The standard gauge Beckedorf–Munster railway in north Germany is owned by the East Hanoverian Railways (german: Osthannoverschen Eisenbahnen or OHE).

History

The line was built by the Celle-Soltau, Celle-Munster Light Railway Company (''Kleinbahn Celle-Soltau, Celle-Munster GmbH''). It was intended as a branch of the

Celle–Soltau railway The Celle–Soltau railway is a standard gauge railway in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany that belongs to the East Hanoverian Railways (''Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen'' or ''OHE''). It is the OHE's busiest line. History The init ...

that had been opened in 1902 as far as Bergen. On 23 April 1910 the latter was extended from Bergen to Soltau and at the same time the line from Beckedorf to Munster was opened. In the beginning it was a line that opened up and served the rural communities. As Germany re-armed prior to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

several sidings to military bases (Poitzen, Munster) were built and, as a result, traffic grew appreciably. From 1940 the line was no longer treated as a light railway (''

Kleinbahn The term ''Kleinbahn'' (literally 'small railway', plural: ''Kleinbahnen'') was a light railway concept used especially in Prussia for a railway line that "on account of its low importance for general railway transport" had less strict requirements ...

''), but as a railway for public transport, as was expressed in the name of the new firm, the Celle-Soltau, Celle-Munster Railway (''Eisenbahn Celle-Soltau, Celle-Munster'').

Traffic

Passenger volumes climbed steadily to begin with and the branch contributed significantly to numbers on the Celle–Soltau line. As a result of military trains the numbers during the First and Second World Wars rose markedly. At least three to four pairs of trains ran daily between Celle and Munster, and there were additional trains between Beckedorf and Munster that had connexions in Beckedorf to Celle. Towards the end, railbuses dominated the passenger services, sometimes supplemented by a trailer. From 31 May 1965

Deutsche Bundesbahn The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB (German Federal Railway) was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remaine ...

(DB) services began running to Munster and the OHE station was closed as a consequence. From 1967 buses replaced some of the trains. Passenger services were withdrawn during the 1970s: on 30 May 1970 between Hermannsburg and Munster and the rest between Beckedorf (Celle) and Hermannsburg on 31 May 1976. Freight trains mostly carried agricultural produce and even the transportation of logs played a role. Military traffic to the various sidings of military installations was also important. After World War II still more military facilities were added and tank-loading ramps were built at several stations. The railway played as special part during the

Berlin Blockade The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, ro ...

in 1948/49 because

RAF Fassberg Fassberg or Faßberg may refer to * Faßberg – a municipality in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany * RAF Fassberg – a Royal Air Force air base between 1945 and 1957 in the vicinity of Faßberg * Faßberg Air Base Faßberg Air ...

was one of the start points for the airlift. Huge quantities of freight had to be dispatched daily and the airfield were supplied by goods trains including coal trains. Today goods trains only run on request.

Sources

* Gerd Wolff: ''Deutsche Klein- und Privatbahnen. Band 10: Niedersachsen 2. Zwischen Weser und Elbe.'' EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2007, S. 226–258, {{DEFAULTSORT:Beckedorf-Munster railway Railway lines in Lower Saxony