We are exclusively publishing a technical booklet for the forest-mounted railway (longitudinal profile 0.76 m) Zavidovići – Olovo – Kusače, as of August 8, 1901.
Original title (German): Längenprofil – Arar. Waldbahn: Zavidovići – Olovo – Kusače, Scale – Length 1:5000 – Elevation 1,500, Number 35917 and 48756.
Here you can view the administrative division for maintenance, supervision, and protection (district, municipality, local community – cadastral area).
Additionally, there are station diagrams, forest wings, bridge sketches, data on grade/steepness and curves of the track, tunnels, forest stations, sources, water level gauges, and reservoirs.
For example, according to the entered data from km 0+000 to 3+000, this section administratively belongs to Travnik, and from 3+000 to 118+400, it is under the supervision of Donja Tuzla. The municipalities along the railway line are: Žepče, Maglaj, D. Tuzla, Kladanj, Visoko, and Vlasenica, while the “local communities” – forest sectors (stations, locomotive sheds, freight yards, forest wings, sources, intersections with local roads, etc.) on this route, according to the entered data, are: Zavidovići (station, transshipment station, boiler room), Podkleče, Mustajbašić (water station), Činović (station Kovači, earth ramp, F.P. memorial), Hajdarevići (forest freight yard “Krivaja”, mills, source), Hrge (Stog station, Popov Han, and access forest roads), Gore – Vukovine (forest freight yard “Vozuća”, spring), Ribnica (Ribnica station and forest freight yard “Džinica”, reservoir), Pribrazić (reservoir), Greben, Konjuh (Stipin Han station, access forest road Stjepanov Han), Jelaške, Stojčići, Rijeka (Careva Čuprija station, and forest freight yard “Careva Čuprija”), Kamensko (station Kamensko), Maguljica, Sokoline, Brezica, Čunište (station and forest freight yard “Čunište”, reservoir), Krivaja Rijeka (station Solun, mills, access forest road), Husići (forest freight yard “Bogdanovići”), Glog (20m tunnel), Olovo (station, main road-line Olovo – Kladanj, road to Petroviće, road to mill, transshipment station, boiler room, reservoir), Beliš, Čude (62.60 m tunnel), Petrovići (station and forest freight yard “Petrovići”, land ramps, reservoir), Žeravica (Žeravice station, forest wing, locomotive shed), Nevačka, Pjenovac (forest freight yard “Pjenovac”), Brkovina (station and forest freight yard “Brkovina”, reservoir), Han Pjesak (Han Pjesak station and transshipment station, Podromanija road – Vlasenica), and Kusače (station and forest freight yard “Kusače”, reservoir).
From history: The narrow gauge railway Zavidovići – Olovo – Kusače is 118 km + 300 meters long (according to this document’s data) and was put into operation on June 10, 1902, for freight traffic, and for passenger traffic in 1919. The discontinuation of the railway began gradually: Kusače – Han Pjesak on October 1, 1967; Han Pjesak – Olovo on April 1, 1968; Olovo – Careva Ćuprija on June 1, 1970; and Careva Čuprija – Zavidovići during the year 1973, with passenger trains running up to Ribnica.
The features of the railway are: The elevation height at the Zavidovići station is 211.658 meters above sea level, Olovo 539.896 m, Han Pjesak 1089.370 m, and Kusače 1006.094 meters above sea level. The track gauge is 0.76 meters, the minimum curve radius of the railway is R= 60, and the maximum incline is 25‰. Along the route, intermediate stations are equipped with approach/pass-through visual signals, i.e., a round morse code light outlined in black.
The route of the Šipad forest area railway – Krivaja Basin (1901, Fr) with public traffic (1919) begins at the Zavidovići station and runs along the valley of the Krivaja River to the Olovo station (km 71+800). From Olovo station, the route ascends through the Stupčanica stream valley to the Bjesnica stream mouth and continues along the Pistica stream up to the Han Pijesak water division (km 113+500). From Han Pijesak station, the railway features a gentle decline along the slopes of the Žepa stream down to the Kusače station (km 118+300). The built railway belonged to the Directorate of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian State Railways and was granted a concession for exploitation through separate agreements (forests between the valleys of the Bosna River, Krivaja, and Drina – contract signed in 1899) to the company Eisler & Ortlieb (an Austrian firm J. Eisler & Bruder from Vienna and a German firm Louis Ortlieb from Munich) for 30 years. In 1900, a new twenty-year contract was signed for the exploitation of the forested areas of Trstionica, Zvijezda, and Duboštica. With these agreements, the company exploited a total of 32,300 hectares of forest. Eisler & Ortlieb built a modern sawmill in Zavidovići with a total of 26 gauges powered by 2,400 horsepower, making it one of the largest and most modern installations in Europe at that time.
