccessful. As a result, local farmers founded a cooperative to build a narrow-gauge line (Kleinbahn) with a junction on the Landau–Plattling railway. According to Zeitler, the cooperative was given approval to build the line by a Bavarian law passed on 26 June 1908; the authorised route running from the station in Wallersdorf via Büchling to Münchshöfen. On the largely flat valley of Gäuboden the railway was intended to supply the farmers with goods (fertiliser, coal and building materials) and especially during harvest to transport away produce, mainly sugar beet and cabbages, in a cost-effective manner. The German Empire
and the Free State of Bavaria
each contributed 90,000 Reichsmarks (RM) to the cooperative's capital investment of 187,000 RM. The remainder of the capital was raised from the participating communities and farmers.
Construction did not begin until after the First World War. It was intended to purchase narrow-gauge track and vehicles with a 600 mm gauge cheaply from former Army stock. When this failed, the railway embankment, which had been completed in 1923, was widened to take a 1,000 mm gauge line and the railway went into service on 6 August 1926. The line had a length of 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) and a track length of 8.45 kilometres (5.3 mi)
The line ran northwards from the Reichsbahn loading yard at Wallersdorf station via Vierhöfen
(km 2.5) towards Mattenkofen (km 4.2). One kilometre before the village it swung west and reached Büchling (km 5.8) about 500 m north of the village. This was the location for the depot with its coal bunkers, water tanks and a small workshop. Having run on level terrain to this point, the line now ran up a considerable incline of 1:30 for about 250 m in the direction of Münchshöfen. The course of the railway alongside the road to the vicinity of Mattenkofen can still be made out from the trees and bushes on the overgrown trackbed. The line continued on over the field track known as the Rennweg to the goods station
of Münchshöfen (km 7.7) on the road to Fierlbach.
Evidently the railway had run-around loops in Wallersdorf and Büchling, and presumably at the terminus in Münchshöfen too. All the loading yards had a section of standard gauge track onto which the standard gauge wagons were off-loaded with the help of oxen or horses. That enable the transporter wagon
s to be freed up to transport other wagons, whilst the goods wagons were loaded or unloaded.
A proposal in 1928 by the Regensburg Reichsbahn division
to the town of Straubing and other communities in the Gäuboden along the line to Landau to connect it to this branch line was not accepted. Even an extension of the line by about 4 km to Oberschneiding could not be put into effect due to a lack of capital.
from the firm of Orenstein & Koppel. Photographs show that these wagons were hauled in the first two years by a light Lenz class construction engine. This locomotive had been used in building the line. In 1928 the Kleinbahn
cooperative bought engine no. 63 (Krauss 1889/2019, type Cn2t) from the Valhalla Railway for 3,727.95 RM. This locomotive, almost 40 years old at that time, had originally been in service in Thuringia
and Upper Silesia
. In 1932, after a serious accident, they bought locomotive BR 99 133 (Krauss 1922/7986, a Bavarian Pts 3/4
, type 1Ch2t) that had been laid up two years earlier on the Neuötting–Altötting railway. This worked on the line until it was closed and was then scrapped.
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
railway in the province of Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state.- Geography :Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions - Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recent election results mark it as the most conservative part of Germany, generally giving huge...
in southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was operated from 1926 to the end of 1949 by the Wallersdorf and Country Narrow-Gauge Railway Cooperative (Kleinbahngenossenschaft Wallersdorf und Umgebung) whose head office was in Büchling. The line started from the station in the market town of Wallersdorf
Wallersdorf
Wallersdorf is a municipality in the district of Dingolfing-Landau in Bavaria in Germany....
, in Dingolfing-Landau district, and ran to Münchshöfen in the municipality of Oberschneiding
Oberschneiding
Oberschneiding is a municipality in the district of Straubing-Bogen in Bavaria, Germany.It is located in the south of the "Gäuboden", a very high-producing area famous for its agriculture....
, in Straubing-Bogen district. The railway was exclusively used by goods trains.
Construction of the line
The Lower Bavarian market town of WallersdorfWallersdorf
Wallersdorf is a municipality in the district of Dingolfing-Landau in Bavaria in Germany....
lies in the lower Isar
Isar
The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald, and flows through Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching the Danube near Deggendorf. At 295 km in length, it is the fourth largest river...
valley, 20 kilometres from where the River Isar flows into the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
near Plattling
Plattling
Plattling is a town in the district of Deggendorf, in Bavaria, Germany.During World War II, a subcamp of Flossenburg concentration camp was located here...
. Today the town is served by the electrified, single-tracked line from Landshut
Landshut
Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the...
to Plattling (KBS 931). The station's former marshalling and loading yards − at kilometre post 52.9 – have been dismantled apart from a simple crossing loop for the current regional passenger and goods trains.
The construction of a standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
railway from Straubing to Landau an der Isar
Landau an der Isar
Landau an der Isar is the second largest town in the Lower Bavarian district, or Landkreis, of Dingolfing-Landau, in the state of Bavaria, Germany. It lies on the river Isar. As of 2005, the population was around 12,950.-History:Landau was founded in 1224 by the Wittelsbach Duke Ludwig of Kelheim...
had been approved in 1869 and from 1872 onwards the Gäuboden communities, led by the town of Straubing
Straubing
Straubing is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held....
