- Länderbahnen
The German term Länderbahnen (singular: "Länderbahn") generally refers to the state railways of the
German Empire in the period from about 1840 to 1920 when they were merged into theDeutsche Reichsbahn after theFirst World War .The State Railways
Railways Merged into the Deutsche Reichsbahn
The seven state railways forming the merger were the:
*
Prussian state railways
*Royal Bavarian State Railways ("Königlich Bayerische Staatseisenbahn" or "K.Bay.Sts.B.")
*Royal Saxon State Railways ("Königlich Sächsische Staatseisenbahnen" or "K.Sächs.Sts.E.B.")
*Royal Württemberg State Railways ("Königlich Württembergische Staatseisenbahn" or "K.W.St.E.")
*Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways ("Großherzoglich Badische Staatseisenbahn" or "G.Bad.St.E.", 1840–1920)
*Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway ("Großherzoglich Mecklenburgische Friedrich-Franz-Eisenbahn" or "M.F.F.E.")
*Grand Duchy of Oldenburg State Railways ("Großherzoglich Oldenburgische Staatseisenbahn" or "G.O.E.", 1867–1920)Other State Railways
Other state railways that existed during this period, but which later folded or were absorbed, included the:
*
Grand Duchy of Hesse State Railways ("Großherzoglich Hessischen Staatseisenbahnen"), from 1897 part of thePrussian state railways )
* Royal Hanoverian State Railways ("Königlich Hannöversche Staatseisenbahnen"), from 1866 part of thePrussian state railways )
* Duchy of Brunswick State Railway ("Herzoglich Braunschweigische Staatseisenbahn") from 1870 part of thePrussian state railways )
* Nassau State Railway ("Nassauische Staatsbahn") from 1866 part of thePrussian state railways )
* Anhalt Leopold's Railway ("Anhaltische Leopoldsbahn") from 1882 part of thePrussian state railways )
* Bebra-Hanau Railway ("Bebra-Hanauer Eisenbahn"), aKurhessian state railway, from 1866 part of thePrussian state railways )
*Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine ("Reichseisenbahn Elsaß-Lothringen"), which went back to France after the First World War.KPEV
Note that the so-called
Royal Prussian Railway Administration orKPEV did not exist - see article - although some of the rolling stock carried 'KPEV' emblems and the abbreviation is commonly used in railway circles nowadays.ources
* [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A4nderbahnen German Wikipedia article on the "History of the Railway in Germany"]
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