Kassa-Oderberg railway
The railway connected the territories of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (Polish Governorate), i.e. the Kingdom of Hungary with the industrial region of Silesia. The railways also played a key role in trade with the Baltic Sea. The line transported iron ore mined in Spiš and Gömör to Silesia, and from there Silesian coal to Hungary. Tourism also played a role in the railway, as the High Tatras became an increasingly popular holiday destination.
The construction was started by the Tiszavidéki Vasút, but due to financial difficulties, the licence was handed over to the Riche brothers, a contractor from Brussels, in 1862, who together with Antal Forgách applied for a licence to build the railway, which was granted in 1866. The licence was valid for 90 years from the date of opening, but the government reserved the right to redeem the railway at any time after 30 years from the opening of the line. The average net income for the 7 years before redemption would have been taken as the basis, with the two worst years excluded, i.e. the average of the five years remaining would have been the determining factor.
The state guaranteed the entire railway an income of 2 683 200 Austrian forints, i.e. if the income did not reach this level, the difference was guaranteed by the state, but it stipulated that 33 300 forints of the annual income had to be used to repay the capital.
The main line ran from Kassia through Poprad to Zsolná, then to Teschen (now Cieszyn, southern Poland) and Oderberg, in what is now Bohumín in the Czech Republic, with a branch line from Kassia to Eperjes. The total length of the railway was 400 kilometres, 340 of which fell in what was then Hungary. The licence gave the company the right of way for the construction of two further branch lines, one from Zsolna to Komárom and one from Eperjes to Przemyśl.
The investment started slowly due to disputes over contracts and the provision of financial backing, for example the design of the station in Košice caused much controversy, and it was only in 1869 that the project was accelerated, when the licence was taken over by the Anglo-Hungarian Bank after negotiations with another capitalist group, the Société de crédit foncier international, failed.
The new company issued 97 060 shares with a nominal value of HUF 200 each for a total initial capital of HUF 19 142 600.
The conclusion of the treaty on the additional subsidy coincided with the Hungarian Compromise, so the Hungarian and Austrian sides concluded a separate agreement on the line (and two other railways), which did not prevent the imperial approval of the concessions subsequently sought by the already licensed Kassa-Oderberg railway company.
The original construction deadlines were not met, but the whole line was completed ahead of schedule. The first line, between Kassa and Eperjes, was opened on 1 September 1870, followed by the section from Zsolna to the border in January 1871, then the section between Zsolna and Porádfelka in December 1871, and the entire railway was completed on 12 March 1872. Construction was carried out under relatively difficult conditions, in mountainous terrain and river valleys, with a total of 42 bridges and 5 tunnels, with landslides in places, most notably in the Oruzské notch, and the Mosty tunnel (now in the Czech Republic) collapsing during construction. Construction was also hit by epidemics and labour shortages.
On completion of the construction, the contractor claimed HUF 8 664 727.7 for damages and loss of work during the construction, of which the company claimed HUF 4 600 000, but appealed to the Hungarian and Austrian governments to partially compensate for this.
The lengthy negotiations ended in 1876, in which the relations between the Austrian and Hungarian sides were settled. The contracts concluded and the disputed issues were finally settled by Act XXXVIII of 1879, which not only provided for compensation for the railway, but also for the takeover of the Eperjes-Tarnów line.
According to the treaties laid down in the Act, the States (Austria and Hungary) have established the following provisions for income insurance for railways in § 1 of the Act:
"the part of this documentary guarantee amounting to five hundred and forty thousand (540,000) silver forints, after the Austrian part of the said railway, shall be assumed by the provinces represented in the Imperial Council, the remaining two million four hundred and eighty thousand three hundred and ninety (2,408,390) forints, after the Hungarian part of the line, shall be borne by the countries of the Hungarian Crown."
In April 1876, the Hungarian state and the railways concluded a contract on compensation, which was also approved by this law. The first clause of this contract stated:
"The Kassa-Oderberg Railway Company shall be granted a special guarantee in gold from the State for the whole duration of the licence, from 1 January 1876, in the amount of 346,618 Austrian francs and 85 kroons, to cover the damages and other works incurred in the construction of this railway, and in general to settle the financial affairs of the Company. On the other hand, the annual guarantee instalment of 2,408,390 silver forints, which the Hungarian State is obliged to pay towards this railway from the original guarantee relationship, will be reduced to 2,214,812 frt 41 kr. from 1 January 1876 onwards, also at the expense of the shareholders."
In addition, the railways were given the right to borrow HUF 6 828 000 in priority loans.
Despite the fact that only a single track line had to be built (the railway was only obliged to build a second track if the gross income exceeded 150 00 HUF per mile), a double track substructure was built between Ruttka and Teschen. As regards bridges, although the licence allowed for wooden bridges, the company mainly built iron bridges with stone substructures, and where wooden bridges were originally built, they were later replaced by iron bridges.
