Lokalbahn

As early as 1865 the engineering conference of the Union of German Railway Administrations (Verein Deutscher Eisenbahnverwaltungen) had set out the principles for secondary lines.

This was based on the premise that funding for land purchase and construction would be a local affair, although earthworks would be paid for by the state.

This led to the widespread use of standard buildings and structures; nevertheless branch lines and their stations still retained a lot of individual character based on the region and local material available for construction.

The average time to build was four years and the construction cost per kilometre worked out at about one fifth that of main lines.

They were designated as class GwL and had open end-platforms at both ends and either hinged or sliding doors in the centre of the side walls.