600mm narrow-gauge railways in Selia

It is said that war is the father of all things, and this has literally been the case with Latvian rural gauge railways. Any army, whether it is attacking or defending, needs sufficient resources to ensure warfare. When the German army entered the territory of Latvia in 1915, it faced supply challenges. At the end of 1915, the front had stabilized along the Daugava line. Historically, there was a low population density in the territory of Selia, so there was not a wide network of traffic roads. The First World War is also a time when the railway plays a major role in the redeployment and supply of troops, because road transport is not yet sufficiently developed, but horse traction cannot provide sufficient speed and volume of cargo and people transportation. The Moscow-Ventspils broad-gauge railway line, put into operation in 1904, and the Daugavpils-Vilnius line also crossed it for a short distance. Czarist Russia had already followed a strategy of limiting the expansion of the railway network in the western regions of the empire in order to hinder the enemy's advance in the event of a war. Taking this into account, units for the construction and operation of military railways had been created in the great powers. In the German army, at the beginning of the war, the number of such specially trained military personnel reached 26,000. During their service, they were trained in specially equipped training grounds, where they had to build sections of railway tracks at a certain time, they also staged train accidents and damage to railway tracks, which had to be repaired by their own forces. At the end of the training, an entire railway line had to be built in an unknown area within a few days, which had to be demolished again after the training. As a result, well-prepared and trained specialists in the construction and operation of military railways were available in the German army.

During the war, military railway directorates (MED) were organized in the occupied territories. In the territory of Latvia and Lithuania, it was MED 8. Both railway construction and operation companies were under the authority of this directorate. Directorates were supervised by the head of the Military Railways, at whose disposal in 1918 there were already more than 441,000 persons, of which only 40% were German military personnel.

The royal field railways in Germany were divided into two groups - field railways (Feldbahn) and support railways (Forderbahn). Both had the same track width – 600 mm, but their infrastructure elements differed. Rural railways were more capital built, they were meant to operate with steam traction locomotives. In order for the steam not to betray the approach of the train to the enemy, support railways were built closer to the front, which were lighter, but on which smaller motor traction locomotives moved, horse traction was also widely used, and wagons were often pushed by hand near the front. The rails were the lightest allowed by the standard - 9.5 kg/m on rural railways and 4 kg/m on support railways. For rural railways, the track cover was industrially produced in 5 meter long sections with iron sleepers. The weight of such a stage was 220 kg, which made it mobile for a team of several men. 2 m long sections weighing 40 kg were used in the supporting railways. This means that such tracks could be laid and prepared in a relatively short time. Rural railways, which were driven by steam locomotives, were supposed to be built at a speed of 3-5 km per day (a week was allocated for the laying of the track itself for the 100 km section). Support railways could be built faster - even 6-10 km per day. The terrain was of great importance - the field railways allowed quite large climbs and radii, however, if overpasses and bridges had to be built, the works were longer.

Steam locomotives weighed 12 tons, and motor locomotives only 5 tons. They were powered by an internal combustion engine, which was not very powerful, but considering the recent appearance of the internal combustion engine, it proves that the German army was technically very modern.

It is possible that one of the supporting railway lines in the immediate vicinity of the front was built as early as 1915. in Nogale, but in Selia as the first field railway line for steam traction in 1916. the Skapiškiu-Biržu line was built in the spring. It was built to a relatively high quality and was planned in advance also for the needs of local traffic. This is also confirmed by the later operation of this railway in Latvia and Lithuania. However, the railways built in Selia were planned purely for military purposes. It is not a correct opinion that the Germans built these lines for the export of timber, although after 1917. offensives, when the front moved much further east, they were used for this purpose, when the preparation of timber for the needs of the front was most likely replaced by its export to Germany. At the end of 1917, the status of the Seelian narrow-gauge railway network was changed from country railways (Feldbahn) to small railways (Kleinbahn). Hence the name mazbānītis. Respectively, the Feldbahn served the needs of the army, while the Kleinbahn already served civilian traffic. It is also known that the Germans in 1918 transportation of civilians also began to be organized along the Selia narrow-gauge railway network. Certain sections were also demolished after the advance of the front, for example, the Abeļu-Kaldabruņa railway in 1918. it is no longer shown on the October maps and there is no information about its use. Such was the nature of the army's fast-build narrow-gauge railways. The fact that most of this network remained on the territory of Latvia after the end of the First World War is more a coincidence of circumstances and the defeat of Germany in the war with the subsequent proclamation of the Latvian state.

