Narrow gauge factory railway of the Westfalenhütte

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The narrow-gauge factory railway of the Westfalenhütte was one of the first company- owned narrow-gauge railways in Germany to be equipped with its own steam locomotives and had a track width of 800 millimeters.

history

The railway was probably laid out in the run-up to the founding of the Hoesch iron and steel works ( Westfalenhütte ) on September 1, 1871 and was organizationally subordinate to the machine department of the plant. On the day it opened on May 31, 1874, it belonged to the Hoesch-Eisenbahnen, but it remained independent in the management of the company until it was taken over by the Dortmunder Eisenbahn within Hoesch AG . The main purpose of the railway was to handle the transport between the individual parts of the plant, ie initially between the Thomas steelworks and the forge. From around 1912 the new Siemens-Martin steelworks II and the rolling mills were also connected to the narrow-gauge network. The factory railways of the Westfalenhütte, which were combined in the new "Railway Department" in 1948, had a total of 869 employees in 1949 who were assigned to the areas of railway operations, railway workshops (locomotive and wagon workshop), track construction and the Hardenberg harbor. The railway workers thus made up around 10% of the entire workforce at the Westfalenhütte.

Due to the merger of the Dortmunder Hüttenunion with Hoesch AG in 1966, three factories working together had to be networked with one another using the standard track. At the same time, a new numbering scheme was introduced for the otherwise independent narrow-gauge railway of the Westfalenhütte. Finally, in 1980, it was taken over by the Dortmunder Eisenbahn, as a result of which the narrow-gauge railway network was shut down until 1983. With the decommissioning and dismantling of the blast furnaces, the sintering plant and other plant parts from 2001 and the remains of these early works railway still preserved up to a 15 meter long track rest near the present-day Hoesch Museum almost completely disappeared.

At the time of its greatest expansion, the rail network of the narrow-gauge railway near Hoesch (Westfalenhütte) was more than 17 kilometers long and had 325 points.

The Hoesch Museum, housed in the historic porter's house of the Westfalenhütte, shows in its permanent exhibition some historical photographs of the factory railway, including a photo of the steam locomotive "12", as well as the silent industrial film "Kamerad, hab 'eight" from 1928, in which the narrow-gauge railway of the Westfalenhütte plays a central role with several of their steam locomotives.

Since the redesign of the permanent exhibition in 2017, Hoesch AG has had its own section on armaments, forced labor and war-related destruction. In the area of ​​the industrial railway, forced laborers were used in particular to remove bomb damage to the track systems. A photo shows forced laborers or concentration camp prisoners together with a narrow-gauge steam locomotive, probably Hoesch No. 16, repairing standard-gauge tracks on the factory railway. In addition, the exhibition now also sheds light on the biography of Albert Ganzenmüller , one of those largely responsible for the organization of the deportation trains to the extermination camps at the Deutsche Reichsbahn and the Reich Ministry of Transport . After 1945 he evaded his responsibility by fleeing to Argentina, advised the nationalized railway there and was able to return to Germany unmolested in 1955 to work as a "transport specialist" for the railway department of Hoesch AG. Despite his involvement in the mass murder and repeated investigations against him for aiding and abetting murder, he remained employed as a transport engineer in a responsible position in the railway department of Hoesch AG until his regular retirement in 1968.

Relics

Remaining track (800 mm) between the historic porter's house in the extension of the former main gate I and the old mechanical workshops. The former semi-finished product line can be seen in the background (status May 2017).

Between the historic porter's house, today's Hoesch Museum and the old mechanical workshops, there is an approximately 15-meter-long section of track in the pavement in the extension of the former main gate I. One of the central scenes of the silent film “Comrade, have eight”, in which the locomotive “12” can be seen, takes place on this track section.

There is also a light signal from the former narrow-gauge industrial railway at the rear corner of the old porter's house and today's Hoesch Museum.

