Leipzig electric tram
The AG Leipzig Electric Tram (LESt) was a tram company in Leipzig . From 1896 onwards it operated a tram network in Leipzig that was electrified from the start and was taken over on January 1, 1917 by the Große Leipziger Straßenbahn AG , a predecessor of today's Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe . The LESt was popularly known as the “Red”, while its rival company, the Great Leipzig Tram , was called the “Blue”. The name comes from the color of the car.
history
Building the basic network
As early as 1892 Richard Lehfeld applied for the construction of electric trams in Leipzig on behalf of AEG . In 1894 he concluded a contract with the city and the communities to be connected and on April 3, 1895 the LESt was founded. AEG received the building and operating permit shortly afterwards. In the concession, the track width of 1458 mm used on the previous Leipzig Horse Railway was required, which in turn was only due to the inadequately track-stable Loubat long sleeper superstructure , although this no longer existed and one-piece grooved rails were state of the art. On May 20, 1896, after nine months of construction, the LESt opened its first line from Brüderstraße across the east side of Königsplatz (today Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz ), through Neumarkt, Reichs- and Gerberstraße (northwards) and North and Katharinenstraße (southwards), the Berliner, Mockauer and Kieler Straße to Mockau, Kirche, as well as the branch route from the Mockauer / Volbedingstraße to Schönefeld, Löbauer Straße. The Great Leipzig Tram had already opened its first electrified route five weeks earlier.
In the following weeks, the rest of the planned network went into operation. These were:
- the extension through the Brüderstraße to the Bayerischer Bahnhof ,
- the branch route from Königsplatz through Wächter-, Grassi-, Beethoven-, Marschner-, Sebastian-Bach-, Ferdinand-Lassalle-Straße, Klingerweg and Könneritzstraße to Oeserstraße (shortly before Schleußiger Weg) in Schleußig,
- the route from Gohlis, Platnerstrasse through the Rosental, the Waldstrasse, Elsterstrasse, Zentralstrasse, Thomasgasse, Grimmaische Strasse, the north side of Augustusplatz, Poststrasse (today built over), Querstrasse, Schützenstrasse and Karlstrasse (Chopinstrasse) to Marienplatz,
- and finally the extension of the Schleussiger route via Schleussiger Weg (Antonienstraße), Adler and Hauptstraße (Dieskaustraße) to Großzschocher, Huttenstraße (June 22nd).
The route through the narrow streets in the city center and the suburbs had to be chosen because the Great Leipzig tram already occupied the main streets and the LESt was only allowed to use the routes of the competition over a length of 400 meters at the beginning and 500 meters later. Existing tracks were shared in the ring, between the junction to Neumarkt and the junction to the east side of Königsplatz, as well as on the Klinger Bridge in Schleußig.
Further routes were opened by autumn 1900. Including a cross connection from Querstraße via Bayerischer Bahnhof to the Konzerthaus (Beethoven- / Grassistraße), a branch line through Elisenstraße (Bernhard-Göring-Straße) to Scharnhorststraße, an extension of the Marienplatz route through Kohlgarten- and Bergstraße to the church square in Reudnitz , where it branched to Schönefeld and Sellerhausen, a stretch from Johannisplatz via Täubchenweg, Riebeckstrasse to Stötteritz (Holzhäuser Strasse), a stretch from Berliner / Apelstrasse to Eutritzsch (Dübener Landstrasse), as well as a connection from Bayerischer Platz via Windmühlenweg (Philipp- Rosenthal-Strasse), Johannisallee and Oststrasse to Riebeckstrasse, a branch line through Schönbachstrasse and the extension of the Gohliser route from Platnerstrasse on the one hand through Kirschbergstrasse to Möckern (Kernstrasse) and on the other hand through Lindenthaler Strasse to the Neue Kasernen (today Landsberger / Max -Liebermann-Strasse).
