Rail zeppelin
| Rail zeppelin | |
|---|---|
 The rail zeppelin on the Erkrath – Hochdahl steep ramp
|
|
| Number: | 1 |
| Manufacturer: | Kruckenberg |
| Year of construction (s): | 1930 |
| Retirement: | 1939 |
| Axis formula : | 1'1'a |
| Genre : | Railcar |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length: | 25,850 mm |
| Total wheelbase: | 19,600 mm |
| Empty mass: | 20.3 t |
| Top speed: | 230 km / h |
| Indexed performance : | 324 kW |
| Wheel diameter: | 1000 mm |
| Drive: | propeller |
The Schienenzeppelin was a by Franz Kruckenberg constructed 1929 railway motor car driven by a wooden aircraft propeller at the stern, so in pusher configuration . The rail zeppelin, which Kruckenberg referred to as the "flight path car", was only built in one copy. He set a world speed record of 230.2 km / h that lasted for 24 years. However, this technology was not pursued any further and the rail zeppelin was scrapped in 1939.
As part of the broad-gauge railway designed from May 1942 to the last days of the Second World War in 1945 on the basis of Adolf Hitler's personal commission , the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin company presented plans for four-story so-called rail zeppelins in 1942 .
history
development
The rail zeppelin designed by Franz Kruckenberg was built in 1930 in the Hanover-Leinhausen railway repair shop . As early as October 18, 1930, the press was able to demonstrate a journey at 182 km / h on the Hanover - Celle railway line.
Record runs
On May 10, 1931, the trajectory car between Plockhorst and Lehrte drove faster than 200 km / h for the first time. The car was then shown all over Germany .
On June 21, 1931, the vehicle covered the 257 km route between Hamburg-Bergedorf and Lehrter Bahnhof in Berlin in 98 minutes (between 3.27 and 5.05) - this corresponds to an average speed of 157.3 km / h. The vehicle driven by Kruckenberg himself set a world speed record between Karstädt and Wittenberge with a top speed of 230.2 km / h that lasted for 24 years.
The vehicle was on display at the later Olympiastadion S-Bahn station until June 25, 1931 .
Conversion to final drive
The railcar was rebuilt in 1932 for Kruckenberg's new project: it was cut through shortly behind the front running gear and got a new head with a two-axle bogie , based on the later railcar 137 155 ; the rear axle was retained. The renovation was completed in November 1932. The aircraft engine was still used, but the drive power was now transferred hydraulically to the axles of the front bogie via two Föttinger fluid gears for each direction of travel. Instead of the propeller, a tip was attached. At the beginning of 1933 the car reached 180 km / h.
At the beginning of 1934, the car was rebuilt for the last time and received a Maybach GO 5 diesel engine . This was used to test the drive of the type 137 155 railcar, which is currently in preparation. In July 1934, the car was on its way from Berlin to Hamburg for the last time and was sold to the Deutsche Reichsbahn for further test runs for 10,000 Reichsmarks in November of the same year . The planned trips did not take place, however, and the rail zeppelin was parked in the Reichsbahn repair shop in Berlin-Tempelhof . On March 21, 1939, the railway departments of the possessed Reichsbahn Transport Ministry that the trajectory car had to be scrapped immediately, because the space in the hall for coal wagons and passenger train - locomotives would be required. Since this was so rotten that it was no longer possible to preserve it in a museum , it was scrapped shortly afterwards.
“While the 'Schienenzeppelin' was being manufactured, we decided, realizing that the economic use of a propeller only begins at around 200 km / h, to introduce the fluid transmission for railcars invented by Professor Föttinger in 1908. We had come to the conclusion that it would be superior to the mechanical or electric drive. In June 1930 we made Professor Föttinger aware of our plan. Working together with him, we soon started designing a machine system with 600 HP and were able to start manufacturing it in our own workshop in April 1932. In August 1932, the 'Schienenzeppelin' was cut shortly behind the front running gear and a new head with a two-axis running gear, containing the Föttinger fluid transmission for both directions of travel, was installed in the company's own workshop. In mid-November 1932 we finished successfully testing the vehicle with the new type of wheel drive. It was not until April 1933 that we were allowed to demonstrate the car on the Reichsbahn operating lines. For the purpose of endurance testing, it passed into the possession of the Reichsbahn in November 1934. "
construction
The use of frames and stringers made of aluminum , which were covered with canvas as the outer skin of the vehicle, made the low empty weight of only 18.6 t possible.
