The term Kleinbahn (literally 'small railway', plural: Kleinbahnen) was a light railway concept used especially in Prussia for a railway line that "on account of its low importance for general railway transport" had less strict requirements placed on its construction and operation that main lines (Hauptbahnen, Vollbahnen) or secondary lines (Nebenbahnen i.e. normal branch lines). Even public railway lines built for constructional or industrial purposes were counted as Kleinbahnen.
The concept was defined in the Prussian Kleinbahn law of 28 July 1892, that was designed to encourage the construction of local railway lines by private companies. The word Kleinbahn was chosen by a majority of MPs in the Prussian parliament instead of a range of other options - Lokalbahn (local line), Bahn unterster Ordnung (line of the lowest order) or Bahn untergeordneter Bedeutung (line of secondary importance) - because it was neither a foreign word nor had negative overtones.
In several former German states such as (Mecklenburg, Oldenburg and Baden) the concept Kleinbahn was partially adopted for lines of limited length and light construction. In the other German-speaking states, the terms Lokalbahn (Baden, Bayern, Austria), Sekundärbahn (Saxony) or Vizinalbahn (Bayern) were preferred.
In everyday speech the term Kleinbahn is widely used as a synonym for narrow gauge lines or garden railways. Despite that, Kleinbahnen may be built in either 1,435mm (4ft81⁄2in) standard gauge as well as in narrow gauge.
Construction and operation
The construction and operation of Kleinbahnen were carried out to less stringent requirements, e.g. tracks were laid in a gravel rather than a normal ballast bed, and usually by private companies, which nevertheless in many cases involved substantial participation by the state, the province or local communities. The Kleinbahn company with the largest railway network in the whole of the German Empire was the 'Pomeranian state railways' (Pommerschen Landesbahnen) founded in 1940.
Today
Except in Berlin, the Kleinbahn law has been superseded everywhere by new national railway laws. The former Kleinbahnen are classified today as Nebenbahnen (branch lines).
Model railway
Kleinbahn model train Blauer Blitz
The name Kleinbahn, German for "small railway", is also the name of a model railway manufacturer based in Vienna. The company was founded in 1947 by Erich Klein. The HO-scale models produced by the company are destined primarily for the Austrian market: most of the models are based on Austrian Railway prototypes. Their current catalogue offers a selection of locomotives; passenger and freight rolling stock; track and switches as well as catenery and signaling equipment. Kleinbahn produces an economically priced product that is readily affordable to a wider market. Kleinbahn has eschewed extreme detail and sophistication and has instead focused on the development and manufacture of models of a simpler and more robust finish. The models are not widely available as they are not available through the usual hobby shops. Instead, their product is available almost exclusively through company outlets located in a number of Austrian cities, including Vienna, where the company is headquartered, as well as Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Linz, and Bregenz, all in Austria. Their products may also be purchased by mail order. Unfortunately, since the time of this writing, all of Kleinbahn's stores, with the exception of their “flagship” store in Vienna have been shuttered. However, their models are still available by “mail” order. See their web site for details.
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The Lokalbahn AG company, or 'LAG' for short, was a private company based in Munich, Bavaria, whose lines of business was the construction and operation of branch lines in Germany and Austria-Hungary. It existed from 1887 to 1938.
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The Deutscher Eisenbahn-Verein or DEV was founded in November 1964 as the Deutscher Kleinbahn-Verein. Its purpose was the preservation of a working branch line with all its installations as a living open-air museum. The term Kleinbahn was primarily a Prussian concept that referred to light branch lines with lower traffic demands and of more lightweight construction than main lines or normal branch lines, hence the Kleinbahnen were mainly found in northern Germany.
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Mödling and Hinterbrühl Tram or Mödling and Hinterbrühl Local Railway was an electric tramway in Austria, running 4.5 km (2.8 mi) from Mödling to Hinterbrühl, in the southwest of Vienna. The gauge was 1,000 mmmetre gauge. Opened in October 1883, it was the first tram and railway in the world that was run with electricity delivered by an overhead line in permanent service. It was the first electric tram and railway in Austria, and it was the second one installed for definitive service. The operation ceased in March 1932.
The Lower Saxon State Railway Office or NLEA was a central authority that managed the operation of many light railways in the North German state of Lower Saxony. These were predominantly those railways which the state had a financial stake in.
The Celle–Wittingen Light Railway was founded on 21 June 1902 by the Prussian state, the town of Celle and 33 municipalities. On 15 August 1904 it opened the 51 km long, standard gauge line from Celle Stadt (Nord) via Beedenbostel and Hankensbüttel to Wittingen West. This line was also called the Lachte Valley Railway (Lachtetalbahn) because part of it ran along the river Lachte. The journey time on the Celle–Wittingen line in 1906 was about 2 hours and 20 minutes. In 1908 the station at Wittingen West was moved to the east side of the state station in order to enable a common station to be created with the Kleinbahn Wittingen-Oebisfelde, opened in 1909, and the Kleinbahn Bismark-Gardelegen-Wittingen, later the Altmärkische Kleinbahn AG. The new route made the construction of embankments and a bridge over the state railway necessary.
Salzburg Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in Salzburg, capital of the federal state of Salzburg in Austria. It is the most important station in the agglomeration of Salzburg, and a major transportation hub in western Austria.
The Karlsruhe–Mühlacker railway is a railway line in the west of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was built between 1859 and 1863 and is one of the oldest railways in Germany. It was built as the second connection between the networks of the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway and the Royal Württemberg State Railways and it still constitutes an important east–west route in southern Germany.
A number of narrow-gauge lines survive, largely as a consequence of German reunification, in the former East Germany where some of them form part of the public transport system as active commercial carriers. Most extensive of those still employing steam traction is the Harz mountain group of metre-gauge lines, the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen. Other notable lines are the Zittau–Oybin–Jonsdorf line in Saxony, the Mollibahn and the Rügensche Kleinbahn on the Isle of Rügen on the Baltic coast and the Radebeul-Radeburg line, Weisseritztalbahn in the suburbs of Dresden. Although most rely on the tourist trade, in some areas they provide significant employment as steam traction is particularly labour-intensive.
The Hohenzollerische Landesbahn (HzL) is the largest non-federally owned railway company in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft and Südwestdeutsche Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft. It has operates passenger and freight traffic since 1900. Its field of activity now extends to large parts of southern Baden-Württemberg. In 2018, the HzL will merge with the Südwestdeutsche Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (SWEG).
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