On January 1st 1922 the area of Upper Silesia has been divided between Poland and Germany. The new state border divided the tram system into two separate parts and crossed the Schlesische Kleinbahn tram lines at seven points:
To regulate all aspects of life in the divided region, on May 15th 1922 in Geneva Polish and German delegations signed The Polish-German Upper Silesian Convention. Among other matters the Convention regulated the division of the tram system and future international services. It also confirmed the decisions taken before - since January 1st 1922 the German part of the system was managed by ODS, while the Polish part by OKEW. Schlesische Kleinabahn AG was still the owner of both companies. According to those decisions ODS handed over to OKEW 50.2 km of tracks (in Ruda Slaska, Swietochlowice, Chorzow, Katowice and Siemianowice), 70 tram cars, and the depots in Lagiewniki and Wirek. In return ODS received a short part of Bytom - Swietochlowice line in Bytom (2.7 km) and 5 cars. After the division ODS owned two tram depots in Gliwice and Rozbark (both with workshops) as well as two railway workshops in Trynek and Rudy, 45.2 km of tracks (of 92.7 km before division) and 65 tram cars (of 130 before division). OKEW owned five depots - in Lagiewniki (with workshops), Wirek, Chorzow Batory (with workshops), Park Kosciuszki (with workshops) and Szopienice, 83 km of tracks (35.5 km before division) and 135 tram cars (70 before division). The lengths above include tracks on passing loops, in depots and probably on two existing double track lines - today's 3 Maja Street in Katowice (0.5 km), and today's Zwyciestwa Street in Gliwice (ca. 1.4 km). |
 Since the beginning of 20th centrury Katowice slowly turned to a capital town of the region. Above, the main railway station, built in 1906. |
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The Convention described the international service in a very detailed way. All lines crossed by the border were supposed to continue operation with customs control on the border. On two lines exterritorial service was introduced - a service between Zabrze and Bytom (both towns in Germany) operated through Polish Kuznica Rudzka and a service between Chorzow and Piekary (both in Poland) operated through German Bytom. Unfortunately the Convention was not respected very strictly - due to the length of customs controls, before 1926 all international services ceased. Passengers crossing the border had to get off the tram, pass through the customs on foot, and then board another tram on the other side of the border. The only exceptions were the two transit lines - the one passing through Kuznica Rudzka lasted till 1930 when new standard gauge tracks went round the little town; the transit line in Bytom closed down in 1937 when the Convention expired (which caused abandonment of the line to Piekary Slaskie). |
 Customs control in a tramway on the irrational Polish-German border. |
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Until July 1st 1925 Schlesische Kleinbahn AG managed both ODS and OKEW. On that day the exploitation agreements were broken. At the same time SK signed a contract with a new company - Slasko-Dabrowskie Kolejowe Towarzystwo Eksploatacyjne sp. z o.p. (SDKTE, Silesian-Dabrowian Railways Exploitation Company). This new concern exploited existing tram lines that belonged to OKEW before and the only line belonging to SK (Katowice - Kosciuszki Park). After opening the tram system in Dabrowa Coal Basin, SDKTE exploited it as well. In the German area the tram system went under sole management of ODS, which changed its name to Oberschlesische Uberlandbahnen GmbH (OUB, Upper Silesian Regional Railways). In 1930 OUB was liquidated, a year before its shares were taken over by a new company - Verkehrsbetriebe Oberschlesien AG (VBO, Transport Authority Upper Silesia), which operated until 1945. The most important events of the 1922-39 period were re-gauging the split SK system from 785 mm to 1435 mm and opening a new system in Dabrowa Coal Basin. |
 In 1928 the re-gauging process began.  A narrow gauge passing loop in Gliwice. |
