Royal Württemberg State Railways

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The Royal Württemberg State Railways (Königlich Württembergische Staats-Eisenbahnen or K.W.St.E.) were the state railways of the Kingdom of Württemberg (from 1918 the People's State of Württemberg) between 1843 and 1920.^[1]

Early history

As in many other states of the German Empire, there was increasing debate about how to improve transport communications across the country from about 1825. Private interest groups were formed and, from 1834, the state also worked on the question, giving experts the task of finding suitable solutions. After years of preparatory work, it was decided to set up a railway network, the main lines of which would be built by the state.

The Railway Bill of 18 April 1843, established the legal foundation for the construction of the railway network; this date is seen as the birthday for the K.W.St.E.. The law expressly envisaged that the construction of branch routes by private companies should also be possible. This law was at the same time the impetus for the foundation of the Maschinenfabrik Esslingen ('Esslingen Engineering Works'), that played a decisive role in railway construction and railway technology in Württemberg.

Overview of the development of the state railway routes

Main lines

In the Kingdom of Württemberg the state railway started with the so-called Württemberg main lines. They ran from Stuttgart, along the River Neckar, on one side via Ulm to Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, on the other side via Bretten to Bruchsal in the Grand Duchy of Baden. From Bietigheim the Lower Neckar Railway (North Railway or Nordbahn) branched off toward Heilbronn.

Expansion of the main lines

After a pause of several years, work began on the

The Danube Valley line was built in 1868 from Ulm in the direction of Blaubeuren-Riedlingen, but only reached Sigmaringen in 1873. It was another six years before the Zollernalb line finished the connexion from Tübingen, that had linked Hechingen in 1869 and Balingen in 1874.

The

• 1876–1880
  Murr Valley line
  : Waiblingen–Backnang–Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental as wells as the Backnang–Bietigheim/Ludwigsburg branch
• 1878–1880 Kraichgau line: Heilbronn–Eppingen
• 1879–1892 Gäu line/Kinzig Valley line: Stuttgart–Herrenberg–Freudenstadt–Schiltach–Schramberg
• 1892–1893 Echaz line Reutlingen–Lichtenstein–Münsingen

A detailed article in German on the development of the network is at History of the Railway in Württemberg

Rolling stock

Until about 1865, the K.W.St.E.'s railway technology was based, not on an English prototype like the majority of German states, but on the United States. As far as rolling stock was concerned, this meant, for example, that locomotives as well as coaches used bogies. This more advanced route was temporarily given up under strong influences, predominantly from Prussia.

Responsible for the procurement and conversion of locomotives from 1885 to 1896, amongst others, was chief engineer

He was followed by Eugen Kittel. He introduced superheating into Württemberg. Under his direction were, inter alia, Kittel steam railbuses, Württemberg C express train locomotives and Württemberg K class goods engines brought into service. He also tested petrol and accumulator cars.

In 1913 the statistics showed the following:

• Network length (including private lines): 2,256 km (1,402 mi)
• Stations: 639
• Locomotives: 855
• Railbuses: 17
• Coaches: 2.394
• Post and
  luggage vans
  : 760
• departmental wagons
  ): 14,565

After defeat in the

German landscape painter Hermann Pleuer achieved fame through his impressionistic paintings of the trains and stations belonging to the K.W.St.E.

In everyday speech the German abbreviation for the Royal Württemberg State Railways, K.W.St.E., was jokingly said in the Swabian dialect to stand for „Komm Weible, Steig Ei“ or "Come on woman, climb aboard". Their Baden neighbours had a rather less kind interpretation: „Kein Württemberger Stirbt Ehrlich“ or "No Württemberger dies an honest man!"

The comic song "Auf der schwäb'sche Eisebahne" (On the Swabian railways) has been sung by many artists, and versions can be seen on YouTube. It contrasts the rural and frugal country folk travelling on the modern reality of railways.

See also

• History of the railway in Württemberg
• Kingdom of Württemberg
• List of Württemberg locomotives and railbuses

References

Literature

• Beck, Bernd (1989). Schwäbische Eisenbahn – Bilder von der Königlich Württembergischen Staatseisenbahn (in German). Tübingen: Gebr. Metz.
  ISBN 3-921580-78-1
  .
• Kitter, Eberhard (1973). Die Eisenbahn-Empfangsgebäude im Königreich Württemberg vor 1854 (in German). Stuttgart: Diss.
• Mühl, Albert; Seidel, Kurt (1970). Die Württembergischen Staatseisenbahnen (in German). Stuttgart and Aalen: Theiss.
  ISBN 3-8062-0032-7
  .
• Supper, Otto (1981). Die Entwicklung des Eisenbahnwesens im Königreich Württemberg. Denkschrift zum 50. Jahrestag der Eröffnung der ersten Eisenbahnstrecke in Württemberg am 28. Oktober 1845 (in German). Stuttgart: Nachdruck: Kohlhammer.
  ISBN 3-17-005976-9
  .