Deggendorf-Plattling Railway

The Deggendorf-Plattling Railway was an early railway company in the Kingdom of Bavaria, established in 1865 to connect the important railway station at Plattling with the Danube landing place at Fischerdorf, located on the right bank of the river opposite Deggendorf. Its formal corporate name was Deggendorf–Plattlinger Eisenbahn AG. The enterprise was created during the rapid expansion of Bavaria's railway network, when short privately promoted branch lines were being developed to connect towns, river traffic, markets, and existing main-line stations. The company received a royal concession on 18 February 1865. Its original share capital was 300,000 gulden, divided into 3,000 shares of 100 gulden each. The intended route was built to standard gauge and was designed for both passenger and goods services. Early proposals contemplated a horse-drawn wagonway, but that plan was abandoned in favor of locomotive operation. A major physical constraint shaped the railway's design: the Danube bridge constructed in 1859 was not strong enough to carry locomotives. Consequently, the line did not reach the town of Deggendorf itself. Instead, its terminus was at Fischerdorf, on the opposite bank of the river. The completed railway extended for approximately 8.695 kilometers from Plattling to the landing place. Although the line was formally opened on 8 March 1866, services had begun a week earlier, on 1 March. The company operated a small but purpose-built fleet consisting of two locomotives, four passenger coaches, a mail van, and several goods wagons. The locomotives were compact 0-4-0 inside-frame engines built in Munich by Joseph Anton von Maffei. Named Deggendorf and Bayerischer Wald, they were suited to the short route and completed the journey in approximately 24 minutes. In 1867 the timetable provided four daily train pairs, operating between approximately 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The railway initially achieved sufficient commercial success to pay dividends of 6 percent. Nevertheless, the company transferred operational responsibility to the Bavarian Eastern Railway Company, or Ostbahn, on 10 August 1867. A later agreement dated 6 September 1872 transferred the railway company in its entirety to the Ostbahn for 273,000 gulden. The Ostbahn itself was subsequently taken over by the Royal Bavarian State Railways on 15 May 1875. The line's independent usefulness was undermined by the construction of the Bavarian Forest Railway from Plattling through Deggendorf and Zwiesel toward Bayerisch Eisenstein. The newer route could not use the old roadbed because the terrain near the Bavarian Forest required a different alignment, including a higher station at Deggendorf. Plattling station was also relocated several hundred meters westward. These changes removed the practical basis for the older short line. Services ended on 16 September 1877, when the Bavarian Forest Railway opened under the Royal Bavarian State Railways. The Deggendorf-Plattling Railway therefore had a brief operating life, but it represents an early example of a privately organized Bavarian connecting railway whose route, equipment, and commercial role were overtaken by a larger state railway development.

The Deggendorf-Plattling Railway emerged from the nineteenth-century expansion of Bavaria's railway system. Plattling already had a station opened in 1860 by the Bavarian Eastern Railway Company, but Deggendorf lacked a direct railway connection. A locally focused railway could therefore serve two related purposes: it could bring passengers and goods from the Danube-side landing place opposite Deggendorf to the main railway network, and it could connect river transport with the existing railway system. The company, formally known as Deggendorf–Plattlinger Eisenbahn AG, was founded in 1865. It obtained a royal concession on 18 February of that year and was capitalized at 300,000 gulden, divided into 3,000 shares of 100 gulden. The original concept reportedly included a horse-drawn railway, but this was abandoned in favor of a conventional locomotive-operated standard-gauge line. The route was constrained by the Danube crossing. Although a bridge had been built in 1859, it was not sufficiently strong for locomotives, so the railway could not enter Deggendorf proper. Its eastern or southern terminus was instead established at Fischerdorf, on the right bank of the Danube opposite the town. The line extended 8,695 meters from Plattling to the Danube landing place. It was built without major structures at the Plattling end and was intended for both passenger and freight traffic. Operations began on 1 March 1866, followed by a formal opening on 8 March. The company owned two small locomotives, four passenger coaches, a mail van, and a group of goods wagons. The locomotives were 0-4-0 inside-frame engines manufactured by Joseph Anton von Maffei in Munich in 1866. Their short 1.835-meter axle base reflected the limited requirements of the route. They were named Deggendorf and Bayerischer Wald and could cover the line in about 24 minutes. By 1867, the timetable provided four pairs of trains daily, with services spread across the period from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The line was commercially viable in its early period and paid a dividend of 6 percent. However, the small company did not retain independent operational control for long. On 10 August 1867, the Bavarian Eastern Railway Company assumed operation. On 6 September 1872, a contract provided for the transfer of the Deggendorf-Plattling Railway in its entirety to the Ostbahn for 273,000 gulden. The corporate railway's subsequent history was determined by a larger infrastructure project. The Bavarian Forest Railway was built from Plattling via Deggendorf and Zwiesel to Bayerisch Eisenstein. Because of steep gradients at the edge of the Bavarian Forest, the new line had to follow an alignment northwest of the older Deggendorf-Plattling route. It also required a higher station at Deggendorf. At Plattling, the Ostbahn station was moved several hundred meters west, further weakening the usefulness of the old connection. The original roadbed could not simply be incorporated into the new route. The Bavarian Eastern Railway Company had itself been taken over by the Royal Bavarian State Railways on 15 May 1875. When the Bavarian Forest Railway opened under the state railway system, the short Deggendorf-Plattling service ended on 16 September 1877. The company's locomotives later received new identities within the larger railway system: the Ostbahn numbered them D 13 and D 14, while the Royal Bavarian State Railways incorporated them into Class D as locomotives 1176 and 1177. Both were retired in 1895, one in October and the other in December. Before retirement, the locomotive named Deggendorf had worked shuttle services between Geiselhöring and Sünching, while Bayerischer Wald was transferred to the Miltenberg–Amorbach line. The railway's brief existence illustrates how private regional lines could provide an interim connection before being absorbed into, or displaced by, a more extensive state railway network.

