125 Jahre LEONHARD WEISS: Always looking ahead

Back then, everything was done by hand. There were no machines, you can't compare it with today - people did everything by hand.

Ulrich Weiss, Stakeholder

History

Milestones

Black and white document from 1925 describing the invention and successful realisation of a track curve by LEONHARD WEISS

Inventor par excellence

Leonhard Weiß was quick to respond to his customers' challenges. In 1924, he developed a solution to the problem of narrow track curves: a three-rail curve that minimises wear and prevents derailments.

1931

Black and white image of a Reichsbank note worth 1000 marks

Economic Crisis

In the Great Depression of 1931, Leonhard struggles with debts and closures. A year later, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Over the years, the family was able to pay off its debts. However, the earlier period of existential fear continues to have an effect.

1938

Black and white portrait of Werner Schmidt senior, son-in-law of Leonhard Weiß, in suit and tie

A great legacy

After Leonhard's death in 1938, his son-in-law Werner Schmidt senior and his son Walter Weiss took over the management of the company. Despite military service and the challenges that followed, they successfully continued the legacy of the company's founder.

1938

Black and white photo of the LEONHARD WEISS site in Crailsheim, with two parked cars in front of a simple office building

A second location

In 1938, Werner Schmidt senior and Ottilie Weiß set up a branch in Crailsheim. The company expanded rapidly and created many jobs.

1945

Black and white photo of a lorry with the inscription ‘Leonh. Weiss K.G. Bauunternehmen Göppingen', the loading area of which is being loaded with rubble by an excavator

Pioneering spirit revived

After the war, Walter Weiss modernised the family business with the aid of machinery, thus setting LEONHARD WEISS on the right course for the future.

Workers laying track on the Geislinger Steige, supported by a CAT construction machine and watched by spectators in the background

A big home game – the Geislinger Steige

After the Second World War, the family business took over the maintenance of the challenging Geislinger Steige railway line. The introduction of machinery in the 1950s improves efficiency. The line becomes part of the LEONHARD WEISS identity due to its special features.

Always renewing itself, the Weiss company always moved with the times. It never stood still. Standing still means going backwards. That's what the Weiss company has done. I hope they will continue to have the courage to do so, because then they will be around for a long time to come.

Franz Kreipl, former civil engineering foreman