Home Timetable Situation map Nostalgia trips Gallery Partners Contact OeBB started operations on July 17, 1899 and, with a length of 4 km, is the shortest standard-gauge railway in Switzerland that transports people and goods. At that time the companies Tela Papierfabrik and Von Roll Eisenwerke Klus were already active in Balsthal. Both companies had to transport heavy goods and the roads were in poor condition. For this reason, the railway was built and, above all, as a standard gauge and not a narrow gauge railway. The OeBB is a stock corporation. The main shareholder is the community of Balsthal with 76%. The remaining shares are with companies, communities and, above all, with railroad fans. In 1943 the line was electrified and steam operation was discontinued. The workforce increased from 24 when the company started operations to 42 in 1945. From 1945 the number of employees decreased more and more and in 2001 it reached the minimum number of 9 with the partial changeover from rail to bus. Workforce in 2008: 15 people. The OeBB has the following main businesses: passenger traffic Freight transport Property management Nostalgia business Supervision of waste transfer station and car wash Our network access conditions Tourist information News from 08/03/2015 Trip to the Remisenfest 2015 in Hochdorf on September 5th, 2015 Read the latest news >>> Impressions Enlarge impression >>> Video Drive from the driver's cab between Balsthal and Oensingen Watch video >>> Nostalgic OeBB intro View intro >>>