The lines were marked with target boards that had a white or colored background and sometimes a colored diagonal stripe. On December 17, 1900, the LESt introduced line numbers by order of the city and partially changed the line colors. The following network was in operation at this time:
| previous line color |
line | course | new line color |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 1 | Mockau (church) - Berliner Straße - Nordstraße or Gerberstraße - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Bayerischer Bahnhof - Elisenstraße | White |
| white with a green stripe | 2 | Schönefeld (Löbauer Straße) - Berliner Straße - Nordstraße or Gerberstraße - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Bayerischer Bahnhof - Johannisallee - Prager or Oststraße - Stötteritzer Straße - Schönbachstraße (corner of Reitzenhainer Straße, today Prager Straße) | violet |
| white with a yellow stripe | 3 | Eutritzsch (Dübener Landstrasse) - Eutritzscher Markt - Eutritzscher Zentrum - Wittenberger Strasse - Apelstrasse - Berliner Strasse - Nordstrasse or Gerberstrasse - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Wächterstrasse - Konzerthaus - Klingerbrücke - Könneritzstrasse - Adler - Kleinzschocher - Großzschocher (Huttenstrasse) | yellow |
| white with a purple stripe | 4th | Möckern (Kernstrasse) - Kirschbergstrasse - Platnerstrasse - Rosental - Waldplatz - Thomaskirche - Markt - Augustusplatz - Querstrasse - Marienplatz - Reudnitz, Kirchplatz - Wurzner Strasse - Plaussiger Strasse | White |
| violet | 5 | Schönefeld (Löbauer Straße) - Stannebeinplatz - Reudnitz, Kirchplatz - Marienplatz - Querstraße - Johannisplatz - Bayerischer Bahnhof - Konzerthaus - Klingerbrücke - Könneritzstraße - Adler - Kleinzschocher | violet |
| green | 6th | Gohlis (barracks) - Lindenthaler Straße - Platnerstraße - Rosental - Waldplatz - Thomaskirche - Markt - Augustusplatz - Querstraße - Johannisplatz - Täubchenweg - Reudnitz - Riebeckstraße - Stötteritzer Straße - Stötteritz (Holzhäuser Straße) | green |
| yellow | 7th | Blücherplatz - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Wächterstraße - Konzerthaus - Klingerbrücke - Könneritzstraße - Schleußig, Oeserstraße (only during rush hour) | yellow |
Further development
The route expansion was thus completed for the time being. In 1902 there was a short extension in Riebeckstrasse from Stötteritzer to Prager Strasse, and in 1904 the line in Elisenstrasse was extended by one stop to Hardenbergstrasse. In 1905 the route in Wurzner Straße was extended to the city limits to Paunsdorf at the Sellerhausen cemetery. The line in Elisenstraße was extended in 1906 via Waisenhausstraße to Connewitz, Kreuz.
A disruption point was eliminated in 1908 when Berliner Straße was raised and the Berliner Brücke replaced the previous level crossing. When the Great Leipzig Tram put the Richard-Wagner-Straße loop into operation in 1910, the LESt built its own track so that the loop could also be used. In 1912, a stretch was built from Waisenhausstrasse in Connewitz along Zwenkauer Strasse and a short stretch from Johannisallee to Deutscher Platz, where a track loop was built across from the junction with Siegismundstrasse. To connect the new main station, the LESt built a cross connection from the station forecourt through Brandenburger Strasse and Hahnekamm to Querstrasse in 1913.
The route in Schönbachstrasse was also extended in 1913 to Reitzenhainer Strasse (today Prager Strasse), where the existing tracks were used for the permitted length of 400 meters. At the newly opened Völkerschlachtdenkmal , the so-called "Schlippe" was created, a coupling point next to Reitzenhainer Straße. A similar construction was built further north on Reitzenhainer Straße. The route to Deutsches Platz was extended into Reitzenhainer Straße and after crossing the railway line, a coupling point was also created next to the road on what would later become Naunhofer Straße.
