Koblenz tram
 |
|
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Country | Germany |
| city | Koblenz |
| opening | May 28, 1887 |
| Shutdown | July 19, 1967 |
| Infrastructure | |
| Formerly the largest route |
51.71 km |
| Gauge | 1000 mm ( meter gauge ) |
| Depots | 3 |
| business | |
| Lines | 11 |
| statistics | |
| Reference year | 1917 |
| Passengers | 19 million |
The Koblenz tram existed from 1887 to 1967. A characteristic of the Koblenz tram was that it had large single-track sections and only used roller pantographs until it was shut down . It was operated by today's Koblenzer Elektrizitätswerk und Verkehrs-AG , or KEVAG for short.
history
Horse tram (1887–1901)
The first preliminary investigations for the construction of a horse-drawn tram in Koblenz began in 1883. The decision to build two horse-drawn tram lines was taken on November 10, 1884. To finance the project, the "Coblenzer Straßenbahn-Gesellschaft" was founded on September 30, 1886 as a stock corporation. It started with a capital of 125,000 gold marks. The main shareholder was the company for electrical companies Ludwig Loewe & Co. from Berlin .
Construction work began in early 1887, so that the first horse-drawn tram line could already be opened on May 25, 1887. The 1.89 kilometer long line ran from the ship bridge on the Rhine , where the pier for the passenger ships is today, over Görresplatz to the Löhrtor, just a few meters from the main train station . The station at the starting point was henceforth called "Rhine". A little later the line was extended to the main train station. The line ran every twelve minutes.
On October 18, 1887, the second line between Görresplatz and the so-called Pappel-Rondell was opened, which was extended to the Schützenhof that same month. In the years 1890/91 further connections were finally created. This created a connection from the main train station to the Schützenhof, which was later extended to Laubach and Königsbach and then to Stolzenfels . The section to Stolzenfels was only operated between April and November until 1895; in winter there was no traffic.
From 1890 onwards, freight wagons also drove on the tram route from Königsbach in the south. They were mainly used to supply goods to the gas works and the Königsbacher brewery . This freight traffic lasted until 1904 when there was finally a railway connection.
The last horse-drawn tram line to go into operation was on April 18, 1897, to the north across the Moselle . It led over the Balduin Bridge to Lützel and from there to Neuendorf . This means that the Koblenz horse-drawn tram network has reached its greatest expansion at 12.13 kilometers.
The last horse tram ran on January 27, 1901, while the first electrified tram lines were already running.
Electric tram (1899–1941)
Electrification began to be considered as early as 1896, as the horse-drawn tram no longer seemed efficient enough due to major expansion plans. When the decision was made to run it electrically when planning a new line, it was also decided to electrify all existing lines. The necessary contracts were signed on October 1, 1897. As a result, the power station was first relocated to the Schützenhof, where a new depot was built. From here on October 17, 1899, the first electric led in Koblenz to Görresplatz, so that the old horse-drawn railway line could be abandoned.
On August 8, 1899, the network was expanded to include an electric line, with a Koblenz tram line being operated for the first time across the Rhine to the Pfaffendorf and Ehrenbreitstein districts on the right bank of the Rhine . For this purpose, the Pfaffendorfer Bridge (originally built as a railway bridge) was equipped with a multi- rail track for different gauges, while an existing track was initially retained. Both tracks were replaced by a double-track meter-gauge route in 1928. The concession to build this line was granted in 1898.
Within the following two years, the remaining horse-drawn tram routes were converted to electrical operation, the last on January 27, 1901. The electrical tram network was now 18.15 kilometers long.
In the following years the Koblenz tram network was expanded considerably. For the first major expansion, the share capital was initially increased. This expansion comprised a 14.3 kilometer long line network on the right bank of the Rhine. As the first section of this new network, a branch line was created on March 8th via Niederberg to the pilgrimage site of Arenberg . As a result, the network on the right bank of the Rhine was continuously expanded: on March 1, 1906, a line followed from Ehrenbreitstein to Vallendar , between May 5, 1902 and May 17, 1905 a connection to Oberlahnstein via Horchheim am Rhein , and an extension from January 9, 1906 from Vallendar to Bendorf am Rhein and Sayn and on May 11, 1907 a line to Höhr-Grenzhausen , whereby the then still independent district Grenzhausen was not connected until July 16, 1910. During this time, a tram line along the Rhine to Niederlahnstein was also built .