Track body

The narrow-gauge factory railway of the Westfalenhütte was 800 millimeters across the entire rail network. It was probably the first train with this rare gauge in Germany. Only the Ernstbahn , which was founded by the Princes of Solms-Braunfels with other mine owners in 1875, initially as a mine railway for transporting ore from mines around Braunfels, also had this gauge at that time. It is possible that there was a connection to the choice of this gauge for the iron and steel works of Hoesch AG due to the ore deliveries. As with other steelworks, the clearance profile of the narrow-gauge factory railway at Westfalenhütte was extremely tight. For this reason, no parts were used in the vehicles that could protrude and handrails such as boarding aids etc. were relocated behind the outer skin of the locomotives, similar to mine railways, in a space-saving manner. Nevertheless, accidents occurred again and again due to the cramped conditions and the special danger zones that had to be passed through. The superstructure was partly free, but mostly laid in the pavement of the works street or in the floor of the individual parts of the works.

Particularly noteworthy is an unusual number of switches and some of the most complicated crossings. In addition, the tracks were designed as three or four-rail tracks at particularly frequented places where they crossed the standard gauge . Grooved rails were usually laid in the area of ​​the factory roads.

Route network

At the time of the greatest expansion of the entire network around 1950, the route length was a total of 17.241 kilometers with 325 points. The construction of the rail network began around 1870. In the business year 1885/86, with the acquisition of a second narrow-gauge steam locomotive from Krauss & Co. for 8,000 marks by the board of directors, the narrow-gauge systems were also comprehensively expanded for a total of 40,324.58 marks. As can be seen from a stock exchange prospectus from 1895, the length of the narrow-gauge network was already 10 kilometers at that time and was therefore only slightly shorter than that of the standard gauge, which was 11 kilometers. By 1957, the length of the network had been reduced to 12.73 kilometers and the number of points was reduced to 239, due to the increasingly rail-less transport. Further extensive expansions and modifications continued into the 1960s.

Railway building

The documents for the business year 1885/86 show that a locomotive shed was built for the "small locomotive" for 2,440.54 marks. This is likely to have been the first steam locomotive of the railway, which existed from 1871, which did not yet have a number and was therefore referred to as "the small locomotive" or "the small steam locomotive" in the business documents that have been preserved. In addition, in the same financial year, a “station guard's house” was built for 309.10 marks.

In the 1886/87 annual report there is a note that the locomotive shed was expanded for 1,676.02 marks. This extension certainly served to accommodate the second narrow-gauge steam locomotive, which was purchased in 1885/86 and which later bore the road number "1". Later the locomotives were located in the parts of the factory where they were used. For example, locomotive “16” later bore the inscription “SM II” because it was at home in Siemens-Martinwerk II. In this way, and since the locomotives were in use 24 hours a day anyway, there was no need to build additional locomotive sheds.

In addition to the buildings mentioned, there was also a locomotive or main workshop with an upstream transfer table.

vehicles

Steam locomotives

The steam locomotives for the narrow-gauge network of the Westfalenhütte were supplied by the companies Lokomotivfabrik Krauss München & Linz , the Lokomotivfabrik Hagans and the Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik in Jungenthal ad Sieg. Even if the locomotives were similar to the standard types, some of which were produced in large numbers, they were either one-offs or small-batch models specially made for the requirements of the steel mill. The locomotives 10 to 12 (1899), 15 to 17 (1917-21) and 97 to 99 (9 "to 11", 1950) manufactured by Jung belonged to such small series of three almost identical copies.

There were nominally 20 steam locomotives, but de facto there were never more than 19 (1950) at the same time due to the successive build-up of the stock and war losses. The locomotive that was already in the factory before 1884 and was called “the small steam locomotive that transports the slag away from the Thomas works” was not integrated into the numbering scheme and is therefore given the provisional designation “0”. At least the numbers 9 to 11 were occupied by the series of three steam locomotives ordered from Arnold Jung in 1949/50, which were to serve as partial replacements for the machines destroyed in the war. Probably in the course of the introduction of diesel traction in the operating year 1957/58, these locomotives were redrawn from 97 to 99 and integrated into the new numbering scheme. This provided the numbers 81-90 for the narrow-gauge diesel locomotives and the numbers 91-99 (91-96 unoccupied) for narrow-gauge steam locomotives.