Before the beginning of the First World War , the following route network existed:
| line | course |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mockau (church) - Berliner Strasse - Nordstrasse or Gerberstrasse - Hallisches Tor - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Bayerischer Bahnhof - Elisenstrasse - Waisenhausstrasse - Connewitz (Zwenkauer Strasse) |
| 2 | Schönefeld (Löbauer Strasse) - Berliner Strasse - Nordstrasse or Gerberstrasse - Hallisches Tor - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Bayerischer Bahnhof - Johannisallee - Prager or Oststrasse - Stötteritzer Strasse - Schönbachstrasse - Südfriedhof / Völkerschlachtdenkmal |
| 3 | Eutritzsch (Dübener Landstrasse) - Eutritzscher Markt - Eutritzscher Zentrum - Wittenberger Strasse - Apelstrasse - Berliner Strasse - Nordstrasse or Gerberstrasse - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Wächterstrasse - Konzerthaus - Klingerbrücke - Könneritzstrasse - Adler - Kleinzschocher - Großzschocher (Huttenstrasse) |
| 4th | Möckern (Kernstraße) - Kirschbergstraße - Platnerstraße - Rosental - Waldplatz - St. Thomas Church - Markt - Augustusplatz - Querstraße - Marienplatz - Reudnitz, Kirchplatz - Wurzner Straße - Paunsdorf, city limits |
| 5 | Schönefeld (Löbauer Straße) - Stannebeinplatz - Reudnitz, Kirchplatz - Marienplatz - Querstraße - Johannisplatz - Bayerischer Bahnhof - Konzerthaus - Klingerbrücke - Könneritzstraße - Adler - Kleinzschocher (depot) |
| 6th | Gohlis (barracks) - Lindenthaler Straße - Platnerstraße - Rosental - Waldplatz - Thomaskirche - Markt - Augustusplatz - Querstraße - Johannisplatz - Täubchenweg - Reudnitz - Riebeckstraße - Stötteritzer Straße - Stötteritz (Holzhäuser Straße) |
| 7th | Stötteritz (Papiermühlstrasse) - Stötteritzer Strasse - Riebeckstrasse - Reudnitz - Täubchenweg - Johannisplatz - Bayerischer Bahnhof - Elisenstrasse - Waisenhausstrasse - Connewitz (cross) |
| 8th | Schönefeld (Stannebeinplatz) - Reudnitz, Kirchplatz - Marienplatz - Hahnekamm - Central Station - Hallisches Tor - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Wächterstraße - Konzerthaus - Klingerbrücke - Könneritzstraße - Schleußig (Oeserstraße) |
| 9 | Waldstraße - Waldplatz - Thomaskirche - Markt - Augustusplatz - Querstraße - Johannisplatz - Täubchenweg - Reudnitz - Riebeckstraße - Riebeck- / Prager Straße |
| 10 | Main station / west side - Hallisches Tor - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Brüderstraße - Bayerischer Bahnhof - Windmühlenweg - Deutscher Platz - Reitzenhainer / Naunhofer Straße |
When the war broke out on August 3, 1914, line 9 was discontinued and line 10 was shortened to the section from Königsplatz to Naunhofer Straße. The last extension took place on October 31, 1914. The new route led from Dübener Landstrasse to St. Georg Hospital . Initially, there was only one shuttle car from line 3 here. At the same time, lines 1 and 3 swapped their southern terminals, so that 1 now went to Großzschocher and 3 to Zwenkauer Straße. Line 1 still runs through Schleußig and to Mockau today, but on a different route.
In 1915, the route through the Rosental was started on its own track. On August 18, 1916, the first section from the Waldstrasse bridge to the police station went into operation. However, the LESt only existed until the end of 1916, when the city of Leipzig ordered the two rival companies to merge. The Great Leipzig Tram took over the LESt. The loop in Schönefeld on Volbedingstrasse, also planned, was not built until 1929 by the Great Leipzig tram.