In addition, on December 17, 1903, a new line from Lützel along the Moselle to Metternich and on February 28, 1902 the route to the Güls ferry in Moselweiß went into operation.
In 1903 a new depot was built in Vallendar, so that all lines on the right bank of the Rhine shared their own depot. The lines on the left bank of the Rhine mainly used the depot at Schützenhof. Later there was another depot in Ehrenbreitstein.
The many single-track sections with diversions in the Koblenz route network were characteristic. Only a small part of the network was double-tracked. In the final stage, the route was 50.69 kilometers long.
In 1911 consideration was given to extending the line ending in Arenberg to Ems . The city was unable to provide the required guarantee of 100,000 marks, so the project was initially postponed to 1915. Due to the First World War , which began in 1914, no new negotiations took place. As a result, the project was not resumed.
In 1912, however, construction began on a new line from Lützel to Mülheim . From there, the route was to be extended to Weißenthurm via Kettig at a later date . Also due to the First World War, the construction work was interrupted and not resumed after the end of the war. Plans to connect the Koblenz tram with the Neuwied Kreisbahn and a route from Neuendorf to Kesselheim were not realized.
An extension of the tram route from Oberlahnstein to Braubach was discarded because of the First World War and never resumed. In addition, as in other cities, the arrival of male workers led to a shortage of skilled workers in tram operations, which is why over time women were also employed as conductors and sometimes also as drivers .
Although the number of passengers carried had risen to 19 million annual passengers by 1917, which was more than twice as many as before the war, the shortage of materials also damaged the tram. A section between Königsbach and Stolzenfels had to be temporarily closed because the contact wire was needed for the armaments industry . This break in operations lasted until August 10, 1932, as the Deutsche Reichsbahn insisted on the removal of two level crossings along the route.
During the period of inflation at the beginning of the 1920s, there were initially no changes to operations or route extensions. A low point was reached in 1923 when some lines had to be closed again due to the horrendous operating costs. After the end of the inflation years, however, the routes were quickly put back into operation.
At the end of the 1920s, it was even possible to expand the route, including a new route from the Schützenhof to the island of Oberwerth on August 11, 1928 . Other extensions in 1927 were a double-track connecting line between the main station and Friedrich-Ebert-Ring in 1927, a line from Niederlahnstein over the Lahn to Oberlahnstein and an extension of 128 meters in Metternich. After these extensions, the Koblenz network reached its greatest extent of 51.71 kilometers, of which only 4.19 kilometers were double-tracked.
A slight change in the route in the south of Koblenz made it possible to abandon the Schützenhof level crossing, so that continuous traffic to Stolzenfels was possible again from October 16. Because of the disagreements with the railway, only operational trips had been possible over the level crossing for two decades.
From the mid-1930s, the Koblenz and Unterwesterwald districts took part in the operation of the trams, as many lines from the city of Koblenz led out into the surrounding area and thus within their area of responsibility.
Fall of the tram (1941-1967)
The Second World War had a similar effect to the First World War. Light signals were introduced shortly before the start of the war, but due to the lack of material, they could only be partially used. A lack of material was also the reason for the first phase of downsizing the network: The first thing hit was the line from Vallendar to Höhr-Grenzhausen on July 17, 1941. The track systems there were heavily worn, especially due to the temporary freight traffic. As a replacement, a trolleybus line was set up, which started the trolleybus era in Koblenz.
After the air raids on Koblenz in April 1944, the entire network on the left bank of the Rhine was paralyzed. After another attack on December 28, 1944, the substation in Vallendar remained intact. The network on the right bank of the Rhine could therefore continue to operate until 1945. When the Rhine and Moselle bridges were blown up, the network had been divided.
In July 1945, tram operations on the Ehrenbreitstein - Vallendar section were resumed. As early as October 1945, it was possible to drive from there to Bendorf again. Towards the end of the year the terminal in Sayn was finally reached. At the end of 1945, almost 20 kilometers of the network on the right bank of the Rhine could be used again.
On July 14, 1946, on the left bank of the Rhine, the important axis Rheinstrasse - Plan - Central Station - Schützenhof was put back into operation. On August 21st of the same year they drove to Stolzenfels again. After the reconstruction of the Balduin Bridge, Metternich and Neuendorf could be approached again in 1949.
