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The German Railway (Deutsche Reichbahn) by the 1930's had become a very modern transportation system, serving the needs of the country, as well as a acting as throughway for other parts of Europe. It was nationalized by Hitler in 1937. A special protective section known as the Bahnschütz was established using Railway employees. The organization was charged with protecting the Railway system against sabotage, espionage and larceny. The first dagger allegedly worn by this organization was an Army configuration, equipped with black grip. Whether it was actually a Railway dagger is still speculation. Original examples were usually marked with the Robt. Klaas kissing crane logo. The 2nd type worn by the Bahnschütz was a new model introduced in 1937. It is produced of silvered aluminum hilt fittings. The round pommel has a sunwheel swastika on the top. The crossguard features a railway wheel equipped with wings. The scabbard is plated to match, usually being produced with a steel base or sometimes aluminum. The scabbard bands are decoratively lined and the tip has a curled effect. The blade was a plain polished variety.

RAILWAY - 002 - 27172 - 1ST MODEL RAILWAY - ROBERT KLASS

This is a traditional textbook 1st model Railway produced by the Robert Klass firm. The hilt fittings on this example are the generic “b” variety. If you are not familiar with these style fittings, you can see an example which looks just like this one on Page 107 of my Army book. The pommel cap of this example is identical to the book piece and it has 14 oak leaves running around its surfaces. The details are exceptional and there is also background pebbling added. The top of the pommel cap also is in fine condition, having 100% silvering and good, dark patination. The matching cross guard is a beauty. It features great depth to the noble eagle’s head and beak, with very crisp breast feathering, wing feathering, wreath and raised out swastika. This cross guard nicely matches the patination of the pommel cap. The reverse center of the cross guard has some scratching in the middle which could be a combination of letters. It looks like an “x” with an “m” letter within it. This could have been the original owner’s way of identifying his dagger. The ferrule is the same type as we see in the picture on Page 107. The grip is one of the typical Robert Klass black celluloid types. Once you get used to looking at these grips, you will never mistake a “wrong” one for the proper example. The pommel cap goes over the top of the grip instead of meeting it. The sections are distinctive and these Klass grips are slightly longer than the normal Army grip. This example has a nice sheen throughout it and it appears to be in perfect condition throughout. If you look on the inside area where the tang clearance hole appears, you will see some residue of the old white paint still clinging. The scabbard is straight throughout and is also a textbook Robert Klass example. The bands have been nicely hand-enhanced and there are asterisk marks on the ends of both types. You can see these marks on Page 119 of my Army book. The shell of this scabbard is still straight throughout and the silvering is fairly nice. There is a little bit of freckling along the edges of both sides, but there does not appear to be any silvering missing. The throat is a thin variety and it is retained by two flush mount, headless side screws which are located fairly far down on the scabbard. The blade of this example is a pretty nice one. It has all of the cross graining visible in the surfaces and it is mostly bright. There is a little bit of smudge which appears in the surfaces, mostly toward the lower area, but it is not bad and could come out with some work. This blade grades at about excellent plus. The reverse of the blade is stamped with the kissing cranes trademark and beneath the birds is the firm’s name and location “Robert Klass Solingen”. The small size leather washer is in place. A good, textbook 1st model Railway dagger here. This variation has been accepted by the collecting community and continues to increase in value. A good investment here and once you know what these daggers are, they are easy to buy and give you a good feeling that your money is safe and going to increase in value. Excellent Plus. $2,795.00

RAILWAY - 002 - 26616 - FIRST MODEL RAILWAY - ROBERT KLAAS

This is a textbook First Model Railway and it is in good, collectible condition throughout. The hilt fittings are the typical generic variety, the cross guard being the same as I show on Page 99 of my Army book. This cross guard has good, noble eagle which looks to the left. The bird has good detail to his head, beak, breast feathering, open wings, claws, wreath and raised swastika. The silvering is still all there. There is the slightest bit of under-the-surface movement on the reverse, but this is typical of Klaas fittings. No silvering is missing, however, and it should remain for many years to come. The pommel is also matching, having good, crisp rim and no hits whatsoever to the upper surfaces. The standing oak leaves are positioned throughout the pommel’s edge, numbering fourteen all the way around. The inner pommel would have the stem-type thread normally seen matched with the generic “B” cross guard. The ferrule is an excellent example also matching the other fittings. The grip is the standard Robert Klaas variety. It is in good condition throughout, although it does have a minor hairline crack which runs through the reverse area. It is very hard to see this crack and you really have to look hard to notice it at all. It is not threatening in any way and since it is on the reverse, does not hinder the look of the piece. Other than the crack, the grip is in perfect condition and is the longer variety associated with this producer. The scabbard is nice and straight throughout and is the typical Klaas variety. It has fairly good silvering. There are a couple of minor freckled areas toward the bottom portion, but they are not bad and the silvering still is about 98% throughout this scabbard. The bands are the typical Klaas variety, having good hand-veining to the overlapping oak leaves. Each band has the characteristic “asterisk” cut in to the surfaces. These covered the casting flaw left by the original molding process. The throat is retained by two flatter head side screws which are unturned. The blade of this example is an extremely nice one. It feature mirror bright surfaces and has 100% cross graining. This blade is easily in full mint condition. The reverse ricasso is stamped with the trademark of this company, which features two kissing cranes. These birds are positioned over the firm’s official name and location, “Robert Klaas Solingen”. The original black leather washer is in place. A good, solid textbook example here. The minor flaw in the grip is nothing which should put collectors off, as it is not going anyplace and the dagger is priced accordingly.
Excellent Plus Plus. $2,495.00

RAILWAY - 003 - 26890 – 1ST MODEL RAILWAY – ROBERT KLASS

This 1st model Railway dagger is a classic example. The fittings are the generic “b” style and they are shown in my Army book on Page 99. These fittings have good silvering throughout and have developed a nice patination. The pommel has no hits to the rim and the upper surfaces are also still in good condition. The pommel is the style that has a threaded stem inside and has 14 oak leaves around the perimeter with alternating acorns. The cross guard depicts a very noble eagle which shows just a little wear, but the eyes and breast feathering are still crisp. The open wings, talons, wreath and raised out swastika also have outstanding detail. The ferrule is identical to the style I show on Page 99. This fine example is equipped with the classic black Klass celluloid grip. This grip has 9 sections running downward from right to left. It is slightly longer than other standard Army grips and it also has an upper area where the cap tends to go over the top, rather than exactly meeting. This is typical of these Railway daggers. If you look closely inside of this grip, you will see the residues of white paint where once this grip had a different surface. We know that these examples originally served as Army daggers, but with the black celluloid underneath and the fitting criteria used, they have become a legitimate variation. The scabbard of this example is straight throughout and has a later gray style plating. It is equipped with bands which have a fine brass look to them. These bands are the same as I show on Page 119 of my Army book in that they have asterisks engraved into the ends of both. This asterisks were done to conceal the casting flaws. The oak leaves themselves also have hand-enhancing, no doubt done by the same jeweler/engraver. This scabbard is nice and straight throughout and the throat is retained by two flush mount side screws. The blade of this example is still bright and has most of the cross graining in the surfaces. It retains its needlelike tip and is really in a near mint condition. The reverse ricasso is etched with the kissing birds trademark. These birds are positioned over the factory name and location “Robert Klass Solingen”. The original small leather washer is in place. A fine, classic 1st model Railway. These daggers are very difficult to find anymore, and represent a good investment. Excellent Plus Plus. $2,695.00