In total, 5 rural railway lines can be listed in Selia:

Skapiškiu-Jēkabpils line. This 110 km long line can be considered as the primary railway network of the Kingdom of Selija, and Viesīte station as the most important railway node. The line started in Lithuania at the Panevezys - Daugavpils broad-gauge railway and crossed Latvia at Nereta;

Viesites-Dauzzeva-Seces line. Traffic on the line was opened in 1916. on June 14. The line connected the Viesite railway junction with the Moscow-Ventspils broad-gauge line, connecting it to Daudzeva and continuing to Sece. This connection actually also connected the Daugavpils-Paneveža and Masakva-Ventspils broad-gauge lines, relieving the load on the Jelgava-Dauzeva broad-gauge railway. The first station on this line, Bazníckrogs, served only for train change operations. The second station Vilciņi near Lake Piksteres was not intended for cargo operations or for the transportation of people - here it connected with the branch of the light support railway, which ended near the front line in an uninhabited area - today's End of the World in Rose Swamp. In this line, accurate information about another branch of the supporting railway has been preserved - railway enthusiast Imants Dreimanis 60-70. has researched that a dull road was built from the Daudzeva II station to the Silnieki ranger's house and further to Pagrabkalnii, along which movement was carried out by horse-drawn carriages, and along this 12 km long road the Germans maintained traffic with warehouses near Jorglanii and Silnieki, as well as brought timber. Another interesting moment is the 200-meter-long wooden overpass built in Viesite itself. Due to economy of time and materials, the Germans did not build embankments where necessary, but instead laid the lines on low wooden trestles. As wood impregnation technologies were not discovered at that time, such flyover and bridge structures ceased to serve in the first half of the 20s and had to be replaced.

Rokiški-Zasas-Siliņi line. The line started in Lithuania at the Daugavpils-Paņevežas broad-gauge railway, entering Latvian territory near Aknīste and continuing to Geidāni and Zasa, where the support railway line towards the front started. Presumably, the purpose of this line was to improve the supply in the vicinity of Jēkabpils and Dvietes. Of particular note on this line is the impressive 15-metre high wooden bridge over the South Sousse at Aknīste, which consisted of two spans and is often seen in pictures of field gauge railways during the war. After the war, it was no longer used.

Eglaine neighborhood lines. As the front line at Dvieta and Ilūkste turned away from the Daugava and entered the hinterland, the need for more intensive supplies arose. The Daugava was no longer a natural obstacle here, and both sides had more room for maneuver. Eglaine (Jelovkas) station was located on the Daugavpils-Paneveža broad-gauge railway and was chosen as the main junction for the narrow-gauge network in this area. Both rural railway lines and support railway lines departed from this station. Extensive transhipment operations also took place here. A separate station was built next to the broad-gauge station to serve the narrow-gauge railways. The broad-gauge road could be safely crossed here, as there was no further movement of the broad-gauge railway in the direction of Daugavpils. Two rural railway lines left Eglaine - Eglaine-Visagina (to the south) and Eglaine-Bebrene (to the north). The line from Eglaine to Visagin (Chorni Brod) was built thoroughly, installing embankments instead of wooden overpasses. From Visaginas to Zarasi also with 1916. Commercial train service provided on June 1. The placement of stations with regularity every few kilometers suggests that this line was used intensively. The line was also important during the Freedom Struggle, when the supply of military equipment was ensured even from Poland. After 1920 the operation of the line has been discontinued. The other line – Eglaine-Bebrene – was used for one year longer. It is thought that the reason for the closure was the many temporary wooden construction elements - flyovers, which were widely used on these lines due to the swampy area and had served their time. Another reason may be the low demand for the relatively slow ride.

