Heinrich Kirchweger
Encyclopedia
Johann Gottfried Heinrich Kirchweger (12 June 1809 - 18 January 1899) was a German railway engineer.
Heinrich Kirchweger was born on 12 June 1809 in Stettin, then part of Germany
, now Szczecin in Poland
. After attending the trade school in Berlin
, Kirchweger worked with the industrialist Georg Henschel in Kassel
. In 1838 he became the technical operations manager of the Leipzig-Dresden Railway and, later, the Saxon-Bavarian Railway.
In 1843 he took up a post with the newly founded Royal Hanoverian State Railways
. Here he was responsible for the mechanical engineering, operations, maintenance and the procurement of running and rolling stock. Thanks to him, an organised maintenance system and standardised railway operations emerged.
He introduced feedwater preheating on locomotives using the Kirchweger condenser
and introduced "Hanoverian standard locomotives" based on the those built by Thomas Russell Crampton
and Johann Friedrich Ludwig Wöhlert
. In addition he produced plans for engines built by Georg Egestorff and pumps for Hanover's river water systems.
After the Kingdom of Hanover
was annexed by Prussia
and the Hanoverian State Railways disbanded, Kirchweger was transferred against his will to Saarbrücken. As a result he resigned from state service, worked for a short while in a coach factory and finally returned to Hanover as a civil engineer.
For his services to the railways he was given numerous honours. He became inter alia a freeman of the city of Hanover, a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order
, the Saxon Albert Order
and the Swedish Order of Vasa
. Kirchweger died at the age of 89 in Hanover
, Germany. His grave is located in the Engesohde town cemetery.
Heinrich Kirchweger was born on 12 June 1809 in Stettin, then part of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, now Szczecin in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. After attending the trade school in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Kirchweger worked with the industrialist Georg Henschel in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
. In 1838 he became the technical operations manager of the Leipzig-Dresden Railway and, later, the Saxon-Bavarian Railway.
In 1843 he took up a post with the newly founded Royal Hanoverian State Railways
Royal Hanoverian State Railways
The Royal Hanoverian State Railways existed from 1843 until the annexation of the Kingdom of Hanover by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866...
. Here he was responsible for the mechanical engineering, operations, maintenance and the procurement of running and rolling stock. Thanks to him, an organised maintenance system and standardised railway operations emerged.
He introduced feedwater preheating on locomotives using the Kirchweger condenser
Kirchweger condenser
The purpose of the Kirchweger condenser was to preheat feedwater in a steam locomotive using the exhaust steam from the engine. It was invented in 1850 by Heinrich Kirchweger...
and introduced "Hanoverian standard locomotives" based on the those built by Thomas Russell Crampton
Thomas Russell Crampton
Thomas Russell Crampton, MICE, MIMechE was an English engineer born at Broadstairs, Kent, and trained on Brunel's Great Western Railway....
and Johann Friedrich Ludwig Wöhlert
Johann Friedrich Ludwig Wöhlert
Johann Friedrich Ludwig Wöhlert was a German businessman.Johann Wöhlert was born on 16 September 1797 in Kiel in north Germany. Trained as a joiner, in 1818 Wöhlert went to Berlin...
. In addition he produced plans for engines built by Georg Egestorff and pumps for Hanover's river water systems.
After the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
was annexed by Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and the Hanoverian State Railways disbanded, Kirchweger was transferred against his will to Saarbrücken. As a result he resigned from state service, worked for a short while in a coach factory and finally returned to Hanover as a civil engineer.
For his services to the railways he was given numerous honours. He became inter alia a freeman of the city of Hanover, a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
, the Saxon Albert Order
Albert Order
The Albert Order was created 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony and was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, science and art....
and the Swedish Order of Vasa
Order of Vasa
The Royal Order of Vasa was a Swedish Royal order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III of Sweden...
. Kirchweger died at the age of 89 in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Germany. His grave is located in the Engesohde town cemetery.
Source
- Waldemar R. Röhrbein in: Hannoversches biographisches Lexikon. Von den Anfängen bis in die Gegenwart. Hannover: Schlüter 2002, S. 199. ISBN 3-87706-706-9
External links
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany