Kaiserliche Generaldirektion der Eisenbahnen in Elsass-Lothringen

The Kaiserliche Generaldirektion der Eisenbahnen in Elsass-Lothringen ( imperial Head office of the railroads of Alsace-Lorraine ) become later the Reicheisenbahnen in Elsass-Lothringen ( imperial railroads of Alsace-Lorraine ) or EL was created by the German administration with leaving the war in 1871.

Historical context

Following the Treated of Frankfurt, the departments of the the Low-Rhine, Haut-Rhin (less the future Territory of Belfort) and the current department of the the Moselle were attached to the Germany. This treaty also envisaged the transfer of all the state-owned properties French to the German Empire lately created, but not the goods of the private companies. Also the Compagnie of the railroads of the East hastened it to repatriate out of the annexed territories all its rolling stock. In fact the very new company of the imperial railroads of Alsace-Lorraine had to buy, initially, of the rolling stock of various sources to be able to start its exploitation. Thus, one finds among the manpower of these first engines with vapor, the machines of design English, Belgian, Austrian and even French and of course allemande. The years 1890 should be awaited so that a certain rigor is carried out in the choice of its material.

Another consequence of this war, the Railway network Guillaume-Luxembourg, hitherto exploited by the Compagnie of the railroads of the East was conceded with the imperial railroads of Alsace-Lorraine. This concession, after the First World War returned to the Railway network of Alsace-Lorraine, then starting from 1938 with the SNCF until the creation of CFL.

One of the tasks of the imperial railroads of Alsace-Lorraine was to reinforce the bonds with the networks of the remainder of the German Empire. On this occasion, various connections were bored, in particular the opening of the line between Wissembourg and Landau in Palatinat made it possible to create an international connection on left bank of the Rhine between Cologne and Basle via Strasbourg.

The interior service road was also not forgotten, in particular towards the various Vosgean valleys, the Lorraine industrial sites. Strategic requirements often dictated the choices of this administration, with the result that no opening was carried out towards the French Vosges. On the whole, during this German administration, the mileage of lines between 1871 and 1918 had triplet.

Even if the administration of the EL were an administration of the German state, it had a relative autonomy as for these choices of material. Alsace had an old railway tradition, and a " school alsacienne" this tradition perpetuated: the EMBG ( Elsæssiche Machinenbau Gesellschaft ) of Graffenstaden, factory-sister of SACM installed with Belfort since 1872, and its research departments directed by Alfred De Glehn produced a certain number of machines for this network ( P7 , T17 ). The workshops DE DIETRICH built a big part of the towed material of this company. The greatest part of the engines of this network derived however from the machines implemented for the Prussian railroads (KPEV), which makes a specificity of the EL.

Another originality of this network is the care taken to the construction of these buildings: indeed, concerned of its image with respect to the foreigner and in particular of France, Germany (and its administration in Alsace) were very attentive with the architecture and the quality of its railway constructions in Alsace and Lorraine. Thus the station-borders of Avricourt (the Moselle) or of Pfetterhouse at the Suisse border are remarkable, but it was thus for all the constructions, even most modest.

To leaving the First World War the network will turn over to the France under the denomination of: Railway network of Alsace-Lorraine.

Engines of the network

Type S - Schnellzuglokomotiven - locomotive for express train

S12 EL 1301 to 1308

Type P - Personnenzuglokomotiven - locomotive for passenger train

Type T - Tenderlokomotiven - engine-tender

T1 EL 2001 to 2012
T2 EL 2013 to 2043 and T2 EL 2044
T3 EL 2045 to 2113 and T3 EL 6142 to 6144
T4 EL 2120 to 2144 and T4 EL 6401 to 6410
T5 EL 2145 and 2146 and T5 EL 6601 to 6637
T9.3 EL 7051 to 7182
T12 EL 7701 to 7725
T13 EL 7901 to 7960
T14 EL 8501 to 8540
T16 EL 8101 to 8112 and T16.1 EL 8113 to 8118
T17 EL 8301 to 8366
T18 EL 8401 to 8427

Type G - Güterzuglokomotiven - locomotive for goods train and mixed

G1 EL 1001 to 1039
G2 EL 1040 to 1100 and 1251 to 1291
G3 EL 1215 to 1248
G4 and G4.1 EL 3801 to 3893
G5.2 EL 4001 to 4215 and G5.5 EL 4271 to 4273
G8.1 EL 5151 to 5287
G10 EL 5401 to 5435
G11 EL 5501 to 5547

See too

Locomotive with vapor Frenchwomen

External bonds

Railroads in Alsace-Lorraine

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