Uster-Oetwil train

Uster-Oetwil Langholz
Route length:	10.5 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Power system :	500 volts  =
Maximum slope :	70  ‰
Minimum radius :	30 m
Legend 0.0 Uster SBB 464m Uster stars Uster Zenkelhof Uster cross Uster Thalacker 1.0 depot 458m 2.00 Riedikon 444m Riedikon gravel Mönchaltorf Haldengut Mönchaltorf Unterdorf 4.9 Mönchaltorf 464m Esslingen Lieburg Forchbahn from Zurich 7.4 Esslingen 486m Oberesslingen Oetwil Felsengrund Oetwil Gusch 9.6 Oetwil am See 542m Oetwil am See Rebacker 10.5 Long wood 581m Wetzikon-Meilen-Bahn from Wetzikon Wetzikon-Meilen-Bahn to Meilen

Oetwil on May 26, 1909 on the occasion of the inauguration of the UOe

The Uster Oetwil course ( UOeB ) was a Swiss one meter gauge interurban train in Zurich Oberland , perverse and 1909-1949 from the same railway company was operated.

History of origin

Many wishes, projects, local interests and previous concessions preceded the construction of the Uster-Oetwil-Bahn. In 1873, the Forchbahn already had a concession for the section from Esslingen to Uster.

In 1893, an application was submitted to build a narrow-gauge tram from Winterthur to Uster and via Oetwil - Stäfa - Männedorf to Meilen . In March 1895 a standard gauge project for a railway line from Effretikon via Volketswil –Uster– Egg and through a 250 meter long Pfannenstiel tunnel to Meilen was presented. Of course, the municipality of Oetwil didn't like the route via Egg and instead suggested a continuation via Oetwil to Uerikon / Stäfa instead of Meilen. Since there was also a ready-to-build project for a narrow-gauge railway from Wetzikon via Grüningen and to Lake Zurich , the cantonal commission asked for these two projects to be merged.

In 1896 the federal councils granted a concession for a standard-gauge railway from Uster via Mönchaltorf - Gossau - Ottikon to Grüningen and from there to Hombrechtikon , where a connection to the Uerikon-Bauma railway (UeBB), which was also planned, was to take place. In order to connect Esslingen and Egg to the railway, a branch line was planned from Mönchaltorf. However, since there was no money for the realization of this full line, another tram project was presented two years later, in October 1898. On May 20, 1899, the cantonal approval for the tram to be built in three stages was available: Uster – Oetwil – Langholz (with connection to the planned Wetzikon-Meilen-Bahn ), Mühlehölzli – Stäfa and finally Esslingen – Egg.

In mid-1903 the railway entrepreneur and engineer Gustav Gossweiler was found , who pledged to build the railway for 800,000  francs , and in December 1904 the Uster – Stäfa railway company was founded . But since Stäfa suddenly showed no more interest in the train, the decision was made to only build the Uster – Oetwil – Langholz line and on December 28, 1905, the Uster – Oetwil electric tram company was founded . In May 1908, construction work finally began and a year later, on May 25, 1909, the opening of the train service could be celebrated.

Route & operation

The entire stretch of the jokingly called Uster-Oepfel-Bahn was almost 11 kilometers and began on the station square of Uster station and ended in the remote Langholz station above Oetwil am See. Here there was a connection to the Wetzikon-Meilen-Bahn (WMB) opened in October 1909. In between were the stations in Riedikon , Mönchaltorf, Esslingen and Oetwil am See. The maximum gradient between Langholz and the village of Oetwil was 61 per thousand.

The UOeB concluded a contract with the SBB for the reloading of freight wagons in the Uster station, as well as a contract for the shared use of the track systems in the terminus or the Langholz transfer station. This was more problematic and the WMB even forbade the UOeB to maneuver on its tracks with trailer wagons.

The rolling stock, which was painted yellow after the opening, consisted of three motor cars with 18 seats and a maximum speed of 30 km / h, three passenger cars with 24 seats, as well as two covered and three open freight cars, manufactured by Waggon- und Maschinenfabrik Bautzen . Passenger traffic developed satisfactorily and freight traffic exceeded all expectations. In 1910 a total of 90,379 people were transported and in 1919 the record number of 140,290 people.

On November 29, 1912, the Forchbahn between Zurich and Esslingen was opened and a contract governed the common use of the station. In 1916, the motor and passenger cars were repainted in the new corporate colors blue and white (Zurich colors).

From 1925, the UOeB felt the car competition in passenger and especially in freight traffic and rationalization measures began. In 1934, one-man trains were operated and in 1936 operational management was transferred to the formerly despised Wetzikon-Meilen-Bahn. But all was of no use and it took revenge that was saved on maintenance and the rolling stock no longer corresponded to the time and went on strike more and more often.

Shutdown

In 1932 it was suggested to replace the railway with a bus service. The government council of the canton of Zurich then dealt with the rehabilitation of the three ailing railways UOeB, WMB and UeBB. An expert opinion recommended converting the three railways to bus operation because of the outdated systems and facilities. In 1943 the board of directors of the Uster-Oetwil-Bahn approved the abolition of the tram. The discussions continued, an action committee was formed for the maintenance of the railways in the Zurich Oberland . On March 18, 1946, the Cantonal Council approved his contribution to the reorganization of traffic: the abolition of railways and the establishment of bus routes. After a fierce referendum campaign, the people of Zurich approved this plan in May 1946 with a ratio of 3: 2. In the same year the company Verkehrsbetriebe Zürcher Oberland (VZO) was founded.

On October 1, 1949, the train drove for the last time from Uster to Oetwil and was shut down the next day; the VZO buses now drove through the villages. The demolition work began just a week later and the rolling stock was scrapped, sold or used as a chicken coop. In the center of Mönchaltorf there is still a small goods shed with a ramp.

literature

• Werner Neuhaus - From the annals of the Uster – Oetwil railway; Th.Gut + Co. Verlag, Stäfa 1976
• Martin Schweizer: Electric tram Uster-Oetwil . Prellbock Druck & Verlag, Leissigen 2009. ISBN 978-3-907579-39-8

Web links

• Website of the Zurich Lake and Oberland Transport Authority, formerly the Zurich Oberland Transport Authority (VZO)
• Website discontinued railways of Switzerland / Uster-Oetwil-Bahn (UOeB)