Baggage handlers and station attendants during the era of the Royal Württemberg State Railroad (K.W.St.E.)—from the bustling platforms in Stuttgart and Ulm to the tranquil stations of the Black Forest and Alb railways—they were the unsung heroes of everyday travel. Wearing blue blouses, with brass badges and leather carrying straps, they shaped the image of our train stations for decades.

Cruiser Stinginess and Suitcase Tricks: Back When Hauling Luggage Was Still the Norm

Did you know that, back in the days of the Royal Württemberg State Railroad (K.W.St.E.), some travelers went to the trouble of camouflaging their suitcases just to save a few kreuzers on the baggage fee?

Behind the strict official fee schedule at Württemberg’s train stations lay far more than just dry bureaucracy. Where regulations met Swabian thrift, heated debates over the exact weight of a travel basket and the smuggling of forbidden tips were the order of the day. The station attendants in their blue uniforms needed not only strong muscles but also strong nerves to navigate the tension between rules and reality.

Discover the most curious anecdotes, the original fare tables, and the little “tricks” of passengers from days gone by!

Here is the original fare schedule from 1881. The old Württemberg guilder (subdivided into kreuzers) had been phased out, and the (gold) mark had become legal tender. The regulations in effect until March 31, 1891, were actually intended to be unambiguous. Reality, however, seems to have been quite different, as the following anecdotes suggest.

This historical document likely comes from a timetable at the Entringen train station. We are grateful to Werner Ruf for sharing this historical document with us.

1. The “Zentner Dilemma” (The Travelers’ Trick)

The Württemberg fee schedule originally made a strict distinction based on weight classes (e.g., up to 20 pounds, up to 50 pounds, over 1 centner). Because weighing luggage on the platform took time, station attendants often estimated the weight. A popular anecdote claims that stingy travelers would disguise their heaviest railway trunks with lightweight wicker baskets. If the porter lifted the supposedly light wicker basket and nearly strained his back, a loud “Kreuzer dispute” would erupt on the platform, during which the station attendant would demand at the top of his lungs that the official station scale be brought out so he could charge the traveler double the fare.

2. The “Horse-Drawn Carriage Sprint”

The fee schedule often applied only within the station grounds—for example, from the train compartment to the cab stand in front of the exit. If a porter crossed this invisible boundary by even a single meter—say, to lift an elderly lady’s suitcase into the carriage—resourceful attendants would immediately demand the more expensive “outside rate.” This regularly led to absurd scenes in which travelers stacked their suitcases precisely at the curb so as not to pay a single Kreuzer too much.

3. The Ban on Tipping vs. Swabian Pub Culture

Officially, royal station attendants were strictly forbidden, under penalty of severe punishment, from charging more than the rate set in the fee schedule or from accepting tips. Of course, the reality in the “Model State” was quite different: To get around the ban, wealthy passengers often expressed their gratitude not with coins, but with a “beer token” for the station restaurant or a “cigar for the trip home.” Officially, this was not considered money and therefore did not violate the royal fare regulations.