Despite their hard work around the clock, until 1918 in two 12-hour shifts, then in three 8-hour shifts between the blast furnace and the rolling mill, the locomotives experienced more than 60 years of operation. It is known that locomotive 16 transported around 6,000,000 tons of billets and blocks from the steel mills to the rolling mills in more than 40 years of operation, burning 8,000 tons of coal and evaporating 60,000 cubic meters of water.

A total of at least 24 steam locomotives were in service over a period of around 90 years, one of which remained unnumbered, twenty with numbers 1 to 20 and three with numbers 9 to 11 in a second occupation. Of these 24 locomotives, only 3 have survived, with the 16 being the only surviving locomotive of the old Westfalenhuette works line, while the other two surviving examples are post-war designs that were to replace some of the machines destroyed in the war in a second occupation.

No. design type Manufacturer Construction year Serial number in operation at Hoesch AG until photo
0 Bn2t ? before 1871 ? before 1895 ++
1 Bn2t Locomotive factory Krauss Munich & Linz 1885 ? before 1959 + ++
2 Bn2t Locomotive factory Krauss Munich & Linz 1888 ? before 1959 + ++
Hoesch 2 (800 mm), Krauss? / 1888 (around 1900)
3 Bn2t Locomotive factory Krauss Munich & Linz before 1895 ? 1962 + ++
4th Bn2t Hagans locomotive factory, Erfurt 1892 266 1962 ++
5 Bn2t Hagans locomotive factory, Erfurt 1894 ? 1958/59 ++
Hoesch 5 (800 mm), Hagans? / 1894 (around 1900)
6th Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1896 247 1961 + ++
7th Bn2t ? 1895-1898 ? after 1952 + ++
8th Bn2t ? after 1898 ? before 1947 ++ (loss of war?)
9 Bn2t ? after 1898 ? before 1947 ++ (loss of war?)
10 Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1899 399 before 1947 ++ (loss of war?)
11 Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1899 400 before 1945 ++ (war loss)
12 Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1899 404 before 1959 + ++
13 Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1912 1871 1956 + 1957 ++
14th Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1913 2077 before 1959 + ++
15th Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1917 2741 1957 + 1962 ++
16 Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1917 2742 1958 + received
Hoesch Westfalenhütte 16 (800 mm), Jung 2742/1917 (2016)
17th Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1921 3245 1958/59 ++
18th Bn2t ? after 1938/39 ? 1958/59 ++
19th Bn2t ? 1942-1947 ? after 1952 ++
20th Bn2t ? 1942-1947 ? after 1952 ++
97 (9 ") Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1950 10605 1962 + received
Hoesch Westfalenhütte 97 (9 ") (800 mm), Jung 10605/1950 (1974)
98 (10 ") Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1950 10606 Received 1962 + greatly modified
Hoesch Westfalenhütte 98 (10 ") (800 mm), Jung 10606/1950 (2017)
99 (11 ") Bn2t Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Jungenthal ad Sieg 1950 10607 1962 ++
Hoesch Westfalenhütte 99 (11 ") (800 mm), Jung 10607/1950 (1950-57)

Electric locomotives

For the year 1898 there is a report of an electric locomotive that is to be converted into a battery locomotive, since the overground line has not proven itself in the blast furnaces. In fact, there is photo evidence from this time that shows a small, two-axle electric locomotive (type B-el) with a two-axle floor transport car and a towed, also two-axle battery car on the 800 mm track. This locomotive is later no longer mentioned in the operating documents and does not seem to have been integrated into the numbering scheme. It is probably one of the electric locomotives built by Arthur Koppel in Berlin from 1896 . Although it was probably only acquired on a trial basis and soon had to be rebuilt due to its unsuitability, it remained in the factory until at least 1940, according to photo evidence.

