Full steam ahead!
A spiritual journey on the rails of
German train and locomotive history
Written by Christina Høllede, Michelle Frost, Omar
Lund and Mabandla Phakula
BERLIN-KREUZBERG: On a cold and windy
mid-January day, four international students
finally arrived at their destination, having
walked our soles flat through the historic streets
of the significant German capital. After these
tiring past two hours, we only just managed to
drag our heavy bodies along the sidewalk, our
eyes lighting up as we - with much relief - found
ourselves
entering
the
Deutsches
Technikmuseum to be educated on German
industrial science.
clearly demonstrated the great evolution they
had to undergo to suit the purposes of the
German people throughout this period of time.
In such a heavenly environment a group of
inquirers, as ourselves, could not ask for more.
However, this railway exhibition was only one
out of many different superlative and
transcendent ones, which similarly displays the
general development and improvement of
German technology up throughout the years.
The expectations were sky high amongst all of
us students, and not in any way did we turn out
disappointed; this was to become a moving
experience that would not only teach us oceans
worth of train knowledge, every fact being just a
single drop, but also offer us an entirely new
outlook on the exotic German locomotive life
throughout history, eventually leaving every one
of us with a deep, newfound respect.
Hänsel, a nationally famous train expert, whom we had the
honour of interviewing (Jan, 2015)
However, at this point in time the questions were
roaming our curious minds; What really is the
difference between the trains? Where and when
did they begin to emerge? and How has it
influences Germany as an industrial country?,
soon to be answered.
The different types of trains
There are many different types of trains, not
only in Germany but all over the world. You can
find various types with varying speeds, sizes and
builds. Usually these include transporting
passengers or cargo. Of course the trains in the
past were not as high tech as they are today
though – you can clearly see the difference on
the images below.
The developments, which have been made
throughout time, really show how much really
changed throughout these many years. It shows
us the difference between what people used to
be able to create, and what people are now
capable of creating.
Through the authentic grand entrance arch we
went, immediately greeted by an overwhelming
number of over 40 trains and locomotives placed
on 34 different tracks. Both of the two highceiling halls were stuffed with these historic
gems, all of which represented what previous
impacts these original rail vehicles have had on
the industrial revolution in Germany, as well as
The introduction of trains
The first train was, as our dear Hänsel
mentioned in our interview, built in England,
and it wasn’t until the 1830’s they started
emerging in Germany.
Top: an ICE train which is the current up to date train in
Germany, and below is an old passenger train.
As Hänsel stated in the interview, England was
the first country to start using steam engine
trains which were invented in 1712. Shortly after
the steam engines came to Germany where they
quickly took off. As trade was one of the most
important things it was agreed upon that the rails
would have the same dimensions in order to
increase the ability to trade and transport. They
would transport goods and this would usually be
much faster than having to transport it with other
types of transportations.
Germans relied heavily on the railways, so in
1944-45 the Americans and British bombed the
tracks, leading to huge destruction of the system.
This lead to germany's inability to mobilize
around the country which slowed down the
process of exporting weapons and ammunition
for the war.
FUN FACTS
-
Today, Germany’s railway network
measures 35,000 kilometres
Deutsche Bahn carries 7.5 million
passengers a day
The introduction of railroads concluded
in standardised time zones, to allow for
correct departure and arrival scheduling.
History of trains in Germany
The first train tracks were laid in Germany
between Nuremberg and Fürth on the 7th of
December 1835. During second world war, there
were produced standard versions of locomotives
to speed up the construction times. These
locomotives were called war locomotives, and
were used exclusively used for this purpose.
“The [German] industry was
interested in trading [with the
English], and therefore kept the same
dimensions of rail”
- Hänsel, 2015
The railyards at leipzig after being destroyed by the allied
forces bombings
The picture shown above is proof of the
effectiveness of the alliance bombing. By
destroying a huge main railyard germany
was unable to export and import many necessary
things for the war.
Typical freight wagon in the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin
Deportation of the Jews from the German
Reich (empire)
The museum also has dedicated an exhibition
which shows the Jew transports during World
War 2, which is one of the darker
sides of the railway history.
From January 1939 - 1945, around 6 millions
were victims of the holocaust. During the Reich
130,000 Jews were appropriated in povertystricken ghettos and extinction camps. Many
were murdered after being transported.
Over 120 trains transporting mainly Jewish men
and women from Berlin to the ghettos in
Bohemia. Many died there, while others were
transported to camps
The state railway (Reichsbahn) was one of the
authorities that implemented Reich’s antiSemitic policies once socialists were given
power. All Jewish railway employees were
sacked, during 1935
This concludes that there is a surprising amount
of German history that involves the railways,
and if you read more about the railways and
locomotives, it actually turns out to be quite
interesting. You will get a lot of knowledge
about German history and language, along with
learning about the trains and locomotives, so
why not go for it? Trains may not seem like the
most exciting topic to read about, but the visit
we had at the Deutsches Technikmuseum was a
thrilling experience, and everything was so
fascinating.
Click here to read more about the Deutsches
Technikmuseum Berlin
Sources;
http://www.rysmichala.republika.pl/wolsztyn2005_en.htm
http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/siemens-icx-highspeed-trains-germany/
http://sdtb.de/Rail-transport.1148.0.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_German
y
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/AAF-Leaping/