• 1895

  Former company locomotives retired

  [1]Deggendorf-Plattling Railwayen.wikipedia.org

  The two original locomotives, later classified as Royal Bavarian State Railways Class D numbers 1176 and 1177, were retired in October and December.

• 1877

  Railway closes

  [1]Deggendorf-Plattling Railwayen.wikipedia.org

  Services ended on 16 September following the opening of the Bavarian Forest Railway and the relocation or rebuilding of related stations.

• 1875

  Ostbahn absorbed by the Royal Bavarian State Railways

  [1]Deggendorf-Plattling Railwayen.wikipedia.org

  The Bavarian Eastern Railway Company was taken over by the Royal Bavarian State Railways on 15 May, bringing the former private line within the state railway system.

• 1872

  Company sold to the Bavarian Eastern Railway Company

  [1]Deggendorf-Plattling Railwayen.wikipedia.org

  A contract dated 6 September transferred the railway in its entirety to the Ostbahn for 273,000 gulden.

• 1867

  Regular timetable established and operations outsourced

  [1]Deggendorf-Plattling Railwayen.wikipedia.org

  Four daily train pairs were scheduled, and the Bavarian Eastern Railway Company assumed operation of the line on 10 August.

• 1866

  Line enters service

  [1]Deggendorf-Plattling Railwayen.wikipedia.org

  Operations began on 1 March, followed by the formal opening on 8 March. The standard-gauge line connected Plattling with Fischerdorf on the Danube.

• 1865

  Company founded and concession granted

  [1]Deggendorf-Plattling Railwayen.wikipedia.org

  The Deggendorf–Plattlinger Eisenbahn AG was founded with 300,000 gulden in capital, and a royal concession to build the railway was granted on 18 February.

• 1860

  Plattling railway station opens

  [1]Deggendorf-Plattling Railwayen.wikipedia.org

  The Bavarian Eastern Railway Company opened the Plattling station that later served as the northern connection point for the Deggendorf-Plattling Railway.

A short regional connecting railway designed to link the Bavarian Eastern Railway network at Plattling with river traffic and the settlement of Deggendorf across the Danube.

• Railway infrastructure and passenger transport · 1866

  Plattling–Fischerdorf railway line

  The company's principal offering was an approximately 8.695-kilometer standard-gauge railway from the Plattling station to Fischerdorf, the Danube landing place opposite Deggendorf. The route supported scheduled passenger traffic and goods movement, linking the Bavarian Eastern Railway network with river access and the Deggendorf area. It did not cross the Danube because the existing bridge could not safely carry locomotives.

• Rail transport · 1866

  Passenger train services

  Passenger services operated between Plattling and Fischerdorf from March 1866 until September 1877. By 1867 the timetable offered four train pairs per day, with services running across much of the day. The journey took approximately 24 minutes using the company's compact steam locomotives.

• Freight and postal rail transport · 1866

  Goods and mail transport

  In addition to passenger coaches, the railway operated goods wagons and a mail van. These services connected the Plattling railway network with the Danube landing place and supported the short-distance movement of freight and correspondence between the railway and river-side communities.

• Steam locomotives · 1866

  Deggendorf and Bayerischer Wald locomotives

  The company owned two 0-4-0 inside-frame steam locomotives built by Joseph Anton von Maffei in Munich in 1866. Named Deggendorf and Bayerischer Wald, they had a 1.835-meter axle base and were designed for the short local route. After the railway was transferred, the Ostbahn numbered them D 13 and D 14, and the Royal Bavarian State Railways later classified them as Class D numbers 1176 and 1177.

• 1877

  Discontinuation after the opening of the Bavarian Forest RailwayStrategy

  Background

  The new Bavarian Forest Railway required a different alignment because of steep gradients and included a higher station at Deggendorf. The Plattling station was also moved westward.

  Action taken

  Passenger and goods services on the original Deggendorf-Plattling route ceased on 16 September.

  Aftermath

  The short line was abandoned as an operating route, while its former locomotives were subsequently used elsewhere in the Bavarian railway system before being retired in 1895.

  Source

• 1872

  Full transfer of the railway to the Bavarian Eastern Railway CompanyM&A

  Background

  The Ostbahn had already been operating the line since 1867, and a subsequent agreement formalized the transfer of the railway company and its assets.

  Action taken

  The entire Deggendorf-Plattling Railway was transferred to the Ostbahn for 273,000 gulden.

  Aftermath

  The company ceased to function as an independent railway enterprise. Its assets and locomotives continued within the larger Bavarian railway system.

  Purchase price. 273,000 gulden (1872)

  Source

• 1867

  Transfer of operating responsibility to the OstbahnStrategy

  Background

  The small regional company had achieved early dividends but operated within a railway environment increasingly organized around larger network companies.

  Action taken

  The Bavarian Eastern Railway Company took over operation of the Deggendorf-Plattling line on 10 August.

  Aftermath

  The line continued to operate under the Ostbahn's management until the railway company itself was transferred to the Ostbahn in 1872.

  Source

• 1865

  Adopt locomotive operation instead of a horse-drawn wagonwayStrategy

  Background

  Early planning considered a horse-drawn railway, but the company ultimately pursued a standard-gauge locomotive railway capable of carrying both passengers and goods.

  Action taken

  The company built and operated a conventional steam railway between Plattling and Fischerdorf.

  Aftermath

  The decision enabled the line to operate as a railway connection to the Bavarian Eastern Railway network, although its route remained limited by the Danube bridge's inability to carry locomotives.

  Source

1. 1Deggendorf-Plattling Railwayen.wikipedia.org