Kleinbahn Unna – Kamen – Werne

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The Kleinbahn Unna Kamen-Werne GmbH (FM) was a transport company , which until 14 December 1950 by August 1, 1909, a standard gauge Regional tramway between the towns of Unna , Kamen , Bergkamen and Werne with an operating voltage of 600 volts DC operation.

history

On July 27, 1908, Kleinbahn Unna-Kamen-Werne GmbH with a share capital of 1,250,000 was established in Kamen by the province of Westphalia , the district of Hamm and the cities of Unna and Kamen, as well as from April 28, 1911, the municipalities of Rünthe and Werne Goldmark founded. The GmbH received on 22 December 1908 with a Arnsberg the concession for the construction and operation of a tram .

The plans for the construction were already in place from 1898. However, construction did not begin until April 19, 1909. The following sections were opened one after the other:

  • August 1, 1909: Unna station - Kamen station
  • September 11, 1909: Kamen train station - Kamen depot
  • November 20, 1909: Kamen - Bergkamen depot
  • December 14, 1911: Bergkamen - Werne, market
  • November 13, 1912: Unna - Unna train station, Neumarkt with connection to the tram to Dortmund

The line was completely single-track and had a total of seven passing points. Due to four crossings with railway lines of the Reichsbahn , which were all on the same level, there were always delays; especially due to the heavily used Dortmund – Hamm railway line , which was crossed in Kamen. In addition, this link was only allowed for a period of 25 years.

In the course of the First World War , half of the staff was drafted, so that of 69 employees only 35 were available. In addition, there were falling transport numbers at the beginning of the war. In 1918, towards the end of the war, however, they rose to 3,000,000. The staff, increased by women and prisoners of war, now comprised 118 people.

After the war, there were frequent business interruptions due to strikes and the high inflation in the global economic crisis . In 1923, the transport performance fell to 940,000. The cessation of operations was mentioned several times. Attempts by the Dortmund tram to take over operations were repulsed by the small railway administration. There was only a joint traffic in 1927 in connection with the occupation of the Ruhr . For this purpose, a connecting track was laid between the intersecting lines.

In 1935, the permit to cross the Cologne-Minden Railway in Kamen expired . As a result, the small railroad cars were only allowed to pass the tracks without people. The passengers were driven to the level crossing and had to get off there, walk across the tracks and change to the car on the other side. From 1935 preparations were made to switch to bus operation , which was initially prevented by the Second World War . The last train journey took place on December 14, 1950. In the same year the company was renamed Verkehrsgesellschaft Kreis Unna mbH , or VKU for short . This continues the traffic on the former tram line as well as on later lines with buses.

literature

  • Dieter Höltge: Trams and light rail vehicles in Germany. Volume 3: Westphalia (excluding the Ruhr area) . EK-Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 1992, ISBN 3-88255-332-4 .