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In German Upper Silesia Between the wars Oberschlesische Dampfstrassenbahn (later Oberschlesische Uberlandbahnen - OUB and Verkehrsbetriebe Oberschlesien - VBO) did not build too many new lines and focused on re-gauging its system. On the contrary, Stadtische Strassenbahn Beuthen (SSB), whose system was standard gauge since its beginning, nearly tripled the system's length. In the end of 1925 an extension of line Bytom - Miechowice through Rokitnica to Wieszowa was opened. Two years later SSB expanded its system eastwards - from the Market Square in Bytom through Pogoda (crossing the existing narrow gauge line) to a newly opened mine - Bleischarleygrube (later named in Polish ZGH Orzel Bialy). In 1928 a branch line from Rokitnica to Helenka was opened. All the lines were single-track. In 1926 OUB decided to buy new rolling-stock. 10 new cars called Lauchhammer were bought. Just two years later the works on re-gauging the tracks began, so in the 1930s some of the new cars had their gauge changed, others were sold to SK along with some Walkers. The works of re-gauging the tracks started in 1927. Since September 17th 1928 first standard gauge tram serviced the line Gliwice - Zabrze, which became the first standard gauge line of the original Schlesische Kleinbahn system (built before 1910). Along with re-gauging slight deviation of the line's course was done. The rails in today's Traugutta Street were dismantled and new ones were laid on today's Zabrska Street. A short extension from the present day Puszkina Street to Wojtowa Wies was opened. Other minor deviations were done as well (leaving an abandoned narrow gauge passing loop on Gornych Walow Street which still exists), though the narrow gauge line from Trynek to the main railway station remained unchanged until 1940. As on the Polish side, new rolling stock was ordered from Hansa Waggonfabrik (22 Bremen motorcars, 27 matching trailers and 1 works car). Also in 1928 the line Zabrze - Poremba (state border) was re-gauged. Two years later the line Zabrze - Bytom changed its gauge. All the lines mentioned above gained a second track. The re-gauged line to Bytom went around Polish Kuznica Rudzka to avoid the custom controls in the trams. Since then Kuznica Rudzka has had no tram line, and the line Zabrze - Bytom runs 3 km through empty fields between Biskupice and Bobrek. In Bytom the re-gauging was done between 1931 and 1936 and it included the centre and all short lines between the centre and the state border. In 1936 the re-gauging process on the German side was finished. The tracks in the centre of Bytom went through a reorganisation - a big loop was constructed, reaching the railway station. The main terminus was located on Sikorski Square, and even today it is the largest and one of the busiest termini on the system. Since the Polish exterritorial line Katowice - Chorzow - Bytom - Piekary was still narrow gauge, in the area of Bytom it had to be changed to three-railed. Service on the exterritorial line stopped in 1937 when the Upper Silesian Convention expired. The third rail was dismantled. |
 LHB-Gorlitz car in detail.  In 1926 10 new narrow gauge cars (Lauchhammer Type) were bought by OUB.  Unusual VBO works car in depot Rozbark.  A set of brand new Bremen cars in the depot Gliwice.  After the re-gauging the Walker cars went out of use. |
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On March 5th 1931 for the first time an express service was opened between Gliwice and Bytom. It had no number (numeration was introduced in VBO about 1926), instead it carried letter 'E' (as German 'Eilzug' - express train). Since there was no straight connection (and still there is none) Line E had to change direction in the centre of Zabrze. There were only five stops along the route and the journey time between Gliwice and Bytom decreased to 44 minutes. Special, 'luxurious' rolling stock was bought from Linke Hoffman Busch works (later PaFaWag, now owned by Bombardier) in Breslau (Wroclaw). New cars had four axles on two bogies, a centre entrance and two pantographs. When not on the express line, they were used with one or two Bremen trailers, mostly on Line 5. In 1934 the authorities of Zabrze started construction of a new line starting at the other tram lines junction in the centre of the town and leading northwards to the railway station in Mikulczyce. It was opened on July 4th 1934. On February 23rd 1936 it was extended southwards to the Guido coal mine. This new (7.5 km