The total construction cost was HUF 179 700 per kilometre.
The Eperjes Orlo railway was built by the Union Bank of Vienna in 1871 and only later, in 1879, was taken over by the Kassa-Oderberg Railway, as were several other railways in the Highlands from 1891, including the Csorba-Tavn rack railway, which was completed in 1896.
After World War I, the line fell almost entirely within the territory of Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak state decided to nationalise the company, which was completed in 1921.
the rack railway track near Lake Csorba, Grand Hotel on the left. / Fortepan / Hungarian Geographical Museum / Erdélyi Mór's company
The line was joined by two narrow-gauge railway lines, one leading out from Istvánhuta and only 460 metres long, the other, however, was longer, starting from Márkusfalva in the Bindt valley and 8 kilometres long. It led to the estate of Archduke Albrecht
Between Csorba and Lake Csorba, a 4.75-kilometre-long narrow-gauge rack railway was built and opened in 1896. On the rack-and-pinion railway, the locomotive was driven by a rack and pinion gear that clung to the rack between the conventional rails, i.e. it did not drive the conventional wheel. However, for one kilometre this railway was not a cog railway, but a normal railway, i.e. the locomotives had double drive
Sources
- Hungarian Railway History 1 (Editor-in-Chief Dr. László Kovács) MÁV, Budapest, 1995
- Vörös L. (ed.): Hungarian Railway Yearbook 1-6
- Willheim Gusztáv: The handing over of the railway in Oelberg, Kassa - Journal of the Hungarian Society of Engineers and Architects 55. volume (1921)14. issue
- The Kassa-Oderberg railway and the traffic of foreigners in Upper Hungary. Turisták Lapja, 1891 (3rd volume)
- István Ságody:The Kassa-Oderberg Railway The Journal of the Hungarian Society of Engineers and Architects Volume 15 (1881)Issue 5
Date of foundation: 1866
Date of cessation: 1922
Founders: the Riche brothers
Securities issued:
| Kassa-Oderberg railway |
Decisive leaders:
1866-1887 | Baron Miklós Vay |
1888-1900 | Dr Falk Miksa |
1902-1910 | Dr Loisch Ede |
1911-1917 | Gyula Ludvigh |
1918 | Dr. Ottó Seen |
1920-1922 | Dr Sieghardt Rudolf |
Main activity: railway operation
Main products are not set
Seats are not configured
Locations are not set
Main milestones are not set
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
Date of foundation: 1866
Founders: the Riche brothers
Decisive leaders:
1866-1887 | Baron Miklós Vay |
1888-1900 | Dr Falk Miksa |
1902-1910 | Dr Loisch Ede |
1911-1917 | Gyula Ludvigh |
1918 | Dr. Ottó Seen |
1920-1922 | Dr Sieghardt Rudolf |
Main activity: railway operation
Main products are not set
Seats are not configured
Locations are not set
Main milestones are not set
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
Kassa-Oderberg railway
The railway connected the territories of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (Polish Governorate), i.e. the Kingdom of Hungary with the industrial region of Silesia. The railways also played a key role in trade with the Baltic Sea. The line transported iron ore mined in Spiš and Gömör to Silesia, and from there Silesian coal to Hungary. Tourism also played a role in the railway, as the High Tatras became an increasingly popular holiday destination.
The construction was started by the Tiszavidéki Vasút, but due to financial difficulties, the licence was handed over to the Riche brothers, a contractor from Brussels, in 1862, who together with Antal Forgách applied for a licence to build the railway, which was granted in 1866. The licence was valid for 90 years from the date of opening, but the government reserved the right to redeem the railway at any time after 30 years from the opening of the line. The average net income for the 7 years before redemption would have been taken as the basis, with the two worst years excluded, i.e. the average of the five years remaining would have been the determining factor.
The state guaranteed the entire railway an income of 2 683 200 Austrian forints, i.e. if the income did not reach this level, the difference was guaranteed by the state, but it stipulated that 33 300 forints of the annual income had to be used to repay the capital.
The main line ran from Kassia through Poprad to Zsolná, then to Teschen (now Cieszyn, southern Poland) and Oderberg, in what is now Bohumín in the Czech Republic, with a branch line from Kassia to Eperjes. The total length of the railway was 400 kilometres, 340 of which fell in what was then Hungary. The licence gave the company the right of way for the construction of two further branch lines, one from Zsolna to Komárom and one from Eperjes to Przemyśl.
The investment started slowly due to disputes over contracts and the provision of financial backing, for example the design of the station in Košice caused much controversy, and it was only in 1869 that the project was accelerated, when the licence was taken over by the Anglo-Hungarian Bank after negotiations with another capitalist group, the Société de crédit foncier international, failed.
The new company issued 97 060 shares with a nominal value of HUF 200 each for a total initial capital of HUF 19 142 600.
