The Leipzig-Dresden railway line through time
The first German long distance railway line
"Tickets would only be available at a special ticket office at the station. So as to avoid a crush for the purchase of tickets, people were requested to queue properly and respect the barriers, which had been erected. Advance orders for tickets were not accepted. Access to the station was a quarter of an hour before the planned departure of the train. The price of a single journey -Leipzig - Althen was:
There were no children's tickets and no child under 12 years of age was allowed to travel. Passengers were required to purchase a return ticket for Althen to Leipzig, to return on a train that would depart for Leipzig one hour after the arrival in Althen. Passengers not wishing to make use of their return ticket were able to exchange the unused portion for cash at the Althen ticket office.
Travel conditions:
Of the eight coaches used on the inaugural journey, three were built locally and the others bought in Manchester and Brussels. At night, freight was carried on the line by HORSE pulled trains and for some years horse stables were maintained alongside the locomotive sheds for this work.
An article in another paper was headlined:
The noise that comes from steam
"The train doesn't travel very quickly, at least it appears not to do so, it rattles less than the Nürnberg - Fürth train. Its wheels make hardly any noise at all, all the noise comes the steam."
The description was of the locomotive Blitz bought from Britain to run on the Leipzig -Dresden line. By 30 June, the local paper carried an advertisement that showed how the short trip had become a major tourist attraction. Sunday had six services at 11.00 am, 12.30, 3.30, 5.00, 6.30 and 8.00 pm, Monday and Thursday only three departures and Wednesday four. The following month, the paper reported on an interruption to the service that had occurred because of heavy volume of traffic and extensive repairs were needed to the track. This was particularly unfortunate, '.. because of the large number of tourists wishing to make journeys.' Fortunately repairs were completed by the 28 July 1837 and a request by Prince August of Prussia to travel on the line could be complied with. He arrived the previous evening, stayed at the Hotel Prusse and travelled with all the directors of the railway company to and from Althen. The Prince spoke positively about the undertaking and what had been achieved to date before continuing his journey to Merseburg.
Figures for the first years of operation suggested that some 150 passengers were carried on each train on the popular Sunday services. The new transport medium was obviously a hit with the people of Leipzig and Saxony! The transport revolution that was to transform totally ordinary Germans life began with the building of this line from Leipzig. The isolation of the countryside and village was to disappear and people would have a fuller understanding of life beyond their farm or smallholding. Jacob Venedy had said in 1835:
"In ten years when all the great towns and capital cities are connected by rail, Germany will be another country and the prejudices that have divided the German people so much up to now which had given our oppressors such easy mastery will cease to exist."
There were problems caused by the public trespassing on the line and the company had to issue notices that warned against trespass:
"Walking on the lines, except on lines blocked by barriers is prohibited to all except officials and workers of the company, who have received a stamped permission card from the section engineer or the chief engineer."
A fine of 4 groschen was imposed for walking on the track or 6 groschen for walking on dams or ditches. Riding a horse on the track brought an 8 groschen fine!
By October, 1837, the royal patronage of the service was further enhanced by a visit from The King of Saxony. On Wednesday, 4 October, the King arrived in Leipzig staying at the Hotel Sarr. His journey on the two wagon train took eleven minutes from Leipzig to Althen and he was greeted on his return by business men and workers. By the end of the first year some 400,000 passengers had been carried.