Schienenzeppelin

The Rail Zeppelin was one of Franz Kruckenberg in 1929 constructed railway motor car, driven by a wooden airplane propeller at the stern. The Rail Zeppelin, the Kruckenberg designated as " trajectory - Car", was built only in one copy. He set up 230.2 km / h world speed record, which for 24 years had stock.

As part of the May 1942 until the last days of the Second World War in 1945 designed to Adolf Hitler's personal order through broad gauge railway the company Zeppelin airship laid before 1942 plans for so-called four-story rail zeppelins.

History

The constructed by Franz Kruckenberg Rail Zeppelin was built in 1930 in the Kingdom of railway repair plant in Hanover - Leinhausen. The two-axle car was 25.85 m long and had a center distance of 19.6 m. A two - or four-blade propeller made ​​of ash wood was driven by a person sitting in the rear 12 - cylinder aircraft engine type BMW VI with an output of 600 hp. The drive shaft was inclined by 7 degrees upward to push the vehicle onto the rails. The two-blade propeller was used because this seemed better suited for quick trips for higher speeds.

On 10 May 1931, the trajectory of cars between Plockhorst and Taught for the first time went faster than 200 km / h Then the car was shown in Germany.

On June 21, 1931, the vehicle drove on in 98 minutes ( 3:27 to 5:05 clock ) the 257 km long route between Hamburg -Bergedorf and the Lehrter Bahnhof in Berlin. The self-directed by Kruckenberg vehicle presented here between Karstädt and Wittenberg with a top speed of 230.2 km / h world speed record on that for 24 years had stock. This was made possible by its low unladen mass, which was only 18.6 t, it was achieved through the use of frames made of aluminum, which were covered with canvas as a vehicle outer skin.

The vehicle was issued to 25 June 1931 visit later in the S-Bahn station Olympiastadion.

1932, the railcar for Kruck Bergs new project has been rebuilt: He was cut just behind the front drive and got a new style similar to the later railcar 137 155 head with a two-axle bogie; the rear drive axle remained. In November 1932, the conversion was complete. The aircraft engine was operated but the driving force now transmitted hydraulically via two Föttinger fluid transmission in each direction on the axis of the front bogie. Instead of a propeller tip was placed. Beginning of 1933 reached the car 180 km / h

At the beginning of 1934, the car was last renovated and received a type engine Maybach GO 5 This was to test the drive of being prepared railcar type 137 155 In July 1934, the car was the last time from Berlin to Hamburg on the way and was established in November of the same year sold for more test runs for 10,000 Reichsmarks to the German Reichsbahn. However, the planned trips did not take place and the Rail Zeppelin was parked in the kingdom railway repair factory in Berlin -Tempelhof. On March 21, 1939 decreed the railway departments of the State Railway Transport Ministry that the trajectory car had to be scrapped immediately, because the space would be needed in the hall for coal wagons and passenger locomotives. Since this was so rotten that a museum conservation is no longer out of the question, he was scrapped shortly afterwards.

Disadvantages

A disadvantage of the Rail Zeppelin was that the attachment of additional cars or the making of multiple units was not possible. Thus, adjustments were not possible in terms of passenger numbers. Its much higher speed also made it difficult to Zeppelin to good use on routes that are used simultaneously by other trains. For a shunting powered by batteries auxiliary drive was necessary. Reverse rides were with the fixed pitch propeller not possible, the Rail Zeppelin was thus a one-way vehicle and needed adequate infrastructure for turning, including for example turntables or track triangles. Were this is not available, some long and cumbersome rotary trips were necessary. These drawbacks led to the fact that the project did not come about the experimental stage.

Toy models

Several manufacturers produced models of the Rail Zeppelin. Recordings of real Rail Zeppelin in drive and the Märklin model were used in the music video Trans Europe Express the German band Kraftwerk. On the single model of the Rail Zeppelin was also shown.

However Scaled models of the Rail Zeppelin could not drive through the narrow radii typical for model railways, as it was in the original version had no bogies at least and the simple axis would tilt. Even the model was already suffering from this problem and had a steerable front axle. Driving capability models are therefore usually either significantly reduced or prototypical unconstitutional provided with two bogies. The models of the nominal size of 0 Märklin had a rotating propeller.

Märklin ( H0 nominal size )

Märklin track -0- spring plant model

Lionel model, track 0

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