Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway
The Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway (German: Kaiser Ferdinands-Nordbahn; Czech: Severní dráha císaře Ferdinanda; Polish: Kolej Północna Cesarza Ferdynanda) was a railway company during the time of the Austrian Empire. Its main line was intended to connect Vienna with the salt mines in Bochnia near Kraków. The name is still used today in referring to a number of railway lines formerly operated by that company.
History
The Nordbahn, financed by Salomon Mayer von Rothschild (1774–1855), was Austria's first steam railway company. The first stretch, between Floridsdorf and Deutsch Wagram, was opened in 1837. An extension to Vienna was built in 1838, and the track through Břeclav to Brno in 1839. The first train from Vienna arrived in Břeclav railway station on 6 June 1839. By 1841, the railway had reached Přerov and Olomouc and in 1842 Lipník nad Bečvou. An extension to Ostrava and Bohumín was completed in 1847.
The Nordbahn never directly reached Kraków or Bochnia. The first rail connection to Kraków via Bohumín, Kozle, and Mysłowice was provided by the Prussian Wilhelmsbahn and Oberschlesische Eisenbahn (Upper Silesian Railway). The line from Mysłowice to Kraków was built by the Krakau-Oberschlesische Bahn (Kraków and Upper Silesian Railway). An entirely Austrian rail route from Vienna to Kraków did not exist until, in 1856, the k.k. Östliche Staatsbahn (Imperial and Royal Eastern State Railway), a descendant of the Kraków and Upper Silesian, opened a branch form Trzebinia via Oświęcim to Czechowice-Dziedzice, where it met the Northern Railway.
The Northern Railway company was nationalized in 1907. It also owned many coal mines and other industry enterprises in the Ostrava region. After the nationalization of its railway network, the company continued to operate its coal and industry businesses.
The original Nordbahnhof in the Austrian capital (Vienna North railway station) was destroyed in World War II. It was rebuilt and re-opened in 1962 as Wien Praterstern together with the bridge across the Danube. Today's express trains from Vienna to Brno now leave from Wien Hauptbahnhof, and Praterstern is served by suburban and regional trains only.
Lines in Central Europe built by the Nordbahn in the period up to 1856
Town names are indicated as they were at the time of opening.
- Floridsdorf–Deutsch Wagram (1837). First steam-powered railway in Austria.
- Wien (Wien Nordbahnhof)–Gänserndorf (1838)
- Gänserndorf–Lundenburg (1839). The oldest steam-powered railway in today's Czech Republic
- Lundenburg–Brünn (1839)
- Lundenburg–Göding–Altstadt–Prerau (1841)
- Prerau–Olmütz (1841)
- Prerau–Leipnik (1842)
- Leipnik–Weißkirchen – Ostrau – Oderberg (1847)
- Ostrau–Troppau (1855)
- Oderberg–Petrowitz bei Freistadt–Auschwitz; Czechowitz-Dzieditz–Bielitz (1855)
- Auschwitz–Krakau. This line was built by the Eastern National Railway in 1856, and later taken over by the Northern Railway.
Telegraph service
The railway used a telegraph system designed by Alexander Bain, in particular along the Vienna to Bochnia line, as late as 1886; the system was slower at messaging than the later Morse systems. [1]
Rolling stock
Steam locomotives of the first period (1837–1842)
- Austria and Moravia
- Samson, Hercules, and Vulcan
- Vindobona
- Saturn and Mercur
- Columbus
- Jupiter, Gigant, Concordia, and Bruna
- Rakete
- Bucephalus
- Magnet
- Nordstern
- Atlas and Vesta
- Patria
- New York
- Minotaurus and Ajax
- Adler and Pfeil
- Baltimore
- Virginia und Florida
- Phönix, Meteor, Titan, and Pluto
- Olomucia and Comet
- Theseus and Centaur
- Planet, Delphin, Blitz, and Neptun
- Cyclop and Goliath
Steam locomotives of the second period (1844–1906)
- Koloss and Elephant
- Donau to Aetna
- Adonis to Ganymed
- Orpheus, Aeolus, and Ulysses
- Prometheus to Andromeda
- Orion and Lucifer
- Aeneas to Orestes
- Nestor to Ariadne, Bihar to Üllö, Jason II
- Austria II to Salamander
- Hebe I, Proserpina and Daphne I
- Vulcan II to Glaucos I
- Fortuna I to Leda I
- Tiger to Mora
- Telegraph I bis Euterpe I
- Vindobona II to Flora
- Antilope I to Mazeppa
- Tiberius to Pilades
- Borsig 815–820, 828–833
- Jupiter II to Clio
Legacy
The Northern Railway was selected as the main motif of a very high-value collectors' coin: the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand's North Railway commemorative coin, minted on 13 June 2007. The reverse side depicts a scene of the steam locomotive "Ajax" steam crossing the bridge over the Danube on the first public run from the North Railway Station in Vienna to Deutsch-Wagram on 6 January 1838. The journey, which caused quite a sensation, was witnessed and cheered by crowds of Viennese who had gathered along its route.