long) line belonged to Stadtische Strassenbahn Hindenburg (SSH, Zabrze Municipal Tramways), but the exploitation was handed to VBO. In 1937 VBO exploited 38.4 km of tramlines. SSB exploited 18.2 km. VBO lines in 1937: 1 Wojtowa Wies - Gliwice (railway station) 2 Trynek - Gliwice (railway station) 3 Mikulczyce - Zabrze - Guido (SSH line exploited by VBO) 4 Gliwice (today's Zygmunta Starego Street) - Zabrze - Zaborze - Poremba (state border) 5 Zabrze - Biskupice - Bobrek - Szombierki - Bytom (exterritorial line until 1930) 6 Bytom - Lagiewniki (east) (state border) 7 Bytom (Pogoda) - Szarlej (state border) 8 Bytom - Szombierki (state border) 9 Bytom - Lagiewniki (west) (state border) E Gliwice - Zabrze - Bytom (express line) SSB lines in 1937: I ZGH Orzel Bialy - Bytom - Karb - Miechowice - Rokitnica - Wieszowa / Helenka II Karb - Dabrowa Miejska In 1930s for the first time VBO and SSB systems were connected, by a short track in Bytom-Pogoda. |
 LHB car as Route E.  Bremen cars servicing SSH line on Wolnosci Sq. in Zabrze.  Depot Gliwice after re-gauging.  Zwyciestwa Street, Gliwice.  SSB's tram on the Market Square (Rynek) in Bytom. |
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In Polish Upper Silesia Similarly to German OUB/VBO, its Polish 'twin', Schlesische Kleinbahn, did not built a single new line, focusing all the efforts on the re-gauging of the tracks, instead. List of SK routes (serviced by SDKTE) in 1926:
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 The Market Square (Rynek) in Katowice before re-gauging.  An open ('summer') narrow gauge trailer.  A Walker car with trailer in SK livery. |
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In 1928 Schlesische Kleinbahn changed its name to Slaskie Kolejki SA (Silesian Local Railways - the change was just a translation to Polish). Total length of the tracks was 76.8 km. No new tracks were built in the Polish part of Upper Silesia in the 1920s. Instead, the idea of re-gauging the tracks to 1435 mm was brought back to life. The narrow gauge made the ride rather uncomfortable (the cars were 'swinging' during the ride), and the conservation of motors very difficult. Besides, the company planned to add a second track on the most busy lines. The works started in 1926. The first re-gauged line was Katowice - Szopienice (double track), opened on November 17th 1928 (this allowed connection with the newly opened system in Sosnowiec). To operate re-gauged lines new rolling-stock was needed. 24 motor cars and 9 trailers were ordered in 1927 from Hansa Waggonfabrik factory in Bremen. New trams, called Bremen, were short two-axle cars with a capacity of 85 people. Soon the re-gauging continued in both directions. On October 11th 1929 line Szopienice - Myslowice (single track) was opened. The line to Chorzow Batory was re-gauged (and provided with second track) in two stages: Katowice - Zaleze on September 21st 1929, Zaleze - Chorzow Batory on October 27th 1929. Between 1929 and 1931 a new depot in Chorzow Batory was built (the oldest currently functioning one in Silesia) and the old one dismantled. Exploitation started in August 1930. For a short time the new depot was double-gauged (785/1435 mm). Evidence - a short part of a three-rail track - is still visible in the workshop. In 1930 short line from Chorzow to Swietochlowice was re-gauged (as single track). In the same year (on December 30th) two more lines were opened after re-gauging: Chorzow Batory - Chorzow and Chorzow Batory - Swietochlowice - Piasniki (double track between Chorzow Batory and Swietochlowice). The following standard gauge lines were opened in 1931: Piasniki - Lagiewniki (state border) on October 31st and Swietochlowice - Wirek on December 11th (both single track). Next year the works were halted due to the effects of global financial crisis. Altogether 47.5% of the total track length was re-gauged (ca. 36 km, of which about 20 km was double track). |
 A Bremen type trailer.  A short triple gauge track in the Chorzow Batory depot.  A set of Bremen cars in Swietochlowice. |