Obeļu-Bebrene-Dviete line. The line started in Lithuania from the Daugavpils-Paņeveža broad-gauge railway, entered Latvian territory at Subate, continued to Kaldabruņa, then Bebrene and further to the front line near Dvieta. Construction took place in 1917. in January. Such a period was chosen for the construction, probably, so that it would be easier to fix wooden trestles in the frozen swamp, which would be more difficult in warm weather. After the war, the sections of the line from Obelij to Kaldabruņa and from Bebrene to Dviete were no longer used, but the Kaldabruņa-Bebrene section continued to be operated for a long time.

In addition to these main ones, there were a few separate shorter lines and several light supporting railway lines for horse traction, sometimes also existing parallel to the field railway lines, where steam locomotives ran.

A large part of the narrow-gauge line continued to be operated even after the First World War, being completely closed only in 1971-1972. year. In the interwar period, the railway network was eliminated in economically unsound areas, but in some places it was also expanded and additional lines were built. 1919 In Jēkabpils, the German army railway was extended by 7 km to reach the bank of the Daugava. Trees were transported along this line for floating down the Daugava. On the other hand, for example, the Eglaine station (by the term station we mean not only the station, the building, but the track cover, adjacent territory, auxiliary buildings), which was one of the largest on the front and where both cargo exchange and rolling stock repair was ensured, was no longer used after the war and 1927 eliminated completely. The construction of the railway gave work to the workers, but the railway itself was an important transport artery for logging, transporting both prepared materials and workers. In the 1930s, the 600mm railways in Selia were organized in such a way as to ensure the widest possible accessibility to the local population, but cargo operations were kept in the larger centers and terminal stations. Traffic in the region was provided by three lines - Viesīte-Dauzzeva, Nereta-Jēkabpils and Aknīste-Siliņi. The Viesite-Dauzzeva line gave passengers the opportunity to transfer to the broad-gauge railway. Since trains ran every day only on certain sections of the line (Jēkabpils-Dauzeva, Viesīte-Dauzeva and Jēkabpils-Aknīste), but on other sections only on certain days of the week, starting from 1936. The Railway Board of Latvia also ensured bus movement, which was with daily regularity. The advantage of buses was a higher speed of movement, therefore, after the arrival of buses in the region, the main role of the railway remained in the transportation of local agricultural products. However, passengers continued to travel by rail as well. 1938 in winter, even bus traffic stopped temporarily due to the dusty roads and the railway remained the only means of transport. Built for royal needs and to the appropriate standards, the 600mm railway was slow. There are still complaints from passengers that the 60 km section from Jēkabpils to Nereta takes 8.5 hours, which means an average speed of 7 km/h, and there was still a transfer to be made. Of the total number of passengers, only 10% transferred to broad-gauge trains at the terminus, while the rest used the 600mm railway for movement within the region. In the second half of the 1930s, there was a significant drop in the number of transported passengers, passengers preferred buses. After World War II, transportation resumed. At the same time, bus traffic also continued to develop, however, the narrow-gauge railway did not lack passengers, maintaining an important role in the mobility of local residents. At the end of the 1950s, railway transportation reached its peak, not even being able to cover the entire demand. Unlike in the 1930s, when local residents mostly used the railway to transport agricultural products to market and buy produce back home (essentially individual trade), after the Second World War, the railway enabled loggers to get to their workplaces and students to their educational institutions, so importance was determined by the planned economy and ensuring the operation of collective farms. Going back to the 1930s, an interesting fact is that markets in the region were often organized near the railway station to facilitate the movement of goods. It was also possible to transport livestock from several stations by requesting wagons in advance. Analyzing cargo transportation by groups, in the 1920s and 1930s the largest group was made up of timber and firewood, building materials, cereals, artificial fertilizers and livestock. An important role was also played by household goods, which made up a smaller percentage, but were integrally important to the side of economic and domestic life. During the Soviet years, bases for transshipment of timber were created near the stations, the largest of them was near Daudzeva and in 1958. more than 150 employees worked there. From 1932 A sugar factory starts operating in Krustpilis and sugar beet transportation becomes another important category of goods, which the 600mm railway served until its closure.

