Spalding railway

The entrepreneur Heinrich Spalding from Glewitz in Western Pomerania was the first German industrialist, who produced in 1884 a narrow-gauge tramway at his own risk for the transport of logs and firewood in the royal Prussian forest Grimnitz in the Margraviate of Brandenburg.

The system had the advantage that required repairs were easy make but the height of the wooden sleepers prevented the use of horses, and level crossings with other traffic.

[3] The Dolberg works in Rostock improved the Spalding system by using metal tie rods and by omitting the narrow wooden sleeper at one end of the panel.

The 2 m track sections with a gauge of 600 mm consisted of rails that were connected at both ends by metallic tie rods and rested on wooden sleepers.

The 4 m long Spalding universal switch was provided with guard rails, which should make a derailment impossible even if the points were set incorrectly.

The chassis of the tippers could be used as a flat wagon for the transport of general cargo after removing the arched supports at both ends, which were just held in place by a stud and some screws.

The brake was operated using a lever and acted simultaneously and evenly on all four wheels, to bring the car or train quickly to a halt.

The chassis and the tilting bodies were made of the best pine wood and were of so simple a design that they could easily be repaired by any blacksmith or carpenter if damaged.

[4] W. Kiehl, a professional gardener from Aachen, successfully tested a Spalding Railway in a nursery beginning early 1903.

The rolling stock and track building material was so strong that repairs were rarely necessary, except for damage caused by the workers' imprudence.