Maintenance of the track and procurement of the rolling stock were the company’s responsibility. According to data from 1928, the forest area and forest land where the route of this railway was located are: Kladanjski District 71,500 ha, Tuzlanski 162,000 ha, Vlasenički 117,500 ha, and Žepački 63,400 ha. Additionally, in 1899, an agreement was signed with the Hungarian company Gregersen & Sons from Budapest (Gregersen Forest Industry Ltd.) for a fifteen-year exploitation of 19,300 hectares of forests in the Gostović forest area. By 1904, the company had built a network of forest railways (0.76 m gauge) totaling 57 km, of which 37 km were locomotive-powered. By the end of 1918, it had constructed a total of 70 km of track, including 54 km of locomotive-driven track, 12 km of gravity railways, and 4 km of loading sidings. The company owned a sawmill in Zavidovići with 8 installed saws.
Later, branches—offshoots from the main track—were built toward the Drina Basin. These branching offshoots were constructed at different times to exploit various forest districts, and many of them did not have locomotive traction; instead, they used gravity, drums, and horse or oxen-drawn carts. Between 1900 and 1918, 158 km of branch (wing) forest railways, around 1,000 meters of motorized wire rail, 11.5 km of dry rice (dry chutes), and 32 km of forest trains were built. These newly constructed branches enabled the exploitation of large forest areas in Mukat, Debelo Brdo, Kuštravica, Studena Gora, Žepa, and Devetaki. It is worth mentioning that through a special agreement in 1911 (public auction—written bid), in the Visočnik forest area (Vlasenica district), a five-year exploitation contract was awarded to the company Banheyer Josef and son from Vukovar. They built 1.8 km of forest railway with gravity (drums) and 1.5 km of forest road on this contractual territory, and in Han-Kram they established a steam sawmill with 2 gators. The companies that maintained and used this track with its branches—offshoots—were: the Forest Railway Company Eisler & Ortlieb (Waldbahnen der Firma Eissler & Ortlieb) from 1901 to 1918, the Bosnian Forest Industry Eisler & Ortlieb/Zavidovići (Bosnische Forstindustrie Eissler & Ortlieb/Zavidovići) from 1918 to 1934, the State Forest Railway Zavidovići – Olovo – Kusače (DŠŽ-ZOK) from 1934 to 1949, after which it was under the management of PDI Krivaja until its abolition. From 1900 to 1914, the company Eissler & Ortlieb had a fleet of 16 locomotives with a total power of 1,600 HP and 564 two-axle truck wagons, employing about 500 workers and clerks, with a daily throughput of approximately 1,200 cubic meters of wood. Later, branches were built from the main track toward the Drina Basin. These branched offshoots were built at different times to exploit specific forest areas and many lacked locomotive traction; gravity, drums, and horse or ox carts were used instead. From 1900 to 1918, 158 km of secondary (wing) forest railways, about 1,000 meters of motorized wire railway, 11.5 km of dry rice (drum) systems, and 32 km of forest trains were built. These newly constructed branches facilitated the exploitation of large forest surfaces in Mukat, Debelo Brdo, Kuštravica, Studena Gora, Žepa, and Devetaki. It is also worth noting that, by a special agreement in 1911 (public auction—written bid), a five-year forest exploitation contract was granted to Banheyer Josef and son from Vukovar, where they built 1.8 km of gravity forest railway (drums) and 1.5 km of forest road, and established a steam sawmill with two gators in Han-Kram. The companies that maintained and operated this route with its branches—offshoots—were: the Forest Railway Company Eisler & Ortlieb (Waldbahnen der Firma Eissler & Ortlieb), from 1901 to 1918, the Bosnian Forest Industry Eisler & Ortlieb/Zavidovići (Bosnische Forstindustrie Eissler & Ortlieb/Zavidovići), from 1918 to 1934, the Zavidovići – Olovo – Kusače State Forest Railway (DŠŽ-ZOK), from 1934 to 1949, and from 1949 until its abolition, under PDI Krivaja management. From 1900 to 1914, the company Eissler & Ortlieb managed a fleet of 16 locomotives with a total power of 1,600 HP and 564 dual-axle truck wagons, employing around 500 workers and officials with a daily timber transport of approximately 1,200 cubic meters. Finally, it is worth mentioning the unique names and series of the steam locomotives that faithfully operated along this route for seventy years: “Krivaja,” “Trstionica,” “Kusače” (monument in Zavidovići), “Rujnica,” “Breda,” “Bosna” (monument in Rajlovac), “Bioščica,” “Han Pjesak,” “Olovo,” “Bimba,” “Drina,” “Žeravica,” “Vera,” “1st May
We invite you to browse the gallery of photographs and scanned historical documents that offer a wealth of information about the construction of the railway from 1901, and share with us the excitement we feel while working on such valuable historical projects.
Please note that the archive material on this website is owned by the web portal vremeplov.ba and must not be published or reused without explicit permission.
