Eisenbahn und Häfen GmbH


The Eisenbahn und Häfen GmbH is a service company providing rail transportation and associated storage as well as operating the Rhine ports of Schwelgern and Walsum-Süd.
The company is owned by ThyssenKrupp and has its headquarters in Duisburg.

Background - operations

Employing approximately 1,300 employees with around 100 million tons of freight is moved per year, the company is responsible for both railway and port operations, management and maintenance.

Railways

With over 90 locomotives and about 2,000 freight cars Eisenbahn und Häfen GmbH operates in the Ruhr area providing rail transportation to its parent Thyssen Krupp as well as other industrial companies including Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann GmbH, Mannesmannröhren-Werke GmbH, Mittal Steel Ruhrort GmbH and TSTG Schienen Technik GmbH & Co. KG. The primary cargos are steel, coke, iron ore and other steel products such as steel slab and coil.
Within the Ruhr area the network is over 500 km in length, with over a thousand switches. As well as fully operating the railway the company carries out infrastructure maintenance and inspection.
Within individual sites the company uses mainly shunting locomotives such as Krauss-Maffei Class MH 05. The company also has higher powered MaK G 1205 and MaK G 1206 locomotives which are certified for use on Deutsche Bahn AG lines. Other services include the operation of private sidings, rolling stock maintenance, time-sensitive operations and, in association with other freight companies, supra-regional transportation. As part of the services offered EH implements various systems including centrally operated signalling and switches, central radio communications and control, and time-sensitive logistics planning.
EH locomotives and some wagons carry a livery of primary yellow and red with blue numbering.

EH Güterverkehr GmbH

EH Güterverkehr GmbH is a subsidiary company operating as a private rail company on open access lines - in 2006 it transported approximately 7 million tons.

Ports

Together the ports help serve the inward and outward flows of material related to the steel industry the organisation primarily serves. Both ports stock control systems are computerised.

Schelwegern port

The main cargo is imported iron ore and coal brought from overseas via Rotterdam and the Rhine. The iron ore and coal is transported in unpowered barges and unloaded by Gantry cranes onto conveyor belts leading the coking plant at Duisberg via grinding and/or sizing equipment in the case of coal, and to blending equipment or storage in the case of iron ore, both ultimately destined for the steel furnaces of Thyssen Krupp. The unloading systems are monitored, assisted, or controlled by computer, with the bulk flows monitored on an IT system.
Additionally there are loading facilities for granulated blast furnace slag. A total ~22million tonnes of material is handled by the port.

Walsum port

Walsum port handles steel products such as rolled steel. In an area of 260,000m2 there are covered loading sheds for rain sensitive materials, as well as outdoor storage areas and access directly to the banks of the Rhine where two 26tonne cranes operate. Both facilities can be accessed by rail links.
Approximately 2.5million tonnes of steel per year are handled by the port.

Additional facilities

An air controlled warehouse at Beeckerwerth with both road and rail links is operated for the storage of ThyssenKrupp steel products. For the railway workshops equipped for wheel turning as well as general overhaul are held.

History, industrial heritage trail and other recreations

The prehistory of the Eisenbahn und Häfen goes back to 1919, with the first port operations at Alsum and Schelwegern, major growth starting in 1926 with the creation of the Stahlwerke AG. At this time the railway and ports were departments of the group itself. In the post war era the steel operations were split up which negatively affected the operations of railway and ports as well. In 1953 Thyssen began to re-conglomerate.
The Eisenbahn und Häfen forms part of "The Industrial Heritage Trail of the Ruhr" - a regional tourist project, as part of the Duisburg section.

Locomotives

Historically the Eisenbahn und Häfen operated dual power diesel / electrically operated locomotives. Two of these units are preserved one at the museum at Oberhausen Hauptbahnhof another at Westfälischen Industriemuseum Henrichshütte after being withdrawn. Since 2005 the lines are unelectrified.
The Eisenbahn und Häfen uses shunters and light freight locomotives.
TypeBuilderPower UIC classBuild dateNumberComments
EBAThT592Bo'Bo'19421Static display
Unimog 1250 LDaimler Benz92A119931
EDE 1000/500Henschel1000 / 475Bo'Bo'19776Withdrawn 1992. One on Static display
DH 600Henschel450C1962–196517Most withdrawn and scrapped in the 1990s.
DE500Henschel500C1983–19843Inherited from Thyssen Henrichshütte AG in 1993.
DHG700C-FHenschel515C19792Inherited from Thyssen Henrichshütte AG. Sold in 2003 to since scrapped.
MG530CJenbach/KHD390C19653
ED 40tJungBo'Bo'1958–196315Diesel / electric bi-powered locomotive, withdrawn in 1982/3.
ED 80tJung592 / 176Bo'Bo'1955–197162Diesel / electric bi-powered locomotive, many withdrawn
EL 07Krauss-Maffei592 / 176Bo'Bo'19553Withdrawn. One at Westfälisches Industriemuseum since 2003
M 1200 BBKrauss-Maffei1119B'B'1972–19738Primary diesel engine along with MaK 1205 / MaK 1206. Remotorised in 1992
M 800 BBKrauss-Maffei748B'B'1966–19676Ex HOAG, later remotorised
MH 05Krauss-Maffei522C1997–200026Main class of shunting engine.
200PS Krupp162B19571From 1991 to Thyssen Stahl AG for work at Duisburg-Bruckhausen works.
G1205BBMaK1119B'B'1991–199212Certified for main line use
DE501MaK500C1980–19817
G765CMaK560C19932
MBB 1200 NO&K552B'B'19762History as per O&K MC 700 N - inherited in 1994.
MC 700 NO&K397C19782Originally bought by Mannesman AG, later Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann GmbH', both units inherited in 1994
Klv 53Schöma65B19701
G1206Vossloh1500B'B'2001–200714Certified for main line use
Windhoff70B19762Turmtriebwagen

Primary sources