![Vereinigte Schweizerbahnen bei Sargans](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Vereinigte_Schweizerbahnen_bei_Sargans.jpg)
The United Swiss Railways (''Vereinigten Schweizerbahnen''; VSB or V.S.B.) was a former railway company in Switzerland. It was the smallest of the five main railways that were nationalised from 1902 to form the
Swiss Federal Railways.
Foundation and financing
The United Swiss Railways were established on 1 May 1857 by the merger of three railway companies, all of which were in financial difficulties:
* The
Sankt Gallisch-Appenzellische Eisenbahn (St. Gallen-Appenzell Railway; SGAE) opened the
Winterthur
, neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell
, twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria ...
–
Wil
Wil () is the capital of the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen, after the city of St. Gallen and Rapperswil-Jona, a twin city that merged in ...
–
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website = ...
–
Rorschach Rorschach may refer to:
* Hermann Rorschach, a Swiss psychiatrist
** Rorschach test, his psychological evaluation method involving inkblots
* Rorschach (character), a character from the comics ''Watchmen''
* Rorschach (comic book), a 2020 comic
* ...
railway between 15 October 1855 and 25 October 1856. The construction of the line required the building a number of important bridges. The final sections planned lacked funding.
* The ''Schweizerische Südostbahn'' (Swiss Southeast Railways, SOB)—not to be confused with the current
Südostbahn
The Südostbahn ( German, literally meaning "South-Eastern Railway") – commonly abbreviated to SOB – is a Swiss adhesion railway company, and a network in Central and Eastern Switzerland. It resulted from the merger of the original SOB ...
—sought to build a railway under the
Lukmanier pass that had been proposed by the engineer
Richard La Nicca
Richard La Nicca (16 August 1794 in Safien-Neukirch – 27 August 1883 in Chur) was a Swiss engineer known as the pioneering planner and implementer of the Jura water correction project in the Swiss Jura.
Originating from Sarn and Chur, La N ...
as early as 1839. The company was founded on 1 September 1853 with a share capital of
Swiss Francs
The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the f ...
(CHF) 25 million. The capital came from the cantons of
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website = ...
and
Grisons and above all from English banks. The beginning of the construction work carried out by English entrepreneurs was unsatisfactory. Senior engineer Pickering was dismissed without notice. Due to financial difficulties, the construction of the Rorschach–
St. Margrethen–
Sargans
Sargans is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Sarganserland in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Sargans is known for its castle, which dates from before the founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291. Sargans was al ...
–
Chur
, neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers
, twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxe ...
, Sargans–
Weesen–
Ziegelbrücke
Ziegelbrücke is a village in Switzerland. Ziegelbrücke is shared by the municipalities of Niederurnen in the canton of Glarus and Schänis in the canton of St. Gallen.
Geography and political situation
The village of Ziegelbrücke is divided ...
–
Rapperswil
Rapperswil (Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dial ...
and Weesen–
Glarus
, neighboring_municipalities= Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd, Muotathal (SZ), Innerthal (SZ)
, twintowns= Wiesbaden-Biebrich (Germany)
}
Glarus (; gsw, Glaris; french: Glaris; it, Glarona; rm, Glaruna) is the capital of the canton of Glarus ...
faltered. The
Walensee
The Walensee, also known as ''Lake Walen'' or ''Lake Walenstadt'' from Walenstadt, is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland, with about two thirds of its area in the Canton of St. Gallen and about one third in the Canton of Glarus. Other towns ...
section required the construction of many tunnels. The lines of the Südostbahn would have become lucrative access routes had an eastern Alpine railway ever been built.
* The
Glatthalbahn (Gl-TB) opened the
Wallisellen
Wallisellen is a municipality in the district of Bülach in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, and belongs to the Glatt Valley (German: ''Glattal'').
History
The first settlement at Wallisellen dates from 58 BC. The municipality Wallisellen ...
–
Uster
Uster (High Alemannic: ''Uschter'') is a town and the capital of the Uster District in the Swiss canton of Zürich.
It is the third largest town in the canton of Zürich, with almost 35,000 inhabitants, and is one of the twenty largest towns i ...
line on 1 August 1856. There were no funds, however, for the continuation of the line to Rapperswil.
One of the reasons for the VSB's initial financial problems was that the projected construction costs were far too low, leading to an additional capital requirement of around CHF 20 million. The additional capital was provided by a French financier. The Parisian banker, Isaac Péreire of
Crédit Mobilier
The Crédit Mobilier (full name Société Générale du Crédit Mobilier, "general company for movable ollateral-backedcredit") was a French banking company created by the Pereire brothers, and one of the world’s most significant and influenti ...
envisaged an eastern alpine crossing linking the French railway companies of the
Chemins de fer du Midi
The Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi (. CF du Midi), also known in English as the Midi or Southern Railway, was an early French railway company which operated a network of routes in the southwest of the country, chiefly in the area between i ...
,
Chemins de fer de l'Ouest
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest (CF de l'Ouest), often referred to simply as ''L'Ouest'' or ''Ouest'', was an early French railway company which operated from the years 1855 through 1909.
