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.....The locomotive “Eagle” sent out a piercing blast on its horn to signal its commencement, causing the platform to shake; this so startled King Ludwig of Bavaria he reflexively grabbed the handrail in surprise. Instantly composing himself, he shot a glance at the surrounding crowd - it is unbecoming of a King to show surprise and vulnerability in public. Fortunately, the surrounding noise and commotion quickly masked his embarrassment. Slowly, the train heaved and began to pick up speed; trees would lazily swim across the windows, as did the dainty houses upon the lakeshore. Again the train let out a bright horn blast, shrouding the passengers in a haze of steam mixed with smoke from the coal-burner engine. Within his heart, Ludwig nurtured a peculiar feeling at this moment. It was a elegant blend of fear and worry with bubbling elation. Praise the English! For they had conceived the iron horse, an intimidating machine capable of moving itself along with passengers and freight. Ludwig looked over to the stern profile of the conductor, Mr. Wilson, whose gazed fixedly at a great distance and clutched expertly at the train’s control lever mechanisms. The sight of man and machine so enthralled the King that for a moment, he became unable to tell apart where the machine ends and the man begins… it truly was an otherworldly sight. “Man and the machine - there truly is something divine within this image, like the ancient chimeras…” His wandering thoughts carried him into the distance accompanied by the rhythmic clapping of the great metal wheels upon the track. “And in the end who knows, perhaps it is not such a bad idea… railroads… it’s an expensive luxury and one won’t haul all that much. For the metal beast eats a great amount of coal, which must then be delivered on horseback from as far as Ruhr… but for the time being, I will make it work.” He still believed the better method to transport goods is by water, across the Ludwig Canal… but experiencing the might of the iron horse gave the King certain doubts. The hardworking “Eagle” train billowed its white smoke into the air and slowly with sure speed pulled its two cars up the grade of a mountain. “And in the end,” thought the King, “without my protection this railroad would not have been constructed in a long time, and I even permitted the use of my name in its naming - ‘the Ludwig South-North Railway’!” He remembered how in the far-off years of the 20s, inspired by the idea of building a self-propelled machine, he sent the young engineer Joseph von Baader to England to study the science of railways. He also recalled how in 1825 the new Parliament spent time discussing the construction project, ending in the authorized building of an experimental railway, the short Nuremburg-Furth Road. He had to pay in addition some 50,000 Guldens out of the treasury because the 132,000 Guilders amassed by George Zachariah Platner were not enough. Again Ludwig gazed through his window - the tracks had banked under the mountain and the locomotive began to pick up speed. Somewhere within, Ludwig sensed a deep enjoyment and thrill towards the act of motion, the machine smell in the air, and the metallic rhythms from the wheels upon the track filling the air with a wonderful resonance. The lovely romanticism of the railroad had gripped the heart of King Ludwig fiercely. “There! It is decided,” he thought, “that tomorrow I will purchase several shares of the Railway Company, for a bright future lies in the nation’s railroads. And just as well, I must order a new Taler to celebrate this wonder of human ingenuity!” Upon resolving his mind through this thought, he lowered the back of his seat and continued to gaze outward at the rolling pastures of beautiful Germany.
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The first railroad in Germany was opened on the seventh of December 1835. It was 6 km in length and joined together the towns of Nuremberg and Furth. Stephenson’s Company in England had built the steam locomotive “Adler” (Eagle) and delivered it to Bavaria along with Mr. Wilson, its conductor. The conductor’s salary at that time was 1500 Guilders per year - this was more than the salary of the Company’s Director. The engine within the train had a horsepower rating of 10 and could move at a speed of 18 kilometers per hour. It had the ability to make 6-7 trips a day. The Nuremberg-Furth trip took approximately 25 minutes by horse-and-carriage and about 15 minutes by train. The price for a ticket was 12 kreuzers. With time, the freight traffic had grown from the transportation of beer and newspapers to general freight and mail in 1840. This resulted in unbelievable profits, although strong competition from horse-powered cars eventually caused business to decline. Ludwigbahn was eventually closed in 1922, and in 1938, the original Furth station was torn down by the Nazi regime to build a square for parades. In the present day, this original road is again open, and the contemporary super-locomotives of the Nuremberg U-Bahn fly according to the old route, as it was 150 years ago when King Ludwig stepped upon the platform for the first time and beheld the newest wonder of the industrial age - the iron horse upon its parallel track.
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German Talers since 1800 by John S. Davenport.
Bavaria, King Ludwig Series (1825 - 1848).
Taler 1835, FIRST RAILWAY .
Davenport 576, KM 779 (410), Thun 68, AKS 135, J.50.
Commemorative - for the opening first steam railway in Germany.
Obverse: Head of the Ludwig I to the right, LUDWIG I KOENIG VON BAYERN. ZEHN EINE FEINE MARK
Reverse: ERSTE EISENBAHN IN TEUTSCHLAND MIT DAMPFWAGEN VON NÜRNBERG NACH FURTH, female figure, ERBAUT and 1835 below.
NGC MS 63+.
28.0600 g., 0.83300 Silver, 0.7515 oz. ASW.
This is another example of the "Historical Talers" of King Ludwig I of Bavaria - to Commemorate the opening of the first steam railway in Germany. This is another high-quality collectible -MS 63+ tier per NGC is well-deserved for this gorgeous coin with clear uncirculated fields, amazing sharp detail of the design and satin luster through the surfaces. Touch of toning gives extra appealing look. Great collectible and investment item!