Railways

Germany.—In Dec. 1835 the first German railway was opened between Nuremburg and Fiirth. Thanks to Friedrich List a sys tematic plan of German railway construction was designed, but the independence of the different States somewhat interfered with this programme. It is curious that uniformity of gauge resulted from the importation of British locomotives and rolling stock. The first inter-State line was that from Magdeburg in Prussia to Leip zig in Saxony, opened in 1840, and as early as 1847 an association was formed of German railway administrations. Strict State con trol was exercised throughout the period of rapid construction commencing in 1846 and by had been completed. An important characteristic of German railways has been, from the first, the large part played by international traffic ; a second characteristic has been the great degree of State construction and ownership. The first State line was opened in Brunswick in 1838; by 1855 throughout Germany nearly 50% of the railway mileage was State owned. The Prusso-Austrian War of 1866 strengthened the Prussian railway system, as also did the Franco-German War of 187o, and by the latter year the main trunk network was largely complete, though few branch lines had been constructed. The lines of the French Est railway in Alsace and Lorraine became the property of the German Empire in 1871, while 1873 saw the establishment of an Imperial Railway Department. From 1876 onwards the privately owned railways were gradually absorbed by the State, Prussia acquiring the Berlin-Stettin and Cologne Minden lines amongst many others by an Act of 1879. Thus by 1885 private railways in Prussia were practically non-existent. Bavaria had always favoured State railways and finally bought up the Pfalz railway in 1908. Saxony had adopted the same policy and took over the Leipzig-Dresden line in 1876. In Hesse-Darm stadt, the Hesse-Ludvig railway became State owned in 1896, the Mecklenburg railways being purchased by the State in 1889. Oldenburg, Wiirtemburg and Baden owned and operated their railways from the first; 1885-1900 saw great developments in local lines, many of which may be regarded as light railways. Thus by 1900 the total route mileage of standard gauge lines in Germany was 31,205, and 1,125m. of narrow gauge. The total route mileage in 1909 was 35,625. In 1920 the various German State railways became the property of the Reich, but in consequent on the recommendation of the Dawes Peace Plan, their status was altered to a company basis, so far as operation was concerned, on a lease of 4o years (see SECTION D) .

Other European Railways.—State owned railway systems exist in Russia, Italy, Switzerland and Denmark, dating back to the 'forties, in Sweden, Norway and Portugal, dating back to the 'fifties and in Turkey and Greece to the 'sixties of last century, although State ownership and operation usually came many years after the opening of the first lines. Belgium possesses a State owned system, leased for 75 years from 1926 to an operating National company ; in Spain, where railways date back to 1848, the lines are mainly company operated but closely connected with the State, as is the case with the Nederland Railway in Holland, which goes back to the '3os. Rumania, Czechoslovakia, Bul garia, Yugoslavia and Austria all own and operate their systems, but in the case of Austria the railway balance sheet is kept sepa rately from that of the State budget. In the majority of cases small private lines also exist but they are usually only local in importance.

The European railway mileage at the end

of 1934 may be seen in the following table based on a compilation made by the Archiv fiir Eisenbahnwesen (translated by the Bureau of Rail way Economics at Washington). Other railway mileage tables in this article are based on the same source.

Railways of North America.

Apart from the railways of the United States, which are dealt with in a separate section (see Section F), the two great systems of North America are the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific. The Canadian Na tional resulted from an amalgamation of the Grand Trunk, the Grand Trunk Pacific, the Canadian Northern, the National Trans continental and other smaller railways. St. Johns, Quebec, saw the opening of the first railway in 1836, horse traction giving way to steam engines the following year, but the Grand Trunk resulting from an Act passed in 1851 may be said to commence the railway era in Canada, the Montreal to Toronto line having been completed in 1856. Stretching from Halifax, N.S., to Van couver and Prince Rupert, and serving Moncton, N.B., Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Windsor, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina and Calgary, its enormous route mileage of 23,75o, the second largest in the world, is administered from Montreal with regional head quarters at Toronto, Moncton and Winnipeg, whilst its extensive lines in the United States, worked from Detroit, known as the Grand Trunk Western, stretch across Michigan from Detroit to Chicago; it also reaches New London, Conn., and Portland, Me.

The Canadian Pacific Railway was formed in 1881 and took over about 700m. of railway built by the Government, in addition to a capital grant of over £5,000,000 together with a temporary loan and 25 million acres of land. In return it was to construct a transcontinental railway from Montreal to Vancouver, which was completed in May, 1887. Many famous figures are connected with its early development, notably Lords Strathcona, Mountstephen and Shaughnessy, and Sir William Van Horne. Controlling the Dominion and Atlantic line in Nova Scotia, and the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie which terminates at Chicago, its lines stretch from St. John, N.B., to Vancouver; steamer services connect St. John with Nova Scotia and Vancouver with its Van couver Is. lines at Victoria. Its main trunk line serves Frederic ton, Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary ; it also operates steamer routes on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. A very pros perous railway, it owns 21,234m. of line inclusive of controlled lines; its growth and commercial success have been interlocked for many years with the growth and prosperity of Canada and the Canadian nation. The remaining lines in Canada and New foundland are comparatively short and of only local importance, but railway construction continues northwards, chiefly in the provinces of Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario.

The Mexican railways are mainly of standard 4ft. 81in. gauge, and include sections of such American railroads as the Southern Pacific, and Kansas City, Mexico and Orient. The biggest sys tem is, however, that of the National Railways, which includes a considerable mileage of 3ft. lines. It operates the mileage of this gauge for the Interoceanic, Mexican Southern and Mexican Eastern Railways, while the standard gauge Mexican Railway is a line controlled from London.