History
Birth of the company
The Compa ...
and
Chemins de fer de l'Est
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Est (CF de l'Est), often referred to simply as the Est company, was an early French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which ...
with railway it had partly funded in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
.
Further development
![Rorschach 19 Jh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Rorschach_19_Jh.jpg)
Until the 1890s, the VSB supported a projected railway under the
Splügen Pass
The Splügen Pass (german: Splügenpass; it, Passo dello Spluga; rm, Pass dal Spleia ) is an Alpine mountain pass of the Lepontine Alps. It connects the Swiss, Grisonian Splügen to the north below the pass with the Italian Chiavenna to the ...
, which, however, could not be built because of a lack of funds. Eventually the VSB succeeded in establishing the right to use an important connection to
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
over the Wallisellen–
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
line of the
Swiss Northeastern Railway
The Swiss Northeastern Railway (''Schweizerische Nordostbahn''; NOB) was an early railway company in Switzerland. It also operated shipping on Lake Constance (''Bodensee'') and Lake Zürich. Until the merger of the Western Swiss Railways into the ...
(NOB).
Since the idea of building an eastern Alpine railway from Chur towards Italy ended with the start of construction of the
Gotthard Railway, the Rhine Valley Railway from Rorschach to Chur remained a regional line. Over time, Rorschach was displaced as the leading port town on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance by
Romanshorn
Romanshorn is a municipality in the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
History
Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first mentioned in 779 as ''Rumanishorn'' in a land grant from Waldrata to the Abb ...
. The NOB expanded its harbour in Romanshorn and put its own steamboats into operation. In 1869, the NOB opened the
Lake Line
The Lake Line
at www.sbb.ch. Accessed on 13 Jan 201 ...
from Rorschach to Romanshorn, where the line of the NOB ran next to the VSB's line between Rorschach Hafen (harbour) and Rorschach. The Lake Line of the NOB and the
Bischofszellerbahn's
Gossau–
Sulgen line, which was commissioned in 1876, relieved the VSB of some traffic. When the NOB opened the shorter
Lake Zürich left bank railway (Zürich–
Thalwil
Thalwil is a municipality and town in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. In addition to the town of Thalwil, the municipality includes the village of Gattikon.
History
Thalwil is first mentioned around 1030 as ''Tal ...
–Ziegelbrücke) in 1875, the former Wallisellen–Rapperswil line lost importance. The VSB could only continue operations with extreme cost cutting. Under the leadership of
Adolf Klose
Adolf Klose (21 May 1844 – 2 September 1923) was the chief engineer of the Royal Württemberg State Railways in southern Germany from June 1885 to 1896.
Klose was born in Bernstadt auf dem Eigen, in Saxony. Before his taking up his post in St ...
, mechanical engineering achievements and locomotive designs were created at the Rorschach workshop that received attention and recognition.
![Rorschach Hafen 1860](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Rorschach_Hafen_1860.jpg)
As part of merger negotiations, the VSB was able to acquire the concession for the realisation of the
Bözberg railway line
The Bözberg railway line is a railway line in Switzerland, running between Basel and Brugg via Pratteln, Rheinfelden, Stein-Säckingen, Frick and the Bözberg Tunnel. At Brugg it connects to Zürich via Baden and to the Gotthard Railway via ...
on 16 July 1857. The VSB abandoned this concession in 1864 due to lack of financial resources.
The VSB managed the operation of some other companies, such as the
Toggenburgerbahn (TB, opened in 1870), the
Wald-Rüti-Bahn (WR, opened in 1876 and now part of the
Tösstal Railway) and temporarily the
Zürichsee–Gotthardbahn (ZGB). The VSB was also financially involved in the Toggenburgerbahn and the Wald–Rüti-Bahn.
Until the 1870s, the VSB suffered from lack of international connections. The
Vorarlberg Railway (''Vorarlbergbahn''; VB) opened the
Lindau
Lindau (german: Lindau (Bodensee), ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major town and island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the county (''Landkreis' ...
–
St. Margrethen link on 1 August 1872 and the
Feldkirch Feldkirch may refer to:
Places
* Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, a medieval city and capital of an administrative district in Austria
** Feldkirch (district), an administrative division of Vorarlberg, Austria
* Feldkirch (Hartheim), a village in the munici ...
–Buchs section on 20 October 1872, leading to an increase in traffic. The
Arlberg Railway
The Arlberg Railway (german: Arlbergbahn), which connects the Austrian cities Innsbruck and Bludenz, is Austria's only ''east-west'' mountain railway. It is one of the highest standard gauge railways in Europe and the second highest in Austria, a ...
, which was opened on 6 September 1884, had a significant influence on the development of traffic. The VSB gave access to two
metre-gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
lines of the
Rhaetian Railway
The Rhaetian Railway (german: Rhätische Bahn; it, Ferrovia retica; rm, Viafier retica), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the Rh ...
