Hermann Dietler
Hermann Dietler (1839-1924)
1924 Obituary[1]
"The late Dr. Ing. Hermann Dietler.—Dr. Hermann Dietler, who was for many years president of the Gotthard Railway, died in Zurich, on January 24, at the age of 85 years. Born at Breitenbach, Switzerland, on October 31, 1839, he entered the service of the Oron railway, between Fribourg and Lausanne immediately on leaving the Zurich Polytechnikum in 1860. When the Swiss Government decided upon granting a subvention to the Gotthard railway undertaking, then in a difficult position, and advised its reconstruction, Dietler was appointed one of the directors, and by 1882 the line was able to run a night service of express trains which was then a novelty for Switzerland. An acknowledged authority on railway construction and operation, he was a permanent member of the International Railway Congress, and was often consulted by foreign governments. He was also a member of the Federal educational council and took a great interest in the welfare of the Federal Technical High School, into which the Polytechnikum had developed."