Ostpreußische Kleinbahnen AG
The Ostpreußische Kleinbahnen AG owned twelve small railways in the former Prussian province of East Prussia until 1945 .
history
In the years before the First World War, the AG for Transport (AGV) had gained the majority of capital in almost all private and small railways in the province of East Prussia. In the post-war crisis, she wanted to consolidate the administration of the railways scattered across the country.
On June 30, 1924, it united a number of previously legally independent companies under the umbrella of its largest subsidiary, Insterburger Kleinbahn-AG . At the same time, the receiving company was renamed Ostpreußische Kleinbahnen-AG and moved its headquarters from Insterburg to Königsberg.
Up until 1945, important shareholders were the Prussian State, the Province of East Prussia, numerous East Prussian cities and districts and, last but not least, AGV and its subsidiary, the Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft in Königsberg (ODEG). This also led the operation of all small railways.
When the Red Army conquered all of East and West Prussia in the winter of 1944/45 , the small railroad companies came under Russian or Polish sovereignty; most of them were destroyed or dismantled. This then led to the liquidation of the Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft and Ostpreußische Kleinbahnen AG.
Small railways
The following small railways were owned by Ostpreußische Kleinbahnen AG. Most of them were legally independent stock corporations until 1924, but Rastenburger GmbH:
The list contains the gauge, length of the route and the opening date of the first section. The largest part (756 km) of the total network with a circumference of 777 km was narrow gauge, of which 215 km were meter gauge, 526 km were laid out in the gauge of 750 mm and 15 km in the gauge of 600 mm; only 21 km had standard-gauge tracks. A small section from Tilsit to Mikieten (7.6 km) was electrified.
| Local railroad | Track wide mm |
Length km |
date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elchniederungsbahn formerly Niederungsbahn | 750 | 53.3 | November 7, 1902 |
| Kleinbahn Heydekrug – Kolleschen | 1435 | 16.2 | December 14, 1913 |
| Insterburger Kleinbahnen | 750 | 221.4 | August 1, 1902 |
| Königsberg small train | 750 | 58.6 | January 15, 1900 |
| Lycker Kleinbahnen | 1000 | 48.0 | October 22, 1913 |
| Ortelsburger Kleinbahn | 600 | 15.4 | June 16, 1920 |
| Rastenburger small railways | 750 | 127.3 | May 1, 1898 |
| Pillkaller Kleinbahn , from 1938 Schloßberger Kleinbahnen | 1000 | 60.8 | December 24, 1901 |
| Kleinbahn Pogegen – Schmalleningken | 1000 | 65.5 | August 1, 1902 |
| Treuburger Kleinbahnen formerly Oletzkoer Kleinbahnen | 1000 | 43.1 | September 18, 1911 |
| Wehlau – Friedlander Kreisbahnen | 750 | 65.8 | April 9, 1898 |
| Kleinbahn Wöterkeim – Schippenbeil | 1435 | 5.0 | June 30, 1907 (only from 1930) |
source
- Public Transport Handbook 1940, Berlin 1940