Lokomotivfabrik der StEG
Encyclopedia
In 1839 the Lokomotivfabrik der StEG became the first Austro-Hungarian locomotive works to be founded and it produced many influential locomotive designs.
The factory was built in 1839 by the Vienna-Raab Railway
between the Vienna Südbahnhof and Vienna Ostbahnhof and stocked with machinery, much of which was from England
. The first locomotives and coaches were built in 1840 based on American prototypes. These were also the first railway vehicles to be built in Austria. The manufacture of railway vehicles was difficult because at that time in Austria
there were still no iron foundries and none of the workers had the training for this type of work.
One of the biggest influences on the development of locomotive construction in Austria was the first manager of the factory, John Haswell
, who led it from 1840 to 1882.
In 1855, the factory went into the ownership of the Staats-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft
(State Railway Company) or StEG (full title: k.k. landesbefugte Maschinen-Fabrik in Wien der privilegirten österreichisch-ungarischen Staats-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft), which had the factory expanded in size.
Amongst the trail-blazing locomotives, which this factory produced, was the first six-coupled locomotive on the continent, the FAHRAFELD, the Semmering competition engine, VINDOBONA, and the first eight-coupled locomotive, WIEN-RAAB.
The company runs a subsidiary today in Romania's Reşiţa
. Until 1918, however only 7 steam engines were built there.
Due mainly to the consequences of the First World War, there was only a low demand for locomotives within the reduced Austrian national territory. This was able to be compensated for a time by orders from abroad, nevertheless in 1930 the factory had to shut its gates.
The factory was built in 1839 by the Vienna-Raab Railway
Austrian Eastern Railway
The Austrian Eastern Railway was the name of a former railway company during the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Today, the term is still used to describe certain railway lines which were formerly operated by that company.The Ostbahn was founded as the private Raaber Bahn...
between the Vienna Südbahnhof and Vienna Ostbahnhof and stocked with machinery, much of which was from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The first locomotives and coaches were built in 1840 based on American prototypes. These were also the first railway vehicles to be built in Austria. The manufacture of railway vehicles was difficult because at that time in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
there were still no iron foundries and none of the workers had the training for this type of work.
One of the biggest influences on the development of locomotive construction in Austria was the first manager of the factory, John Haswell
John Haswell
John Haswell was an engineer and locomotive designer.He was born on 20 March 1812 in Lancefield, Glasgow, Scotland, studied at Anderson's University in Glasgow and worked for 22 years in the shipbuilding office of William Fairbairn & Co.In 1837 at the prompting of Matthias Schönerer, who was also...
, who led it from 1840 to 1882.
In 1855, the factory went into the ownership of the Staats-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft
Imperial Royal Privileged Austrian State Railway Company
The Imperial Royal Privileged Austrian State Railway Company , later the Privileged Austro-Hungarian State Railway Company was a private railway company in the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
(State Railway Company) or StEG (full title: k.k. landesbefugte Maschinen-Fabrik in Wien der privilegirten österreichisch-ungarischen Staats-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft), which had the factory expanded in size.
Amongst the trail-blazing locomotives, which this factory produced, was the first six-coupled locomotive on the continent, the FAHRAFELD, the Semmering competition engine, VINDOBONA, and the first eight-coupled locomotive, WIEN-RAAB.
The company runs a subsidiary today in Romania's Reşiţa
Resita
' is a city in western Romania and the capital of Caraş-Severin County, in the Banat region. Its 2004 population was 83,985.- Etymology :The name of Reşiţa, might comes from the Latin recitia, meaning "cold spring", as the great historian Nicolae Iorga once suggested, presuming that the Romans...
. Until 1918, however only 7 steam engines were built there.
Due mainly to the consequences of the First World War, there was only a low demand for locomotives within the reduced Austrian national territory. This was able to be compensated for a time by orders from abroad, nevertheless in 1930 the factory had to shut its gates.
Literature
- Lokomotive Typen der k. k. landesbef. Maschinen-Fabrik in Wien der k. k. priv. Österr. Staats-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft. Herausgegeben aus Anlaß der Wiener Weltausstellung im Jahre 1873 unter der Redaktion von John Haswell. Wien, J. Weiner, 1873
- Stroh, E., Die achtzehn Millionen der Staats-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, Wien u. a., Jahoda & Siegel, 1912