The
Bonn–Oberkassel train ferry was a
GermanGermany , 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...
train ferryA train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
operated by the
Rhenish Railway CompanyThe Rhenish Railway Company was along with the Cologne-Minden Railway Company and the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th century built the first railways in the Ruhr and large parts of today's North Rhine-Westphalia.-Foundation :The...
from 1870 to connect its right and left Rhine railways. It was the last of six train ferries to begin operations across the
Rhine in Germany and the second to last to close.
>
| Overall distance: |
5.9 km |
| River crossing: |
550 m |
| In operation: |
1870 - 1914 |
|
The
Bonn–Oberkassel train ferry was a
GermanGermany , 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...
train ferryA train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
operated by the
Rhenish Railway CompanyThe Rhenish Railway Company was along with the Cologne-Minden Railway Company and the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th century built the first railways in the Ruhr and large parts of today's North Rhine-Westphalia.-Foundation :The...
from 1870 to connect its right and left Rhine railways. It was the last of six train ferries to begin operations across the
Rhine in Germany and the second to last to close.
{{BS-header|Bonn-Oberkassel train ferry}}>
| Overall distance: |
5.9 km |
| River crossing: |
550 m |
| In operation: |
1870 - 1914 |
|
{{BS-header|Route}}
{{BS-table}}
The
Bonn–Oberkassel train ferry was a
GermanGermany , 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...
train ferryA train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
operated by the
Rhenish Railway CompanyThe Rhenish Railway Company was along with the Cologne-Minden Railway Company and the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th century built the first railways in the Ruhr and large parts of today's North Rhine-Westphalia.-Foundation :The...
from 1870 to connect its right and left Rhine railways. It was the last of six train ferries to begin operations across the
Rhine in Germany and the second to last to close.
{{BS-header|Bonn-Oberkassel train ferry}}>
| Overall distance: |
5.9 km |
| River crossing: |
550 m |
| In operation: |
1870 - 1914 |
|
{{BS-header|Route}}
{{BS-table}}
{{BS|STR>
}
{{BS|BHF|0.0|
Bonnis a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services....
|}}
{{BS|xABZrf|||KBS 470 towards
Koblenzis the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the focal point of rail transport in the Rhine-Moselle-Lahn area. It is a through station in southern Koblenz built below Fort Großfürst Konstantin and opened in 1902 in the Neustadt , which was built...
,
Mainzis the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Mainz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is used by about 80,000 travellers and visitors each day and is therefore one of the busiest 21 stations in Germany...
|}}
{{BS|exDST|3.5|Bonn-Train ferry station|}}
{{BS|exSTR|3.9|Left bank of Rhine|}}
{{BS|exTRAJEKT||Train ferry|550 m long}}
{{BS|exSTR|4.5|Right bank of Rhine|}}
{{BS|xABZrg||
KBS 465 from
TroisdorfTroisdorf is a town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Troisdorf is located approx. 22 kilometers south of Cologne and 13 kilometers north east of Bonn.-Division of the town:...
|}}
{{BS|BHF|5.9|
OberkasselBonn-Oberkassel station is a on the East Rhine Railway in the suburb of Oberkassel in the Bonn district of Beuel in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-History :...
|}}
{{BS|STR||KBS 465 towards
NiederlahnsteinNiederlahnstein is a part of the city of Lahnstein in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.-Description and history:Niederlahnstein is situated on the right bank of the Rhine. In 1905, it had a population of 4,351 people. By 1939, this had grown to 6,812. It has two Roman Catholic churches. In 1911, the...
|}}
|}
|}
Construction of the railway
After the take over of the
Bonn–Cologne Railway CompanyThe Bonn–Cologne Railway Company is a former German Railway company, founded in July 1837 in Bonn and granted a concession on 6 July 1840 to build and operate a railway line between Bonn and Cologne.-History:...
({{lang-de|Bonn-Cölner Eisenbahn}}) by the
Rhenish Railway Company (
Rheinische Eisenbahngesellschaft, RhE) on 1 January 1857, it built the left Rhine railway in sections to
BingerbrückBingerbrück is a Stadtteil of Bingen am Rhein, on the opposite side of the river Nahe from the old town of Bingen. It was self-administering until 1969.- Binger Mäuseturm :...