See also
- History of rail transport in Austria
- History of rail transport in the Czech Republic
- History of rail transport in Poland
- Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways
References
- ^ Dąbrowski, Krzysztof (2021). "AUSTRIACKI TELEGRAF KOLEJOWY SYSTEMU ALEKSANDRA BAINA" (PDF). Analecta (in Polish). 30 (1). Retrieved July 1, 2022.
External links
- Documents and clippings about Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
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companies
- Rothschild & Co
- RIT Capital Partners
- Edmond de Rothschild Group
- de Rothschild Frères
- S. M. von Rothschild
- Imerys
- Eramet
- Club Med
- Libération
- Economist Group (The Economist)
- Mouton Cadet
- Opus One Winery
- Chemins de Fer du Nord
- Vítkovice Mining and Iron Corporation
- Palestine Jewish Colonization Association
- Yad Hanadiv
- Creditanstalt
- British South Africa Company
- Rio Tinto
- De Beers
- Caspian and Black Sea Oil Company
- Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway
- Asia Resource Minerals
- Genel Energy
- Alliance Assurance
- Rothschild properties in the Home counties
- Ascott House
- Aston Clinton House
- Champneys
- Eythrope
- Exbury Gardens
- Gunnersbury Park
- Halton House
- Mentmore Towers
- Tring Park Mansion
- Waddesdon Manor
- Spencer House
- Palais Rothschild
- Château Mouton Rothschild
- Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay
- Château Clarke
- Château de Ferrières
- Château Lafite
- Château de Laversine
- Château des Laurets
- Château de la Muette
- Château Rothschild, Boulogne-Billancourt
- Haras de Meautry
- Hôtel Lambert
- Hôtel de Marigny
- Hôtel de Pontalba
- Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild
- Talleyrand Building
- Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
- Anselm Salomon von Rothschild
- Mathilde Hannah von Rothschild
- Nathaniel Mayer Anselm von Rothschild
- Ferdinand de Rothschild
- Salomon Albert Anmselm von Rothschild
- Ludwig (Louis) von Rothschild
- Eugéne Daniel von Rothschild
- Jeanne Stuart von Rothschild
- Alice Charlotte von Rothschild
- Alfred de Rothschild
- Amschel Mayor James Rothschild
- Sir Anthony de Rothschild, 1st Baronet
- Anthony Gustav de Rothschild
- Anthony James de Rothschild
- Charles Rothschild
- Charlotte Henriette de Rothschild
- David Mayer de Rothschild
- Dorothy de Rothschild
- Edmund Leopold de Rothschild
- Emma Georgina Rothschild
- Evelina de Rothschild
- Evelyn Achille de Rothschild
- Sir Evelyn de Rothschild
- Ferdinand de Rothschild
- Hannah de Rothschild, Countess of Rosebery
- Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
- Kathleen (Nica de Koenigswarter) Rothschild
- Leopold de Rothschild
- Leopold David de Rothschild
- Lionel de Rothschild
- Lionel Nathan de Rothschild
- Lynn Forester de Rothschild
- Mayer Amschel de Rothschild
- Miriam Louisa Rothschild
- Nathaniel de Rothschild
- Nathan Mayer Rothschild
- Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild
- Nathaniel Rothschild, 5th Baron Rothschild
- Nicky Hilton Rothschild
- Serena Rothschild
- Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild
- Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
- Alphonse James de Rothschild
- Aline Caroline de Rothschild
- Ariane de Rothschild
- Arthur de Rothschild
- Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild
- Benjamin de Rothschild
- Betty von Rothschild
- Charlotte de Rothschild
- Bethsabée de Rothschild
- David René de Rothschild
- Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild
- Edmond James de Rothschild
- Édouard Etienne de Rothschild
- Edouard Alphonse de Rothschild
- Élie de Rothschild
- Elisabeth de Rothschild
- Guy de Rothschild
- Hélène de Rothschild
- Henri de Rothschild
- Jacqueline Rebecca de Rothschild
- James Armand de Rothschild
- James Mayer de Rothschild
- Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
- Nadine de Rothschild
- Nathaniel Robert de Rothschild
- Nicole de Rothschild
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- Category: Rothschild family