COMMENTS TO MY PAGE "ART POSTCARDS WITH A RAILWAY MOTIVE"

Osobní doprava na konské dráze České Budějovice-Linz

The Budweis-Linz-Gmunden horse railway (Czech: Koněspřežná dráha České Budějovice–Linec–Gmunden) was the second railway line opened on the European continent (after the Saint-Étienne–Andrézieux railway). It was completed in stages between 1827 and 1836 and was mainly used for the transport of salt from the Salzkammergut to Bohemia. It started as a horse railway and was converted to steam locomotive operation between Linz and Gmunden in 1855–1856. On the mountainous section between Linz and Budweis, such a conversion was not possible due to tight curve radii and high gradients. Until 1873, other lines between Linz and Budweis were usually used instead of this section. Horse transport ceased in 1872. Passenger transport began with occasional trips. Scheduled traffic began in 1834. Official permission for passenger traffic was granted in 1836, and from then on, from April to October, long-distance trains departed from Linz and Budweis at five in the morning. At noon, the trains met in Kerschbaum, the highest point on the line. There, passengers had lunch at Europe's first railway station restaurant. The final station was reached at seven o'clock in the evening. In 1840, the railway carried 10,000 passengers, and in 1848, 16,000. The average speed was 10–12 kilometers per hour.


The postcard is published on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first passenger transport on the railway. The picture shows vehicles over the generations. On the left hand the first horse-drawn vehicle, in the middle the first Czech steam locomotive "Cechy" (1845) and on the right hand the largest and most powerful steam locomotive series 4860 in 1933.The locomotive "Cechy": weight about 16.8 tons,  maximum speed 15 km/h.. ČSD locomotive, series 4860: weight 102 tons, maximum speed 110 km/h. The power of the new locomotive  is 50 times greater than the locomotive "Cechy",

​December 17th 2024

 
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