(''Rhätische Bahn''), the
Landquart–Davos lines, opened in 1889, and the
Chur–Thusis line, opened in 1896.
The VSB suffered, like many other companies, during the economic crisis of the late 1870s. Its stock prices dropped massively. In contrast to the NOB or the
Swiss Central Railway, the VSB were able to distribute modest dividends from 1871 onwards. Because the VSB was not able to expand its network after 1859, it had low debt and its financial situation was very solid.
In the Vonwil train crash, a train coming from
Winterthur
, neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell
, twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria ...
derailed at Vonwil in
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website = ...
on 31 December 1879. The train's two locomotives came to lie on the left and right of the railway track with the carriages pushed into each other. The accident claimed two fatalities and several injuries, some serious.
Route network
Operations
![Bahnhof Buchs 1905](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Bahnhof_Buchs_1905.JPG)
The rising price of wood forced the VSB to search for alternatives for firing their steam locomotives and it secured a large
peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...
deposit in Möggingen near
Radolfzell in 1857. Nevertheless, as the railway developed as a means of mass transport, the company gained access to foreign coal deposits. The conversion to coal firing was largely completed at the VSB in 1861.
The VSB implemented telegraphic signalling with electrical signal discs invented by
Matthäus Hipp
Matthäus Hipp also spelled Matthias or Mathias (Blaubeuren, 25 October 1813 – 3 May 1893 in Fluntern) was a German clockmaker and inventor who lived from 1852 on in Switzerland.
His most important, lastingly significant inventions were ele ...
in 1865. Carriages and locomotives were converted to the
buffer
Buffer may refer to:
Science
* Buffer gas, an inert or nonflammable gas
* Buffer solution, a solution used to prevent changes in pH
* Buffering agent, the weak acid or base in a buffer solution
* Lysis buffer, in cell biology
* Metal ion buffer
* ...
system in 1872.
The Federal Shooting Festival (''Eidgenössisches Schützenfest'') took place in St. Gallen from 18 to 27 July 1874. The VSB transported 140,000 people to St. Gallen over ten days. This required the assistance of staff and rolling stock from the NOB and the VB.
The first through train from Rorschach via St. Gallen was introduced to serve the Swiss National Exhibition (''Schweizerische Landesausstellung'') in Zürich in 1883. Previously passengers had to change in Winterthur from VSB to NOB trains.
The company changed from
Bernese time to
Central European Time
Central European Time (CET) is a standard time which is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
The time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00.
It is used in most parts of Europe and in a few North African countries.
CET ...
on 1 June 1894. Direct coaches ran between St. Gallen and
Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
from 1 June 1896.
Nationalisation
![Bahnhof St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Bahnhof_St._Margrethen_1900.jpg)
In 1901, shortly before the
nationalisation. the VSB took over the
Toggenburgerbahn (TB) at no cost from the
Canton of St. Gallen
The canton of St. Gallen, also canton of St Gall (german: link=no, Kanton St. Gallen ; rm, Chantun Son Gagl; french: Canton de Saint-Gall; it, Canton San Gallo), is a canton of Switzerland. The capital is St. Gallen.
Located in northeastern ...
, which indirectly subsidised the construction of the
Ricken Tunnel
The Ricken Tunnel (german: Rickentunnel) is an long rail tunnel under the Ricken Pass in eastern Switzerland. It is on the Swiss Federal Railway Uznach–Wattwil line, between Kaltbrunn station and Wattwil station. The tunnel, which accommoda ...
. The VSB was nationalised on 1 July 1902 and subsequently became part of the
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). The VSB had already been operated on behalf of the federal government since 1 January 1901.
Part of the old corporate structures remained for a long time. The former SBB District Directorate IV was created from the headquarters of the VSB in St. Gallen. The former SBB
main workshop in Chur had its roots in the SOB. Over time, the now closed SBB Rorschach locomotive depot emerged from the main workshop of the VSB. The railway built in Uster what is now the oldest
roundhouse with a
turntable
A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
in Switzerland.
[
] The carriage house has been restored and now serves as a depot and locomotive workshop of the
Dampfbahn-Verein Zürcher Oberland
The Dampfbahn-Verein Zürcher Oberland (DVZO) is a heritage railway association based in the Swiss canton of Zurich. The association preserves various items of rolling stock, utilising the historic ''lok remise'' or engine shed at Uster statio ...
, the
heritage railway that operates the
Bauma–Hinwil line.
The electrification of the line required the replacement of the
Sitter, Glatt, Uze and
Thur bridges between St. Gallen and Wil and the wooden
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
bridge at
Ragaz. However, the stone bridge over the Goldach has been preserved and has been used by two tracks since 1993.
The chainage (kilometre markings) has not been changed on the lines of the former VSB. The kilometre measurements still start in Sargans, where kilometre 0 is located.
References
Footnotes
Sources
*
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*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:United Swiss Railways
1902 disestablishments in Switzerland
Defunct railway companies of Switzerland
Swiss companies established in 1857
Railway companies established in 1857
Railway companies disestablished in 1902