Whereabouts of the routes
Initially, all LESt routes were continued to be operated by GLSt. Because of the technical differences between the cars, the use of the vehicles had to remain separate for the time being. A large part of the LESt network in the city center and the nearby suburbs was shut down in the years after the takeover due to the winding route through narrow streets and the lines then ran over GLSt routes that were in the wider, straighter main streets. The only former LESt route in the city center that still has tracks today is part of the trade fair bend at Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz in the western Windmühlenstraße. The routes that ran right through the city center were initially continued to be driven, in particular the route from Waldplatz through Elsterstrasse and Zentralstrasse via Thomaskirche and Grimmaische Strasse to Augustusplatz. It was not shut down until 1951. The north-south route via Neumarkt, Reichsstrasse, Markt and Katharinenstrasse was used by the city tours with the first »Transparent Leipzig«, but was also shut down in 1951 and then quickly dismantled. The routes through Kohlgartenstrasse and Kirchstrasse (today Hermann-Liebmann-Strasse) were reconnected with the existing GLSt routes and were used as planned until the 2001 line network reform. The Kohlgartenstrasse was then the operating and diversion route, the route in the lower Hermann-Liebmann-Strasse, however, completely abandoned. Many of the external lines of the LESt are still in operation today, namely the lines to Schleußig, Großzschocher, Gohlis, Eutritzsch, Mockau, Schönefeld, Paunsdorf, Stötteritz and along Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße. The section from Apelstraße to Eutritzscher Zentrum is only an operational line. The LESt routes to Connewitz and Möckern as well as along Schönbachstrasse have been closed.
Depots
The main LESt depot was the Wittenberger Straße depot, which has been used as a tram museum since May 2019, opposite the former Berlin train station . It was inaugurated when the company opened in 1896. In order to reduce the number of empty trips to move in and out, the LESt built so-called overnight depots, i.e. storage halls without workshop facilities, in the following years. In 1898 the depots at the terminus in Stötteritz and Kleinzschocher went into operation. The depot in Kleinzschocher was at the level of today's intermediate loop.
With the expansion of the route network from 1909, additional depots were built. On October 30, 1910, a new overnight depot went into operation on Landsberger Strasse in Gohlis, at the current end of the tram. The regular service initially ended here at the corner of Heerstrasse (Max-Liebermann-Strasse) and a single-track service line was laid from there to the depot. With the opening of the route to Zwenkauer Straße, a depot was also opened at this terminal. Later, the Hildebrandstraße track loop was built here, starting from Bornaische Straße, which partly led through the depot area and was not closed until the 1990s. The last new depot was opened on June 1, 1913 in Paunsdorf. It is still in operation today. From the end of the tram, which was still on the city limits, a single-track operating line was built to the depot, as in Gohlis. Only later was the regular service extended to the depots in Gohlis and Paunsdorf. The end line in Gohlis is still single-track today.
vehicles
The LESt vehicles were painted red on the sides. At the bottom of the car body there was a beige-colored strip that read "Leipziger Elektro Strassenbahn". The fronts were partly red, partly dark green.
Railcar
The first LESt railcars were bought in 1896 by Breslauer AG für Eisenbahn-Wagenbau (1-40) and by Herbrand (41-70). In the following year Herbrand delivered the motor coaches 121 to 160. All of these coaches were almost identical. In 1911, 30 of the cars received new, more stable bogies. After the wagons were integrated into the fleet of the Great Leipzig Tram, which did not take place until 1920, the railcars were given the numbers 801 to 892. The remaining 18 wagons were destroyed in a depot fire in Paunsdorf in June 1920. One of the cars, no. 64 (or at the GLSt 854), was exhibited in the Dresden Transport Museum for a long time , after the local transport collection there was closed, it came back to Leipzig.
