List of former German railway companies explained

This list contains an overview of the railway companies in Germany and German colonies that no longer exist. These include railway units that have no independent legal status.

For railway companies in existence today, see the List of German railway companies.

For the chronological order in which the first railways appeared in Germany see the List of the first German railways to 1870.

State railways

State railways (Länderbahnen) in the German Empire (to 1918/1919)

Other state railways before the founding of the Reich in 1871

State railways after 1920

Private railway companies

A–C

D–F

G–K

L–N

O–S

T–Z

Light railways (Kleinbahnen)

(Eigenbetriebe und Privatrechtliche Gesellschaften)(Zahlreiche Kleinbahnen firmierten seit den vierziger Jahren des vorigen Jahrhunderts als Eisenbahnen)

A–C

D–F

G–J

K

L–N

O–R

S–T

U–Z

Railways outside Reich or Federal territory