Our locals

Branch lines, or more precisely local railways, were mainly built in the Czech lands between 1880–1914. During this short period, a huge number of predominantly short lines were constructed, bringing the railway to towns and regions that this new means of transport had previously bypassed. A great impetus for the development of local railways was the legislation on local railways, which provided builders with state support and technical concessions. The total mileage of the branch lines eventually exceeded 4,500km. The book Naše lokálky (Our Branch Lines) provides a comprehensive overview of the construction and development of local railways in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. It offers not only basic information about all the lines, their origins, length, construction methods, and eventual closures, but also an insightful look at the operation of local railways in a broader context (financing, operating economics, the most commonly used rolling stock, etc.). This second edition of the popular and long out-of-print publication is being released after more than twenty years and provides updated information regarding the current state of our branch line network.