Herbrand delivered twenty more railcars in 1900 (nos. 161 to 180). They were called "saloon cars" because of their large windows. The cars were given the numbers 893 to 912 at the GLSt.
Additional railcars were procured for the route extensions from 1909 and a compaction of the timetable. Herbrand, meanwhile "Waggonfabrik Cöln-Ehrenfeld", delivered the wagons 201 to 225 in 1909, the AG für Eisenbahn- und Militarybedarf Weimar delivered the wagons 226 to 265 in 1911 and the Hannoversche Waggonfabrik in 1912 the wagons 281 to 285. Also in 1912 the wagons 266 came to 280 from the Sächsische Waggonfabrik Werdau , followed in 1913 by the 286 to 300 and 401 to 405 also from Werdau. All of these cars procured from 1909 onwards were almost identical. Eight of them were destroyed in the fire at the Paunsdorf depot in 1920, the rest were given numbers 913 to 1009 by the GLSt.
The three series of railcars were designated by the GLSt as types 14 to 16. They were twin-engine from the start, but the LESt management was not able to get used to the direct-acting compressed air brake used by the GLSt. The handbrake was used to brake, the sidecar brake was also connected mechanically. Dynamic resistance brakes were not initially provided, but in the event of danger, the use of the counter-current brake by switching in the opposite direction was permitted. As with the GLSt, the wagons were fitted with funnel couplings which, when coupled, produced an almost rigid connection, but with different dimensions. The coupling bars of the LESt had a rectangular cross-section, those of the GLSt a square one. The LESt no longer introduced glazed railcar platforms, although they were already common practice in other companies before 1910.
sidecar
Right from the start, LESt trains ran with sidecars. In contrast to the GLSt, the LESt could not use existing horse-drawn trams, so the sidecars were all new builds. In 1896, she acquired the cars 71 to 90 from the Steinfurth wagon factory in Königsberg. These sidecars and the railcars behind which this series of sidecars ran were fitted with new chassis in 1911. At the GLSt, the sidecars that survived the fire in Paunsdorf were given the numbers 1 to 18.
Also in 1896 the Breslauer AG für Eisenbahn-Wagenbau supplied the open summer sidecars 91 to 120. They did not have windows, only canvas curtains. By 1907, they were equipped with removable windows and thus turned into "convertible" wagons so that they could also be used in winter. From 1915, the windows were no longer removed in the summer. Eight of the cars burned in Paunsdorf in 1920, the others were given numbers 19 to 40 by the GLSt.
LESt also procured matching sidecars for the new series of railcars delivered from 1909. The AG für Eisenbahn- und Militarybedarf Weimar delivered the cars 181 to 195 as early as 1908, in 1911 the cars 196 to 200 and 301 to 345 and in 1913 the cars 381 to 400. The Lindner wagon factory also delivered the railcars 346 to 380 from 1912 to 1913. Nine of the sidecars burned in Paunsdorf in 1920, the others were given numbers 41 to 151 by the GLSt.
The three sidecar series were given the designation types 53 to 55 at the GLSt. The sidecars were fitted with loop brakes that were mechanically operated by the railcar and used the kinetic energy to apply the brake blocks in a manner comparable to that of the lever brake, but only when driving forward. If the brakes were to be applied when rolling back, the sidecar attendant had to switch the brake to the normal spindle action. The loop brake only made it possible to carry a sidecar with brakes.
After the merger of the two tram companies, the cars were technically standardized. The LESt wagons intended for continued operation were given, in particular, the compressed air brakes and clutches according to GLSt standards. Only then could they be used mixed.
Sources and further reading
- Klaus Adam among others: From the couple to the light rail. The history of the Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe and its predecessors. LVB publishing house, Leipzig 1996.
- Gerhard Bauer, Norbert Kuschinski: The trams in East Germany. Schweers + Wall publishing house, Aachen.
- Vol. 1 Saxony. 1993, ISBN 3-921679-79-6 .