No. design type Manufacturer Type Construction year Serial number in operation at Hoesch AG until
- B-el Arthur Koppel ? 1896–98 (reconstruction 1898) ? after 1940 ++

Diesel locomotives

After the conversion of the narrow-gauge factory railway to diesel traction as part of an internal "modernization program" in the course of the operating year 1957/58, a new numbering scheme was introduced in which the numbers 80-90 were provided for the narrow-gauge diesel locomotives, of which the numbers 80-88 with locomotives of the type MV 6 and numbers 89-90 were manned with locomotives of the type MV 10.

The remaining steam locomotives that were scheduled for retirement were given the numbers 97 to 99. With the retirement of the last narrow-gauge steam locomotives in the 1961/62 operating year, the stock should in the long term return to the original number of 20 locomotives with the numbers 80– through the acquisition of new diesel locomotives. 99 to be increased. After the introduction of diesel traction, however, the 800 mm industrial railway, which the Executive Board still regarded as "unfashionable", lost its importance due to the expansion of rail-free transport options. Accordingly, the last four diesel locomotives were only ordered to replace the last three decommissioned steam locomotives in 1961. There was no further increase in the number of vehicles. After the takeover of the Werkbahnen of Hoesch AG by the Dortmunder Eisenbahn on January 1, 1980, the seven remaining narrow-gauge locomotives 83 to 87, 89 and 90 were re-designated as 911 to 917 and thus integrated into the numbering scheme of the Dortmund Railway before they as "800 mm exotic" from 1983 were finally retired. Four of the total of eleven narrow-gauge diesel locomotives were initially preserved as monument and playground locomotives, but were then all scrapped between 1995 and 2013. Unfortunately, no evidence of this phase of the narrow-gauge factory railway of the Westfalenhütte has been preserved.

No. design type Manufacturer Type Construction year Serial number in operation at Hoesch AG until
80 B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 6) 1957 25765 197x +; 19xx Woldenmey playground, Dortmund-Derne (197x vh); approx. 1990 playground, Hoeschpark, Dortmund (11.2005 vh); 05.2006 ++
81 B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 6) 1957 25766 197x +; 19xx playground, Hoeschpark, Dortmund (01.2003, 04.2003 vh); after 2003 ++
82 B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 6) 1958 25785 19xx + whereabouts unknown
83 (DE 911) B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 6) 1959 25895 1983 + 1987 ++
84 (DE 912) B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 6) 1959 25896 1983 + whereabouts unknown
85 (DE 913) B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 6) 1959 25897 1983 + 1987 ++
86 (DE 914) B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 6) 1961 26127 1983 + 2010–2013 ++
87 (DE 915) B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 6) 1961 26128 1983 + 1987 ++
88 B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 6) 1961 26129 197x + before 1999 ++
89 (DE 916) B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 10) 1961 25155 1983 + 1987 ++
90 (DE 917) B-ie Orenstein & Koppel (MV 10) 1961 26156 around 1980 + whereabouts unknown

Freight wagons

The majority of the freight wagons consisted of small but very stable 2-axle wagons that were used to transport slag and semi-finished products between the individual parts of the factory. They seem mostly self-made z. B. to have been created using rail material removed from production. In the operating year 1884/85 six slag wagons, three lime wagons, three convertible slag wagons and twenty floor transport wagons were purchased for a total of 8,193.22 marks. Later there was at least one narrow-gauge slewing rail crane that was operated using hand cranks. In 1898 there were already 93 company-owned cars, although it is unclear how many narrow-gauge cars there were. At first, in contrast to the locomotives, there seems to be no numbering scheme for these cars. Their number rose to a remarkable 633 by 1917, although here, too, the allocation to narrow and standard gauge remains unclear. At the end of World War II there were 1,126 cars, of which 302 were registered as damaged. In 1949 there were a total of 662 narrow-gauge works cars of different designs.