The conclusion of the treaty on the additional subsidy coincided with the Hungarian Compromise, so the Hungarian and Austrian sides concluded a separate agreement on the line (and two other railways), which did not prevent the imperial approval of the concessions subsequently sought by the already licensed Kassa-Oderberg railway company.
The original construction deadlines were not met, but the whole line was completed ahead of schedule. The first line, between Kassa and Eperjes, was opened on 1 September 1870, followed by the section from Zsolna to the border in January 1871, then the section between Zsolna and Porádfelka in December 1871, and the entire railway was completed on 12 March 1872. Construction was carried out under relatively difficult conditions, in mountainous terrain and river valleys, with a total of 42 bridges and 5 tunnels, with landslides in places, most notably in the Oruzské notch, and the Mosty tunnel (now in the Czech Republic) collapsing during construction. Construction was also hit by epidemics and labour shortages.
On completion of the construction, the contractor claimed HUF 8 664 727.7 for damages and loss of work during the construction, of which the company claimed HUF 4 600 000, but appealed to the Hungarian and Austrian governments to partially compensate for this.
The lengthy negotiations ended in 1876, in which the relations between the Austrian and Hungarian sides were settled. The contracts concluded and the disputed issues were finally settled by Act XXXVIII of 1879, which not only provided for compensation for the railway, but also for the takeover of the Eperjes-Tarnów line.
According to the treaties laid down in the Act, the States (Austria and Hungary) have established the following provisions for income insurance for railways in § 1 of the Act:
"the part of this documentary guarantee amounting to five hundred and forty thousand (540,000) silver forints, after the Austrian part of the said railway, shall be assumed by the provinces represented in the Imperial Council, the remaining two million four hundred and eighty thousand three hundred and ninety (2,408,390) forints, after the Hungarian part of the line, shall be borne by the countries of the Hungarian Crown."
In April 1876, the Hungarian state and the railways concluded a contract on compensation, which was also approved by this law. The first clause of this contract stated:
"The Kassa-Oderberg Railway Company shall be granted a special guarantee in gold from the State for the whole duration of the licence, from 1 January 1876, in the amount of 346,618 Austrian francs and 85 kroons, to cover the damages and other works incurred in the construction of this railway, and in general to settle the financial affairs of the Company. On the other hand, the annual guarantee instalment of 2,408,390 silver forints, which the Hungarian State is obliged to pay towards this railway from the original guarantee relationship, will be reduced to 2,214,812 frt 41 kr. from 1 January 1876 onwards, also at the expense of the shareholders."
In addition, the railways were given the right to borrow HUF 6 828 000 in priority loans.
Despite the fact that only a single track line had to be built (the railway was only obliged to build a second track if the gross income exceeded 150 00 HUF per mile), a double track substructure was built between Ruttka and Teschen. As regards bridges, although the licence allowed for wooden bridges, the company mainly built iron bridges with stone substructures, and where wooden bridges were originally built, they were later replaced by iron bridges.
The total construction cost was HUF 179 700 per kilometre.
The Eperjes Orlo railway was built by the Union Bank of Vienna in 1871 and only later, in 1879, was taken over by the Kassa-Oderberg Railway, as were several other railways in the Highlands from 1891, including the Csorba-Tavn rack railway, which was completed in 1896.
After World War I, the line fell almost entirely within the territory of Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak state decided to nationalise the company, which was completed in 1921.
the rack railway track near Lake Csorba, Grand Hotel on the left. / Fortepan / Hungarian Geographical Museum / Erdélyi Mór's company
The line was joined by two narrow-gauge railway lines, one leading out from Istvánhuta and only 460 metres long, the other, however, was longer, starting from Márkusfalva in the Bindt valley and 8 kilometres long. It led to the estate of Archduke Albrecht
Between Csorba and Lake Csorba, a 4.75-kilometre-long narrow-gauge rack railway was built and opened in 1896. On the rack-and-pinion railway, the locomotive was driven by a rack and pinion gear that clung to the rack between the conventional rails, i.e. it did not drive the conventional wheel. However, for one kilometre this railway was not a cog railway, but a normal railway, i.e. the locomotives had double drive
Sources
- Hungarian Railway History 1 (Editor-in-Chief Dr. László Kovács) MÁV, Budapest, 1995
- Vörös L. (ed.): Hungarian Railway Yearbook 1-6
- Willheim Gusztáv: The handing over of the railway in Oelberg, Kassa - Journal of the Hungarian Society of Engineers and Architects 55. volume (1921)14. issue
- The Kassa-Oderberg railway and the traffic of foreigners in Upper Hungary. Turisták Lapja, 1891 (3rd volume)
- István Ságody:The Kassa-Oderberg Railway The Journal of the Hungarian Society of Engineers and Architects Volume 15 (1881)Issue 5