Draisine

As a handcar usually four-wheeled or dreirädiges railroad maintenance vehicle is referred to, which, equipped with muscle or with motor drive is used as a support vehicle for the inspection of railway lines as well as for transporting workers and tools.

Recently, disused railway lines of municipalities and / or private companies leased and equipped with hand - or pedal-operated track cars as a recreational device and used for tourism purposes.

History

1837 in Vienna a two-wheeled railway vehicle had been invented as an auxiliary vehicle for railway workers, which ran on a rail and was disgusted with the feet, so much of the then known for twenty years Drais'schen " running machine " was similar. Hence the name handcar was applied to all rail-bound auxiliary vehicles. The two-lane mechanically driven vehicle, which then prevailed only for this purpose, however, really goes back to Karl Drais. In 1842 he tried such a vehicle in Karlsruhe with the approval of the state railways. The drive was carried out by a mechanism which operated the other passengers with their feet. Later, railway workers built from old bicycles partially adventurous companion for this task. Also bike companies like Seidel & Naumann presented Handcars ago.

Best known is the hand lever handcar, a design that was particularly prevalent among American railroads: Standing on a platform drives you forward the vehicle by moving up and down a mounted on a column pumpschwengelähnlichen lever periodically. The force is then transmitted to the wheels by a rocker arm. This guy was and is a commonly used prop in American films, especially in slapstick and cartoons. In the literature it was introduced by Jules Verne ( Around the World in 80 days ), and Edward Gorey is the most important prop in the comic The Willowdale Handcar.

Motor Handcars

Initially, the track cars were used in the maintenance of the small distances (eg by a linesman ). With the introduction of electric operation, the motor track cars were very popular to make repairs to the catenary on the entire network of electrified railways. To this end, they were the ideal traction to bring the so-called rolling ladders as well as light material in place. Later the track cars eg the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB ) were primarily used for simple, lightweight services. Among other things, they were to distribute the pay packets of the marshals ( barrier guards, linesmen, etc.). In more recent times mainly found motor track cars use. This often road vehicles (cars ) have been converted to rail vehicles; this solution was observed more often with simple operating conditions abroad. Often there was also a whole series that were built specifically for the track official purposes.

Motor track cars are available in countless styles and designs. However, they are not - at least in Germany and Europe - railcars in the sense of public passenger transport on a railway track as track cars in terms of design and operational support vehicles and no full-fledged railway vehicles according to railway construction and operation (EBO ) are.

Billard railcar formerly Réseau Breton ( RB) in the Blonay -Chamby (BC )

Railcar KLV 12 DB in the Franconian Museum Railway

Historical jeep, in a railcar rebuilt on the former railway line Lennep - Bergisch Born

Railcar on the former railway line Lennep - Bergisch Born

ÖBB railcar in railway museum Sigmundsherberg

Leisure tourism with Handcars

In Europe disused railway sections are traversed for tourism with bicycle track cars in several countries. In Germany 2009, there were 30 tracks with some 450 kilometers of track that can be traveled on the trolley. Typically tours are offered in the rental operation on disused railway lines. The vehicles are available (for example in Glantal ) either the hand lever Handcars (about the " culture station Ratzeburg " and Aartal ) or simple bicycle track cars.

Three-wheel hand trolley, as is common in North America

SBB railcar Dm 3652 at Kulmerau

The vehicles used are predominantly very simple designs. A new technical development handcar, however, was presented in the district of Reutlingen of a vocational school in 2003. The vehicle has 6 seats, each with a seven - speed hub. The vehicle was used 2006 to Easter Valley Railway, 2007 at the Rossel Valley Railway. In contrast to existing routes a trained driver will accompany passengers as there is a railway line, which is held by EBO.

For the Glantal positive effects of tourism in the region could be detected after the establishment of Draisinenbahn. In Switzerland, although some track cars have been preserved, but it is getting harder to find tracks that are (especially with passengers ) suitable for use. In Lucerne Surental, on the nearly nine-kilometer - Sursee Kulmerau Train, a restored trolley (formerly Swiss Federal Railways ) since 2005 to meet from time to time and can be rented for groups up to eleven people.

Since 2011 is now available in Wuppertal a handcar track that was designed and built by the apprentices of the company Schaeffler Technologies (FAG ) from Wuppertal. A special feature of this vehicle is the switchable gearbox, which was specifically designed to meet without much effort or difficulty to both forward and reverse.

Sports

For several years, for example German trolley days and German championships are conducted in the trolley driving ( in various disciplines ). Also there is a handcar World Cup.

On the Liliputbahn Prater in Vienna organized scout in March 2009 The annual trolley craziest race in the world. Up to 16 teams of two to eight years minimum carnival handle moderately piloting home-made hand lever Handcars to 381 mm gauge.