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In January 1931 the numeration system was introduced: 1 Katowice - Kosciuszki Park service every 10 minutes (standard gauge) 2 Sosnowiec - Szopienice - Katowice - Chorzow Batory - Chorzow service every 20 minutes (standard gauge) 3 Katowice - Welnowiec - Siemianowice service frequency unknown(narrow gauge) 4 Chorzow - Piasniki - Chebzie - Ruda Poludniowa (state border) service every 30 minutes (narrow gauge) 5 Chorzow - Chorzow Stary - Siemianowice service every 30 minutes (narrow gauge) 6 Katowice - Dab - Chorzow - Lagiewniki (state border) service every 15 minutes (narrow gauge) 7 Myslowice - Szopienice - Katowice - Chorzow Batory - Swietochlowice - Lagiewniki (state border) service every 20 minutes (standard gauge) 8 Lipiny - Chropaczow - Lagiewniki (state border) service frequency unknown (narrow gauge) 9 Chorzow - Swietochlowice - Wirek + Wirek - Chebzie - Godula (state border) service every 30 minutes (standard and narrow gauge) 10 Katowice - Dab - Chorzow - Lagiewniki - Bytom - Szarlej - Piekary Sl. (exterritorial line) service every 2 hours (narrow gauge) 11 Piekary Sl. - Szarlej (state border) service frequency unknown (narrow gauge) 12 Chorzow - Chorzow Batory - Swietochlowice - Piasniki service every 20 minutes (standard gauge) 13 Chorzow - Swietochlowice service every 30 minutes (standard gauge) 14 Katowice - Chorzow Batory - Wirek service every 30 minutes (standard gauge) |
 Service no. 7 in Swietochlowice.  A set of Bremens in the centre of Katowice.  Narrow gauge Walker on a border crossing in Lagiewniki. |
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For the first time in the history of Silesian tramways, night service was introduced. From February 1st 1932 the route Chorzow - Swietochlowice - Chorzow Batory - Katowice - Szopienice - Sosnowiec was served every hour during the night. After May 1932, due to lack of passengers the service between Katowice and Sosnowiec was suspended. The shortened line functioned until the outbreak of World War II. Since the works on re-gauging the tracks were almost complete on German side, and in Polish Upper Silesia the narrow gauge was still in use, about the middle of 1930s VBO sold some narrow gauge cars to SK - that included Walkers, and some of Lauchhamers bought by OUB (later VBO) in 1926. In 1937 the Upper Silesian Convention expired. German authorities refused prolongation of exterritorial service through Bytom to Piekary Slaskie. Lines 10 and 11 were suspended and in short time the narrow gauge line between the border in Rozbark/Szarlej and Piekary Slaskie was dismantled. The total length of the tracks decreased and in 1939 amounted to 74 km. In 1938 Warsztaty Naprawcze Huty Krolewskiej (Mending Workshop of Royal Steelworks) in Chorzow started production of tram cars. Their first trams were of Bremen type, built under Hansa Waggonfabrik license for SDKTE (10 motor cars and 11 trailers servicing SK system, and 4 motor cars for TEZD system). Another car type was an interesting project based on Bremen called Chorzow. Unfortunately only eight Chorzow cars were built. After the World War II the Workshop separated from the steelworks and changed its name to Mostowagon, later to Konstal, and since the beginning of 1950s became the main Polish tram manufacturer. |
 A German standard gauge Bremen hauling a narrow gauge Walker (sold to SK) on a platform.  Lauchhammer Type car in Polish service.  A Chorzow type car. |
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In Dabrowa Coal Basin On October 20th 1912 a group of investors from Lodz (central Poland) turned to the authorities of Sosnowiec with a proposal of building a new tram system in the town and its surroundings. There was another proposal made by a Russian company from St. Petersburg. The first proposal was two lines: one from Piaski through Milowice and Sosnowiec to Srodula, and another one from Zagorze through Srodula and Sosnowiec to Modrzejow. The other proposed just one line: from the centre of Sosnowiec to Modrzejow and Niwka. Both projects were sent to the Department of Railways in the Russian Ministry of Finance and the proposal from Lodz was accepted on May 29th 1914. Two months later World War I broke out and the plans failed. After the war, on April 9th 1919 a company from Warsaw - Sila i Swiatlo SA (Power&Light) turned to the towns of the Basin and to the local government in Bedzin with a proposal for construction of a standard gauge tramway system. After three years, on April 5th 1922, an agreement was signed on the strength of which the local government and the