Die Stahlwerke Bochum und ihre Eisenbahn

The production of hoisting ropes for mining led to the establishment of a steel processing company at the beginning of the 20th century, which was expanded in the 1920s under the leadership of the Mining AG Lothringen from Bochum-Gerthe into the Iron and Steel Works (EHW), aiming to compete with the major players in the mining industry. Politically motivated takeovers in the 1930s were followed by separations in the 1940s, resulting in the formation of the Bochum Steelworks (SWB). Throughout the second half of the 20th century, the plant experienced all the ups and downs of the mining industry. By 1989, the universal steelworks had transformed into a specialized plant for electrical sheet metal (EBG), which it remains to this day. The plant received its own factory railway only in the 1920s. The structural change and the transition from steam to diesel traction reached the steelworks around 1960. This book not only traces the history of the factory and its railway with its unique features but also follows the history of locomotives as far as the available sources allow.