There was a locomotive depot in the guest house, which was one of the few electrified places. Most of the stations and stops did not have electricity connection in the interwar period. Communication equipment was also very modest, initially there were only three semaphores for the entire railway network.

As for the rolling stock, steam locomotives equipped with four driving pairs of wheels, called brigade locomotives (Brigadelokomotive), became the main form of rolling stock. Steam locomotives with three or two pairs of driving wheels were also used. Steam locomotives were so-called tank locomotives, the tanks (lighthouses) of which had a place for water reserve. They were also equipped with ejectors, which could add water from water bodies or wells. Deutz locomotives with two pairs of wheels (Forderbarhnen) were used in the supporting railways of a lighter construction, in some places the Oberursel three-axle locomotives also appear in the photographs. Such locomotives were equipped with an internal combustion engine and used kerosene as fuel. Taking into account their value, the German army took all locomotives out of the territory of Latvia when retreating. Among the wagons, the most common were brigade wagons (Brigadenwagen) with a load capacity of 5 t. They were open-type four-axle semi-wagons that had two two-axle carriages equipped with a handbrake. The use of wagons was universal - people, weapons, cargo, ammunition were transported with them. Sometimes only two carts were used to transport timber, which contained a load of wood between them. Such a solution was considered sufficiently safe for the given operating conditions. Steam locomotives were produced from 1905. until 1919 In German factories Henschel, Borsig, Jung, Krauss, Orenstein & Koppel and others. It is known that after the First World War Latvia continued to operate 70 such locomotives, including other regions. The wagons, on the other hand, were produced from 1894 to 1917 in various companies. After the war, a large part of them were converted from semi-wagons into closed-type wagons for passenger and freight transport. German army wagons were used for passenger transportation until 1962, and for cargo transportation until 1972. Horse-drawn sections used lighter four-axle wagons with a load capacity of 2.5t, as well as various wagonettes, which were called artillery supply railway wagons (Artielerie-Folderbahnwagen). Dulls of simple construction were also used

Track sets were produced to a certain standard mainly in Krupp factories in Germany. The gauge of the rails was 70mm. Track sections were produced both straight and for 30m and 60m radii. The rails and sleepers served for a long time - some of the rural gauge railways used the track material left by the German army throughout their operation. 1946 The report of the Road Service of the Latvian Railways notes that the original rails on iron sleepers are still used in 93.9% of all 600mm railways in operation, but this indicator is 99% in the Viesīte railway network.

After the closure of the narrow-gauge railways, almost all the metal parts of the locomotives and wagons were scrapped, while the tracks were dismantled. Some examples of locomotives and wagons ended up in museums. The last mazbanis ended their activity in 1973, a few years after the official closing of the activity. Quite simple compositions were used for the dismantling of the track - the banītis dismantled itself.

As one of the proofs of the narrow-gauge railway's strong roots in the culture and socio-economic processes of the region, there is the Day of Railwaymen, which is celebrated at the beginning of August at the Visitor Museum "Selia", where people gather in the flower-decorated premises of the locomotive depot, even though trains have not stopped here for more than 50 years.

Today, the evidence of narrow-gauge railways in the region may not be obvious to the uninitiated, but they are many and can still be found. In places, embankments of the lines and also trenches where they crossed lower areas have been preserved. From the Eglaine station in the direction of Ilūkste, there is even an embankment of the supporting railway, which is two horses wide and where wagons were pulled by horses. Parts of the railway line in Pilskalnes Siguldinė have been turned into walking paths. The station buildings have been preserved, sometimes converted into residential buildings, sometimes abandoned, goods sheds. Station names are still visible in some station and stop buildings. Until today, the Varnava station complex is the best preserved. The Selia Museum is located at the Viesite railway junction - it belongs to 1927. the built brick locomotive depot and in 1934 built wooden structure wagon workshop. Also on display here is a preserved Ml-635 steam locomotive, an enclosed freight car and platform, as well as a muffled locomotive and a service car. Mazbānītis can be seen in action in the Ventspils Seaside Open Air Museum, where two operable lines of 1.4km and 3km length have been created from the sections of the original track.