Germany device
The Germany device is a hydraulically operated lifting and shifting device for (re) railing (derailed) rail vehicles .
Layout and function
A Germany device essentially consists of the following parts:
- Stable carrier
- Hydraulic lifting cylinder
- (smaller) hydraulic auxiliary cylinders
For railing a vehicle, the carrier is at a suitable location under the vehicle i. d. Usually placed across both rails so that he can transfer the load to the track . The lifting cylinder is positioned on the carrier so that it can lift the vehicle. The small cylinders are used to move the lifting cylinder on the carrier and thus to move the raised vehicle across the track. They are held in place at the ends by matching shaped pieces that can be fixed in holes on the carrier at various points. The hydraulics are controlled by a remote control unit.
Loads can also be shifted over longer distances by cyclically lifting, moving, lowering and moving the lifting cylinder back. In extreme cases, the entire device can also be moved without load.
The individual parts of the Germany device can be carried and assembled by the operating team themselves. Because of its relatively small dimensions, the Germany device can also be used where other devices (e.g. a crane) would not have a workspace or would lead to extreme additional operational disruptions (tunnels, platform tracks, cuts).
The Germany device belongs to the equipment of the relief trains , auxiliary vehicles or road- rail vehicles that are used in railway accidents.
designation
The designation Germany device goes back to the first manufacturer of the device, Maschinenfabrik Deutschland .
Artwork
The Düsseldorf artist Reinhard Mucha exhibited his extensive installation Deutschlandgerät at the Biennale di Venezia in 1990 . In 2002 this was rebuilt in the Düsseldorf Museum K21 , where it could still be seen in 2010. There was an intense argument about dismantling, Marion Ackermann, the new director of the North Rhine-Westphalia art collection .
literature
- Norman Kampmann: Off the track! With the Germany device in the Dortmund depot. In: Eisenbahn-Kurier , 4/2019, April, pp. 66–69.
