Wanne-Herner Eisenbahn und Hafen GmbH
Encyclopedia
The Wanne-Herner Eisenbahn und Hafen GmbH (literal: "Wanne and Herne railway and port company Ltd.") (abbr. WHE) is a railway and canal port operating company based around the Rhine-Herne Canal
in the Ruhr
area of Germany
. On the 14th of July 1905 the company Kanalhafen Wanne-Gelsenkirchen-Land is born, with the aim of making a coal port for the surrounding mines on the canal. In 1913 the nearby town of Herne
also participates in the project and the companies name is changed to Hafenbetriebsgesellschaft Herne-Wanne mbH
The west harbour opened in 1914 and, a year later a narrow gauge railway Wanne-Gelsenkirchen-Land connected it to the mine Shamrock 3/4 nearby. Not long after other rail connections were made to the mines Carolinenglück in Bochum
und Teutoburgia in Herne
. Rapid growth of freight transport ensued with the million ton mark reached in 1916. The Bochumer Krupp-Zechen and Hibernia AG mines were connected by the port railway in the 1920s.
Originally there was a basin on the western side as part of the port, for boat manoeuvering, but this was filled in in the 1990s and now is the site of a logistics centre.
and Deutsche Bahn rail networks. As of 2005 approximately ten locomotives are operated of the heavy shunter / freight type, with over 100 hundred wagons, the companies workshops are located at Westhafen Wanne, and perform maintenance and repairs. In 2005 locomotives were then of MaK 1200 series type(1 MaK G 1202 BB
, 2 MaK G 1204 BB
), and three of the similarly specified MaK G 1600 BB (a variant of the DB V 90
series), all of around 1000 kW power, as well as some much less powerful specialised equipment (rail mobile light crane etc.)
Much of the companies rolling stock carries an orange livery with blue horizontal stripe, coal wagons carry just the letters WHE.
Rhine-Herne Canal
The Rhine–Herne Canal is a long transportation canal in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with five canal locks. The canal was built over a period of eight years and connects the harbour in Duisburg on the Rhine with the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Henrichenburg , following the...
in the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
area of 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...
History and background
The port's history begins in the first decade of the 20th century with the building of the Rhine-Herne CanalRhine-Herne Canal
The Rhine–Herne Canal is a long transportation canal in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with five canal locks. The canal was built over a period of eight years and connects the harbour in Duisburg on the Rhine with the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Henrichenburg , following the...
. On the 14th of July 1905 the company Kanalhafen Wanne-Gelsenkirchen-Land is born, with the aim of making a coal port for the surrounding mines on the canal. In 1913 the nearby town of Herne
Herne, Germany
Herne is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.- History :Like most other cities in the region Herne was a tiny village until the 19th century...
also participates in the project and the companies name is changed to Hafenbetriebsgesellschaft Herne-Wanne mbH
The west harbour opened in 1914 and, a year later a narrow gauge railway Wanne-Gelsenkirchen-Land connected it to the mine Shamrock 3/4 nearby. Not long after other rail connections were made to the mines Carolinenglück in Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
und Teutoburgia in Herne
Herne, Germany
Herne is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.- History :Like most other cities in the region Herne was a tiny village until the 19th century...
. Rapid growth of freight transport ensued with the million ton mark reached in 1916. The Bochumer Krupp-Zechen and Hibernia AG mines were connected by the port railway in the 1920s.
Originally there was a basin on the western side as part of the port, for boat manoeuvering, but this was filled in in the 1990s and now is the site of a logistics centre.
Operations
In the 2000s the companies primary business is still the transportation and handling of coal, along with ISO containers and other bulk products.Ports
Both ports have rail links as well as the equipment associated with bulk cargo handling.- Westhafen Wanne (literal: "Wanner west port") : This area is now home to a logistics centre constructed in the 1990s known as the Güterverkehrszentrum Emscher (or GVZ Emscher) with rail and road links as well as canal access, the WHE operates the rail links. This port handles coal, and intermodal traffic.
- Osthafen Wanne (literal: "Wanner port east") : Here the main cargo is scrap metal.
Railway
The railway has a few tens of kilometers of track, and connects to the companies own ports as well as the RAGRAG Aktiengesellschaft
RAG AG, formerly Ruhrkohle AG, is the largest German coal mining corporation. The company headquarters are in Herne in the Ruhr area. The company was founded on 27 November 1968, consolidating several coalmining corporations into the Ruhrkohle AG....
and Deutsche Bahn rail networks. As of 2005 approximately ten locomotives are operated of the heavy shunter / freight type, with over 100 hundred wagons, the companies workshops are located at Westhafen Wanne, and perform maintenance and repairs. In 2005 locomotives were then of MaK 1200 series type(1 MaK G 1202 BB
MaK G 1202 BB
The MaK G 1202 BB is a four axle B'B' off-centre cab diesel hydraulic locomotive built by Maschinenbau Kiel in Germany.-Design and operators:...
, 2 MaK G 1204 BB
MaK G 1204 BB
The MaK G 1204 BB is a four axle B'B' diesel-hydraulic off centre cab locomotive built by MaK in Kiel, Germany. Eightenn of these light freight and shunting locomotives were built which were used mostly on German industrial railways, two units have worked for the Swiss Federal Railways and received...
), and three of the similarly specified MaK G 1600 BB (a variant of the DB V 90
DB Class V 90
The DB Class V90 locomotive is a German diesel-hydraulic locomotive for shunting and freight hauling.-History and design:...
series), all of around 1000 kW power, as well as some much less powerful specialised equipment (rail mobile light crane etc.)
Much of the companies rolling stock carries an orange livery with blue horizontal stripe, coal wagons carry just the letters WHE.
Subsidiaries
- BAV Aufbereitung Herne GmbH : Storage, transportation and mixing of coal blends.
- CTH Container Terminal Herne GmbH : Operates the WHE's own container terminal.
Images
- Photographs of the WHE railfaneurope.net
- WHE Wanne-Herner Eisenbahn Fotos Photographs of WHE locomotives, rolling stock and infrastructure