. With the opening of the last section on 15 December 1859, it connected to the
Hessian Ludwig RailwayThe Hessian Ludwig Railway or HLB with its network of 697 kilometres of railway was one of the largest privately owned railway companies in Germany.- Early history :...
to South Germany. In 1864, it built the Pfaffendorfer Rhine bridge below the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and the bridge over the
LahnThe Lahn River is a -long, right tributary of the Rhine River in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse , and Rhineland-Palatinate ....
at
OberlahnsteinOberlahnstein is a part of the city of Lahnstein in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It lies on the right bank of the Rhine, at the confluence of the Lahn 4 m. above Koblenz, on the Right Rhine railway from Cologne to Frankfurt-on-Main...
to connect with the Nassau Rhine Railway (
Nassauische Rheinbahn) of the
Nassau State RailwayThe Nassau State Railway took over the privately built railway lines on the Rhine and Lahn rivers in the Duchy of Nassau from the Nassau Rhine and Lahn Railway Company in 1861 and extended them further...
{
Nassauische Staatsbahn) at
NiederlahnsteinNiederlahnstein is a part of the city of Lahnstein in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.-Description and history:Niederlahnstein is situated on the right bank of the Rhine. In 1905, it had a population of 4,351 people. By 1939, this had grown to 6,812. It has two Roman Catholic churches. In 1911, the...
, completed on 3 June 1864, creating a second railway next to the
Rhine from the
RhinelandHistorically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
to southern Germany, now known as the Left Rhine line. The
PrussiaPrussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Government encouraged the
Rhenish Railway to extend the right bank railway from Niederlahnstein to
OberkasselOberkassel is a suburb in the Bonn municipal district of Beuel and lies on the right bank of the Rhine on the edge of the Siebengebirge mountains. Oberkassel has about 7,200 inhabitants.-History :...
(opposite
BonnBonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and
TroisdorfTroisdorf is a town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Troisdorf is located approx. 22 kilometers south of Cologne and 13 kilometers north east of Bonn.-Division of the town:...
). The company was also given a concession to connect the new line with the left Rhine railway with
BonnBonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
by means of a
train ferryA train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
.
Construction of the train ferry
The building of the train ferry began immediately. The right bank railway was extended north to
NeuwiedNeuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...
in 1869 and on 27 October 1869 to Oberkassel and the train ferry wharf.
The train ferry was similar to the two established train ferries of the
Rhenish Railway, between Spyck and Welle (near
EmmerichEmmerich am Rhein; , meaning Emmerich at the Rhine is a city on the lower part of the River Rhine in the northwest of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
and
KleveKleve , is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Kleve was capital of a county and later a duchy...
) and between Rheinhausen and Hochfeld (in
Duisburg- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
), which went into service in 1865 and 1866 respectively. The Bonn–Oberkassel ferries similarly crossed the river using their own engines, guided by two wire cables, although they operated at an angle of 45° against the river toward Oberkassel. The three routes were finished in 1868, 1870 and 1873. The ramps from the riverbank stations to the water were inclined at 1:38. The three ferry pontoons on each side were 70 meters long and 9.5 m wide. Each could carry as many as ten freight wagons, seven passenger carriages or one locomotive.
The train ferry line turned to the left after Oberkassel station to reach the bank. On the Bonn side, the Bonn train ferry station was near the bank and it still served industry there until the
Second World WarWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The line reached the main line near Kessenich and from 1870 had its own track into
Bonn Hauptbahnhofis a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services....
. Part of this track still exists, but it is no longer fit for operations; it lies beside the Bad Godesberg-Bonn railway near Bereich Straßburger Weg and Kaiserstraße for a short section before the Hauptbahnhof.
Train ferry traffic
In the opening year the timetable included, in addition to freight trains, six daily passenger trains from Niederlahnstein to Bonn. The crossing took about 20 minutes, including the push on to the ferry, uncoupling, crossing, coupling and the pull from the ferry.
Traffic levels carried on the ferry for selected years are set out below:
1871: 45,280 wagons and 132 locomotives
1873: 93,107 wagons and 274 locomotives
1879: 47,841 wagons and 39 locomotives
End of the train ferry
Train ferry operations stopped temporarily with the beginning of
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and permanently from 1 January 1919. The ferry wharves in Bonn were demolished in the same year and the line was lifted between the Bonn riverside and the goods station. A shipyard was built on the Oberkassel bank, which used the former train ferry track to connect to the mainline.