See also

literature

  • Karl Peter Ellerbrock: The focus is on people. On the history of Hoesch film production . In: Manfred Rasch, Karl Peter Ellerbrock et al. (Ed.): Industrial film - medium and source. Examples from the iron and steel industry . Klartext, Essen 1997, p. 24-40 .
  • Locomotive no 16 retired in Hoesch-Park . In: Hoesch AG (ed.): Plant and us . A magazine for the employees of Hoesch Werke AG. Hoesch AG, Dortmund July 1958, p. 252 .
  • Hans Dieter Hüttmann: The Hoesch railways . In: Wolfgang Messerschmidt (Ed.): Lok Magazin . No. 60 . Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung W. Keller & Co., Stuttgart 1973, p. 186-196 .
  • Oliver Kessler, Peter Kocbeck: 100 years of the Jung 2742/1917 (BN2T) 70 hp steam locomotive. A Hoeschpark locomotive celebrates its anniversary. The steam locomotive "Hoesch Westfalenhütte 16" . 1st edition. Hoesch Museum, Dortmund 2017.
  • Hubert Nagusch, Annette Kritzler, Michael Dückershoff: The Hoeschpark. Comments on the "Kurpark des Nordens" . Dortmund 2006.
  • Gustav Adolf Wüstenfeld: Comrade, watch out . In: Manfred Rasch, Karl Peter Ellerbrock et al. (Ed.): Industrial film - medium and source. Examples from the iron and steel industry . Klartext, Essen 1997, p. 188 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hans Dieter Hüttmann: The Hoesch railways. In: Lok Magazin. 60, 1973, p. 186.
  2. ^ Hans Dieter Hüttmann: The Hoesch railways. In: Lok Magazin. 60, 1973, p. 196.
  3. ↑ filmportal.de
  4. ↑ Karl Peter Ellerbrock: The focus is on people. On the history of Hoesch film production. In: Manfred Rasch, Karl Peter Ellerbrock (arrangement and ed.), Among others: Industriefilm - Medium und Quelle. Examples from the iron and steel industry. Klartext, Essen 1997, pp. 24-40.
  5. ^ Gustav Adolf Wüstenfeld: Comrade, have eight. In: Manfred Rasch et al. 1997, p. 188.
  6. ↑ Comrade, watch out! Germany 1928, documentary / instruction film. Production: Hoesch iron and steel works, Dortmund.
  7. ↑ a b c d Hans Dieter Hüttmann: The Hoesch railways. In: Lok Magazin. 60, 1973, p. 189.
  8. ^ A b Hans Dieter Hüttmann: The Hoesch Railways. In: Lok Magazin. 60, 1973, p. 190.
  9. ↑ a b Oliver Kessler, Peter Kocbeck: 100 Years of the Jung 2742/1917 (BN2T) 70 HP steam locomotive. A Hoeschpark locomotive celebrates its anniversary. The steam locomotive "Hoesch Westfalenhütte 16". Hoesch Museum, Dortmund 2017, p. 3.
  10. ↑ a b Oliver Kessler, Peter Kocbeck: 100 Years of the Jung 2742/1917 (BN2T) 70 HP steam locomotive. A Hoeschpark locomotive celebrates its anniversary. The steam locomotive "Hoesch Westfalenhütte 16". Hoesch Museum, Dortmund 2017, p. 4.
  11. ↑ Hoesch AG (Ed.): Locomotive No. 16 retired in the Hoesch Park. In: Werk and we. A magazine for the employees of Hoesch Werke AG. July 1958, p. 252.
  12. ^ Hans Dieter Hüttmann: The Hoesch railways. In: Lok Magazin. 60, 1973, pp. 193-194.

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