However, despite the reconstruction of the Pfaffendorfer Rhine Bridge, there was no connection between the network on the left bank of the Rhine and the one on the right bank, as no corresponding track systems were built. As a result, the network on the right bank of the Rhine was converted entirely to trolleybus operation by the mid-1950s. Via the Pfaffendorfer bridge there was also a connection by trolleybus between the two banks, which over time initially replaced the lines between the main station and the Pfaffendorfer bridge.
Nevertheless, in 1956, when the station forecourt in Frankenstrasse was redesigned, lines 1, 2 and 3 were given their own double-track railway body with a three-track transfer system directly in front of the main train station.
Due to the expansion of the trolleybus operation, the final decline of the Koblenz tram began only a short time later. Stolzenfels was approached for the last time on September 3, 1958. However, the section to Schützenhof remained as an access to the depot until 1967. On May 5, 1961, the lines to Metternich and Neuendorf also disappeared, and on October 27, 1964, line 6 to Moselweiß. As the last lines, lines 1 and 2 remained in operation through the narrow streets of the city center and from there to the Schützenhof and Oberwerth.
On July 19, 1967, the last two lines of the Koblenz tram were finally closed. The reason for the long gallows was that the narrow streets, some of which were pedestrian zones, could be used by trams but not by buses . However, a continuation would have required high renovation costs, which did not appear economically viable.
The trolleybus operation only outlived tram operation by about three years: on October 30, 1970, it was also discontinued. Since then, only buses have been used in local transport in Koblenz.
Freight trams (1907–1927)
From the beginning, goods were also transported on the route to Höhr. The yields from the Höhr clay pit were transported to a loading station on the Rhine. In addition, there was an 800 m long connecting track to the mine in Höhr, which was created exclusively for this purpose, and a 265 m long track to the Rheinwerft in Vallendar. Every year 20,000 to 30,000 tons were transported on the freight tram . This existed until around 1927. In addition, from 1911 the Koblenz tram also carried luggage as well as express and market goods in the suburbs.
The Koblenz freight tram experienced a particular boom during the First World War. Most of the time, ash and slag were transported from the power plants. For this purpose, street carts were sometimes attached to the tram vehicles.
Overview
| year | line | route | Mode of transportation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1887 | line 1 | Rhine - Moselle station | Horse tram |
| Line 2 | Goebenplatz (today Görresplatz) - Pappelrondell (today Mainzer Straße near the Kaiserin-Augusta monument) | Horse tram | |
| Line 2 | Extension to Schützenhof | Horse tram | |
| 1890 | Line 3 | Schützenhof - Laubach | Horse tram |
| Line 3 | Extension to Königsbach | Horse tram | |
| 1891 | Line 3 | Extension to Capellen-Stolzenfels | Horse tram / also freight transport |
| 1897 | Line 4 | On the plan - Neuendorf | Horse tram |
| 1899 | Line 2 | Goebenplatz (Görresplatz) - Mainzer Str. - Schützenhof | Conversion to electr. tram |
| line 1 | Rhine - Plan - Löhrtor | Conversion to electr. tram | |
| Line 4 | Plan - Balduin Bridge - Lützel - Neuendorf | Conversion to electr. tram | |
| Line 7 | Rhine bridge - Ehrenbreitstein train station (pendulum line) | Electric tram | |
| 1900 | Line 3 | Moselle railway station - Schützenhof - Capellen / Stolzenfels | Conversion to electr. tram |
| 1901 | line 1 | Extension: Löhrtor - Schützenhof | Electric tram |
| Line 9 | Ehrenbreitstein station - Niederberg - Arenberg | Electric tram | |
| 1902 | Line 7 | Extension Ehrenbreitstein station - Vallendar station | Electric tram |
| Line 7 | Extension: Central Station - Ehrenbreitstein Bf. | Electric tram | |
| Line 10 | Festival hall - Horchheim | Electric tram | |
| Line 10 | Extension: Horchheim - Niederlahnstein | Electric tram | |
| 1903 | Line 5 | Plan - Metternich | Electric tram |
| 1904 | Line 6 | Herz-Jesu-Kirche - Garrison hospital (Marienhof) | Electric tram |
| Line 6 | Extension: Garrison Hospital - Kemperhof | Electric tram | |
