Neustadt - Dürkheim Railway Company
Encyclopedia
The Neustadt–Dürkheim Railway Company (Neustadt-Dürkheimer Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft ) or NDE was an early German railway company dating from the final decade of Bavarian
independence. It was founded on 22 October 1862, by a committee of leading citizens from Deidesheim
and Bad Dürkheim
. The railway ran from north to south, connecting Durkheim
(which since 1904 has been known as Bad Dürkheim) at the northern end to Neustadt an der Haardt
(since 1950 known as Neustadt an der Weinstraße) at the southern end. The largest intermediate town was Deidesheim
.
The company worked closely with the Palatine Ludwigsbahn Company to which it transferred operational and administrative control. During the subsequent decades the economic focus of the region was drawn twenty kilometers to the east as the higher wage levels available from the burgeoning chemical industry in nearby Ludwigshafen drew earning and spending power away from the axis followed by the line south from Bad Dürkheim. The railway was opened on 6 May 1865, but was not as profitable as had been foreseen.
On January 1, 1870, the three largest railway companies in the region were united under the Palatinate Railway (Pfalzbahn)
and the NDE was wound up. Its assets were transferred to the Palatine Northern Railway. Three and a half years later, on July 20, 1873, a continuation beyond Bad Dürkheim opened: this extended the line as far north as Grünstadt
.
The three united private railways remained officially independent until they were nationalised on 1 January 1909, and merged into the Royal Bavarian State Railways
.
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
independence. It was founded on 22 October 1862, by a committee of leading citizens from Deidesheim
Deidesheim
Deidesheim is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with some 3,700 inhabitants.The town lies in the northwest of the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration and since 1973 it has been the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Deidesheim. The most important industries are tourism...
and Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim is a spa town in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration, and is the seat of the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
. The railway ran from north to south, connecting Durkheim
Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim is a spa town in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration, and is the seat of the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
(which since 1904 has been known as Bad Dürkheim) at the northern end to Neustadt an der Haardt
Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße is a town located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,892 inhabitants as of 2002, it is the largest town called Neustadt.-Etymology:...
(since 1950 known as Neustadt an der Weinstraße) at the southern end. The largest intermediate town was Deidesheim
Deidesheim
Deidesheim is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with some 3,700 inhabitants.The town lies in the northwest of the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration and since 1973 it has been the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Deidesheim. The most important industries are tourism...
.
The company worked closely with the Palatine Ludwigsbahn Company to which it transferred operational and administrative control. During the subsequent decades the economic focus of the region was drawn twenty kilometers to the east as the higher wage levels available from the burgeoning chemical industry in nearby Ludwigshafen drew earning and spending power away from the axis followed by the line south from Bad Dürkheim. The railway was opened on 6 May 1865, but was not as profitable as had been foreseen.
On January 1, 1870, the three largest railway companies in the region were united under the Palatinate Railway (Pfalzbahn)
Palatinate Railway
The Palatinate Railway or Pfalzbahn was an early German railway company in the period of the German Empire prior to the First World War. It was formed on 1 January 1870, as the United Palatinate Railway based in Ludwigshafen, by the amalgamation of the following railway companies:*The Palatine...
and the NDE was wound up. Its assets were transferred to the Palatine Northern Railway. Three and a half years later, on July 20, 1873, a continuation beyond Bad Dürkheim opened: this extended the line as far north as Grünstadt
Grünstadt
Grünstadt is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any Verbandsgemeinde – a kind of collective municipality – but is nonetheless the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Grünstadt-Land.- Location :The...
.
The three united private railways remained officially independent until they were nationalised on 1 January 1909, and merged into the Royal Bavarian State Railways
Royal Bavarian State Railways
As a nation-state, Germany did not come into being until the creation of the German Empire in 1871 from the various German-speaking states such as Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden and Württemberg. By then each of the major states had formed its own state railway and these continued to remain...
.