, made persistent attempts to have it built, but these efforts remained unsuccessful. As a result, local farmers founded a cooperative to build a narrow-gauge line (Kleinbahn) with a junction on the Landau–Plattling railway. According to Zeitler, the cooperative was given approval to build the line by a Bavarian law passed on 26 June 1908; the authorised route running from the station in Wallersdorf via Büchling to Münchshöfen. On the largely flat valley of Gäuboden the railway was intended to supply the farmers with goods (fertiliser, coal and building materials) and especially during harvest to transport away produce, mainly sugar beet and cabbages, in a cost-effective manner. 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...
and the Free State of Bavaria
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...
each contributed 90,000 Reichsmarks (RM) to the cooperative's capital investment of 187,000 RM. The remainder of the capital was raised from the participating communities and farmers.
Construction did not begin until after the First World War. It was intended to purchase narrow-gauge track and vehicles with a 600 mm gauge cheaply from former Army stock. When this failed, the railway embankment, which had been completed in 1923, was widened to take a 1,000 mm gauge line and the railway went into service on 6 August 1926. The line had a length of 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) and a track length of 8.45 kilometres (5.3 mi)
The line ran northwards from the Reichsbahn loading yard at Wallersdorf station via Vierhöfen
Vierhöfen
Vierhöfen is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
(km 2.5) towards Mattenkofen (km 4.2). One kilometre before the village it swung west and reached Büchling (km 5.8) about 500 m north of the village. This was the location for the depot with its coal bunkers, water tanks and a small workshop. Having run on level terrain to this point, the line now ran up a considerable incline of 1:30 for about 250 m in the direction of Münchshöfen. The course of the railway alongside the road to the vicinity of Mattenkofen can still be made out from the trees and bushes on the overgrown trackbed. The line continued on over the field track known as the Rennweg to the goods station
Goods station
A goods station is, in the widest sense, a railway station which is exclusively or predominantly where goods of any description are loaded or unloaded from ships or road vehicles and/or where goods wagons are transferred to local sidings.A station where goods are not specifically received or...
of Münchshöfen (km 7.7) on the road to Fierlbach.
Evidently the railway had run-around loops in Wallersdorf and Büchling, and presumably at the terminus in Münchshöfen too. All the loading yards had a section of standard gauge track onto which the standard gauge wagons were off-loaded with the help of oxen or horses. That enable the transporter wagon
Transporter wagon
A transporter wagon, in railway terminology, is a wagon or railroad car designed to carry other railway equipment. Normally, it is used to transport equipment of a different rail gauge...
s to be freed up to transport other wagons, whilst the goods wagons were loaded or unloaded.
A proposal in 1928 by the Regensburg Reichsbahn division
Reichsbahndirektion Regensburg
Reichsbahndirektion Regensburg was a Deutsche Reichsbahn railway division within the Bavarian Group Administration in southern Germany with its headquarters at Regensburg, Bavaria....
to the town of Straubing and other communities in the Gäuboden along the line to Landau to connect it to this branch line was not accepted. Even an extension of the line by about 4 km to Oberschneiding could not be put into effect due to a lack of capital.
Closure
The railway company only made a profit in two of its operating years. Only between 7,000 t and 10,000 t of goods were transported annually. The rapid mechanisation of agriculture after the Second World War and the urgent need for further investment to keep the line open led to its closure on 31 December 1949 and subsequent dismantling. The station buildings and loading ramps have since been removed leaving no trace.Running and rolling stock
In 1926 the railway bought five four-axled transporter wagonTransporter wagon
A transporter wagon, in railway terminology, is a wagon or railroad car designed to carry other railway equipment. Normally, it is used to transport equipment of a different rail gauge...
from the firm of Orenstein & Koppel. Photographs show that these wagons were hauled in the first two years by a light Lenz class construction engine. This locomotive had been used in building the line. In 1928 the Kleinbahn
Kleinbahn
The term Kleinbahn was a light railway concept used especially in Prussia for a railway line that "on account of its low importance for general railway transport" had less strict requirements placed on its construction and operation that main lines or secondary lines...
cooperative bought engine no. 63 (Krauss 1889/2019, type Cn2t) from the Valhalla Railway for 3,727.95 RM. This locomotive, almost 40 years old at that time, had originally been in service in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
and Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
. In 1932, after a serious accident, they bought locomotive BR 99 133 (Krauss 1922/7986, a Bavarian Pts 3/4
Bavarian Pts 3/4
The Bavarian Pts 3/4 steam locomotives of the Royal Bavarian State Railways were employed on the steam 'tramway' between Altötting and Neuötting. A total of four machines were built, nos. 1101, 1102 and 1103 in 1906 and no. 1104 not until the retirement of no. 1102 in 1922...
, type 1Ch2t) that had been laid up two years earlier on the Neuötting–Altötting railway. This worked on the line until it was closed and was then scrapped.