authorities of Sosnowiec, Bedzin, Dabrowa Gornicza and Czeladz founded a new company named Towarzystwo Tramwajow Elektrycznych w Zaglebiu Dabrowskim sp. z o.p. (TTEZD, Company of Electric Tramways in Dabrowa Coal Basin) based in Bedzin. After four years of preparations on February 26th 1926 the licence was handed over to a company that was going to run the operation of the system - Tramwaje Elektryczne w Zaglebiu Dabrowskim SA (TEZD, Electric Tramways in Dabrowa Coal Basin) based in Sosnowiec. First works at the depot construction site (in Bedzin, the present day Kollataja Street) started in the middle of 1926. The tracks were laid in 1927-28, mostly separately from the streets (standard gauge; single tracks with passing loops). Electricity was provided by a power plant in Bedzin, founded in 1913, through two substations in Bedzin and Sosnowiec. The rolling stock (bought in 1927) was 14 four axle motorcars and 16 four axle trailers, all imported from the English Electric company of Preston, Lancashire. The first service was opened between Sosnowiec and Bedzin on January 18th 1928, followed by other parts of the system in the same year: on February 11th service between Bedzin and Dabrowa was inaugurated, July 14th was the first day of line Sosnowiec - Szopience operation, on October 31st a short extension in Dabrowa was opened (to a suburb called Reden). It is important to notice that in 1928 the railway viaduct in the centre of Sosnowiec (today's Pilsudskiego Street) was still under construction, and until March 2nd 1931 the lines to Szopienice and to Bedzin were not connected to each other. On January 27th 1929 fisrt tram came from Bedzin to Czeladz. In 1931 the numeration of lines was introduced (shared with Silesian trams under SDKTE): |
 An English Electric car on Malachowskiego Street in Bedzin. |
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21 Sosnowiec - Bedzin - Dabrowa - Reden 22 Sosnowiec - Bedzin - Czeladz 23 Sosnowiec - Szopienice In 1933 construction of a new line in Sosnowiec started. Between December 12th 1933 and December 22nd 1935 the line was opened in three stages. It started near the steel mill in Milowice, went through centre of Sosnowiec and ended on Okrzei Street near Srodula. The service was given number 24 and was mostly served by Bremen Type cars produced in Chorzow. Line number 23 was suspended during the 1930s. Instead, SK's Line 2 operated between Chorzow and Sosnowiec through Chorzow Batory, Katowice and Szopienice (since 1931). In 1937 the total length of the TEZD system was 25.5 km. |
 A Bremen car under the railway viaduct in Sosnowiec (built in 1931). |
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Buses appear First regular buses in Upper Silesia started operation about 1920 in the German part of the region (although there are known cases of regular horse-drawn omnibus services at least in 1914). First organized bus systems appeared around 1925/26 in Gliwice, Zabrze and Bytom. Each town had its own bus system, not connected with other ones. The systems were complementing the tram system, though most probably separate tickets were used. In the Polish part, an international service between Katowice and Bytom was opened in 1927 by SK. Before, there existed private bus services, but there was no organized system. SK and other private operators did not expand the bus service though,and in 1929 a municipal union called Slaskie Linie Autobusowe (SLA - Silesian Bus Lines) was created by the municipalities of Katowice, Chorzow, Siemianowice and Bielsko. In a very short time SLA developed a wide system covering most of the Polish part of region and establishing services to distant towns like Bielsko, Wodzislaw or even Krakow (Cracow). Unfortunately due to high competition on similar routes, the bus system was a serious threat for the trams, and SK's incomes decreased drastically. In Dabrowa Coal Basin a bus service was started by TEZD in 1937. It was not so wide, since its aim was to complement the tram system, not to compete with it. The total length of all tram systems in Upper Silesia before the outbreak of World War II was almost 165 km (SK - 74, VBO - 38.4, TEZD - 25.5, SSB - 18.2, SSH - 7.5). That does not include the 50 km long Trynek - Raciborz local railway line. |
 A tram and a bus on today's Jana Pawla II Street in Gliwice. |