| 1905 | Line 6 | Extension: Kemperhof - Gülser Bridge | Electric tram |
| 1906 | Line 8 | Vallendar station - Bendorf - Sayn | Electric tram |
| 1907 | Line 11 | Vallendar - Höhr | Electric tram |
| 1910 | Line 11 | Extension: Höhr - Grenzhausen | Electric tram |
| 1928 | line 1 | Extension: Schützenhof - Oberwerth | Electric tram |
| 1933 | Line 10 | Extension: Niederlahnstein - Oberlahnstein | Electric tram |
| 1941 | Line 11 | Vallendar - Höhr-Grenzhausen | Conversion to trolleybus |
| 1953 | Line 7 | Pfaffendorfer Bridge - Vallendar Bf. | Conversion to trolleybus |
| 1954 | Line 8 | Vallendar station - Bendorf / Sayn | Conversion to trolleybus |
| 1956 | Line 10 | Pfaffendorfer Bridge - Oberlahnstein | Changeover to omnibus |
| 1958 | Line 3 | Koblenz main station - Stolzenfels chapels | Changeover to omnibus |
| Line 9 | Ehrenbreitstein station - Arenberg | Conversion to trolleybus | |
| 1961 | Line 4 | Plan - Neuendorf | Changeover to omnibus |
| Line 5 | Plan - Metternich | Changeover to omnibus | |
| 1964 | Line 6 | Herz-Jesu-Kirche - Moselweiß | Changeover to omnibus |
| 1967 | line 1 | Rhine - Schützenhof | Changeover to omnibus |
| Line 2 | Rhine - Oberwerth | Changeover to omnibus | |
| The line numbers were not introduced from the start. They are used here for general clarification. | |||
Line network
In the 1930s, a total of 11 lines were operated in Koblenz on the 51.71 kilometers at the time. These were named with Arabic numerals from 1939, previously line colors and internal Roman numerals were used:
- Rhine - Central Station - Schützenhof - Oberwerth
- Görresplatz - Mainzer Strasse - Schützenhof
- Central station - Laubach - Stolzenfels
- On the plan - Balduin Bridge - Neuendorf
- On the plan - Balduin Bridge - Metternich
- Herz-Jesu-Kirche - Moselweiß - Gülser ferry
- Central station - Pfaffendorfer bridge - Ehrenbreitstein - Vallendar
- Central station - Pfaffendorfer bridge - Ehrenbreitstein - Bendorf - Sayn
- Ehrenbreitstein - Arenberg train station
- Central station - Pfaffendorfer bridge - Horchheim - Niederlahnstein - Oberlahnstein
- Vallendar - Höhr-Grenzhausen
vehicles
Horse tram
The horse-drawn tram had a total of 25 carriages. Only a few of them were open summer carriages ; the majority of the vehicles were closed. There were twelve longitudinal seats.
Almost all horse-drawn tram cars were still used as sidecars by the electric company after the horse-drawn tram was closed. In 1904, however, eight cars were withdrawn from service, another five by 1912 and another eight in 1925/26. The last four remained in existence until 1939/40 and were ultimately only used as work cars.
Electric tram
The electric railcars were quite interesting designs because they were all two-axle and had a very short wheelbase, a lantern roof and initially closed or half-open platforms. These were later glazed all around with very thin steel struts. The doors were initially closed with bars and half-height metal sheets, but were later replaced by two-part folding doors. The window layout changed almost with every year of construction.
The acquisition of all (new) vehicles only extended over a period of 15 years, namely from 1899 to 1914. The youngest cars were finally the railcars, built in 1951 from Baden-Baden and built in 1916, which matched the original condition quite well. Thus, when operations ceased in 1967, all railcars were around half a century old.
The first wagons from 1899 came from the Carl Weyer wagon factory and were given company numbers 26 to 33. In 1905, these were given new chassis, also from the Weyer company. The new cars were given numbers up to 48. In the First World War, however, the numbers 43–48 were converted to sidecars. The remaining railcars were rebuilt in 1928 and were given a barrel roof instead of a lantern roof as well as new engines and glazed platforms.
Around 1900 four summer railcars with transverse seats that were completely open at the sides were delivered, which was a rarity among German tram operators. The platforms were only intended for the drivers and a few standing passengers. There was no passage to the inside of the car from these platforms. In 1908/1909 they received new car frames. The vehicles were in service in Koblenz until 1940 and were then delivered to vehicles in Lodz , Poland .