The two-axle car was 25.85 m long and had a wheelbase of 19.6 m A two- or four-blade propeller from. Ash was from a person sitting in the rear twelve-cylinder - aircraft engine of the type BMW VI with a power driven by 500 horsepower. As fuel was used motor gasoline having at least 87 octane. The engine and drive shaft were tilted up 7 degrees to push the vehicle onto the track . The two-bladed propeller was used because it seemed more suitable for higher speeds when traveling at high speed. For the trips of 1930 with the four-blade propeller, 60 liters of fuel were required per 100 kilometers.
disadvantage
One disadvantage of the rail zeppelin was that it could only be used as a single vehicle and it was not possible to form a train. This meant that there were no adjustments to different volumes of travel . Its much higher speed also made it difficult to use the railcar meaningfully on routes that were used by other trains at the same time . An auxiliary drive powered by batteries was necessary for maneuvering . Reverse travel was not possible with the fixed propeller; the rail zeppelin was thus a functional one-way vehicle and required turntables or track triangles to turn. If they were not available, long and cumbersome turning trips were sometimes necessary. The strong current of the propeller and the risk of stones being thrown up were also critical to safety for passengers on the platforms (even when passing through) and passers-by, for example at level crossings. These disadvantages meant that the project did not get beyond the experimental stage.
Models
Several manufacturers made models of the rail zeppelins. Recordings of the real rail zeppelin in motion and the Märklin model were used in the music video Trans Europa Express by the German band Kraftwerk . The model of the rail zeppelins was also shown on the single .
True-to-scale models of the rail zeppelins could not, however, travel on the narrow radii typical of model railways, since at least the original version had no bogies and the wheelsets would tilt. Even the prototype suffered from this problem and had a manually radially adjustable front barrel axis . Drivable models are therefore usually either significantly shortened in terms of both overall length and wheelbase, or they run contrary to the original on two bogies. The models of nominal size 0 , nominal size H0 and nominal size Z from Märklin received a rotating propeller.
Contemporary wooden toys from the Ore Mountains
Märklin- Gauge-0 - spring mechanism model
Lionel model, track 0
See also
literature
- Alfred Gottwaldt : The rail zeppelin. Franz Kruckenberg and the Reichsbahn express railcars from the pre-war period 1929–1939. EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2006, ISBN 978-3-88255-134-1 .
Web links
- Franz Kruckenberg's rail zeppelin (English)
- Franz Kruckenberg Rail Zeppelin (English)
- Text42: Franz Kruckenberg's rail zeppelin
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Press reviews - A new propeller car. In: BMW leaves. BMW AG, November 1930, p. 26 , accessed on December 5, 2019 (quoted from the Münchner Neuesten Nachrichten of Tuesday, October 21, 1930): “The car reached a speed of 182 kilometers.
- ↑ Horst Weigelt : On the history of express traffic on German railways . In: Theo Rahn, Hubert Hochbruck, Friedrich W. Möller (eds.): ICE - train of the future . Hestra-Verlag, Darmstadt 1991, pp. 16-34.
- ^ Closing the gap: German Unity Transport Project No. 2: Spandau - Falkensee section . Berlin, May 1995, p. 11.
- ^ A b Alfred Gottwaldt: The rail zeppelin - Franz Kruckenberg and the Reichsbahn express railcars of the pre-war period 1929–1939. EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2006.
- ^ Franz Kruckenberg: Föttinger and the trajectory. In: Hermann Föttinger Archive. Achim Leutz , accessed on November 9, 2017 (quote taken from the source.).
- ↑ The air screw railcar. A new use for aircraft engines. In: BMW Flugmotoren-Nachrichten. BMW AG, November 1930, p. 20 , accessed on December 5, 2019 (document in the BMW Group archive): "It is pleasing that a BMW engine is once again involved in these first successes with a new means of transport."
- ↑ Old Gauge 0 Lexicon: Märklin SZ 12970, 20 Volt, Schienenzeppelin, Propeller section, accessed on November 15, 2013.