Upper Silesian narrow gauge railway

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The Upper Silesian narrow gauge railway (Polish: Górnośląskie Koleje Wąskotorowe) is a narrow gauge railway in the gauge of 785 mm in the Upper Silesian industrial area.

History

The Oberschlesische Eisenbahn AG (OSE), founded in 1841, which had built the main line Wrocław-Kosel-Myslowitz from 1842 to 1847, created an extensive network of narrow-gauge railways in a gauge of 785 mm, corresponding to 2 Prussian feet and 6 inches (also called Upper Silesian gauge), for the close-meshed development of the Upper Silesian industrial area, which was further expanded in the following decades.

In contrast to the company’s full-gauge route, the narrow-gauge network was initially largely operated as a horse-drawn railway. The use of locomotives began here in 1855/1856, but was stopped again in 1860 by the then tenant of the network, Rudolf Pringsheim. Only the second attempt in 1872 with new locomotives was of lasting success. A little later than the full-gauge railway, the narrow-gauge network and narrow-gauge operation were transferred to the Prussian state from 1884 to 1904. The length of the national narrow-gauge network in Upper Silesia was already 113 km in 1887, then 138 km in 1901, connected to 208 km of private networks. In 1919, the public network measured 164 km. Its largest extension was the state narrow gauge network in 1965 with 233,5 km.

It connected coal mines, smelters, factories and power plants for over 150 years and was used to transport all goods; First and foremost, however, it served to transport coal and ore. The private connection lines in the Upper Silesian district were built in the same gauge and had their own vehicle material. For more than 100 years, the volume of goods ensured a profitable operation.
1988/89 saw a system change in Poland. On 9 November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell; Soon after, the Eastern Bloc, the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union fell apart.

In 1991, the attempt to reform the central administrative system of the RGW (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) failed in a market economy. The RGW dissolved on 28 June 1991.

In the 1990s, the economic situation of the region deteriorated, especially heavy industry. The Polish State Railways (PKP), owners of the network since the Second World War, quickly lost all customers of the narrow gauge railway.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta and the Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 (EU enlargement 2004). This makes it easier for Polish companies to trade with these countries and with the rest of the EU.

Railways today
In 2002, the city of Beuthen (Bytom) became the owner of the main routes, while the Förderverein der Oberschlesische Schmalspurbahnen (SGKW) became their operator.

On the only Strec in operation