In 1901 and 1902 two similar series of a total of 24 railcars were delivered. Inside, these were equipped with longitudinal seats and for the first time had semi-closed platforms on the side. These were initially firmly closed from the right side so that entry was not possible there. Later, however, they were rebuilt so that all four entrances were closed with folding doors and the lantern roof could be pulled down to the front. On the side they had a window section with the size scheme "small-large-small".
The 14 railcars acquired between 1903 and 1905 were longer than their predecessors, but were later rebuilt similar to these. They had four windows on the side with the size scheme "small-large-large-small". The first of these cars had been procured for the new route to Metternich. From March 1953, the vehicles of this type that were still in existence were modernized and equipped with telescopic sliding doors, among other things.
In 1905, 1907 and 1909 the Weyer wagon factory delivered a total of eleven compartment-type railcars. They were locally called “compartment”, “transformation” or “all-weather wagons”. They had three compartments in the transverse direction, which were accessible via an external step and sliding doors in the side walls. This had the advantage that the cars could drive with the doors open at higher temperatures and function as a kind of summer car. All examples that survived the Second World War were later converted to conventional cars.
In 1907 another small series with four conventional railcars was also delivered. These had a lantern roof pulled down on the driver's side and the window division "small-large-large-small".
The last six new wagons were delivered between 1912 and 1914. They had three windows of the same size and relatively wide. Some of the cars had longitudinal seats, the others had transverse seats.
Almost all vehicles on the Koblenz tram saw the outbreak of World War II. However, 15 railcars and two sidecars were destroyed during the war. As a replacement, as already mentioned above, vehicles from Baden-Baden were procured in 1951, each for a unit price of 8,700 D-Marks. However, these were retired again by 1959.
Beginning in 1957, more and more railcars became obsolete and gradually decommissioned, most of them scrapped, due to the discontinuation of lines. In the end, 15 railcars were still operational, but due to their old age, no buyers could be found.
Sidecars were only available in the network on the right bank of the Rhine. Therefore there was only a very small number of sidecars. There were a total of twelve open sidecars that were built after 1902 and were designed as summer cars, as well as four closed sidecars with four windows and of conventional design. There were also six compartment cars. Another sidecar was built in 1952 from a converted compartment car. The last sidecars were scrapped in 1954.
The railcars and sidecars were initially numbered chronologically according to their procurement. In 1952, however, a new numbering system was introduced: Work cars were given the numbers 1–18, sidecars the numbers 9–17 and railcars the numbers 18–89.
Up to the discontinuation in 1967, power was drawn from all railcars exclusively by means of roller pantographs. Fahrzgeuge with Lyrabügel or pantograph was at no time in Koblenz network. The cars were coupled with pin couplings.
The vehicles were all ivory with a green stripe. Until about 1945 the car was labeled Koblenzer Straßenbahn Gesellschaft , after that only the abbreviation KEV AG .
Goods tram
There were four relatively flat railcars for freight trams between Höhr and Vallendar. The flat design was chosen because otherwise it would not have been possible to pass the low railway underpass in Vallendar. There were also 14 freight cars. After the cessation of freight operations, some freight wagons are said to have been used for internal purposes.
Trivia
For the 2000th anniversary of the city of Koblenz, a VW bus was recreated in the design of the old tram number 36. The Mosella Carnival Society was the patron of the campaign . The extraordinary vehicle made its maiden voyage on June 16, 1996.
literature
- Michael Kochems / Dieter Höltge: Trams and light rail vehicles in Germany Volume 12: Rhineland-Palatinate
- Axel Reuther: Even back then, very old in: Tram magazine 12/16
Web links
- Part 48: The provincial capital goes electric - Koblenz city history - Rhein-Zeitung. In: rhein-zeitung.de. July 22, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2017 .
- Historical pictures October 2016 - Farewell to the electric company in 1967. In: rhein-zeitung.de. Retrieved January 28, 2017 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Kochems / Dieter Höltge: Trams and light rail vehicles in Germany Volume 12: Rhineland-Palatinate, p. 63.
- ↑ Axel Reuther: Even back then, very old in: Tram magazine 12/16, p. 48.
- ^ Kirmesgesellschaft "Mosella" 1880 and Heimatverein Koblenz-Moselweiß eV In: koblenz-moselweiss.de. Retrieved January 19, 2017 .