when i was a kid, i used to be a big fan of train models, especially of the german firm Märklin. i used to collect all their catalogs since they were much cheaper then the real thing...one model however was really inspiring, an hybrid between a train and an airship - the Railzeppelin or the Schienenzeppelin.
the real experimental Railzeppelin was designed and developed by the German aircraft engineer Franz Kruckenberg in 1929 and it was powered by an aircraft engine with a huge airplane propeller located at the rear. it was built using an airship construction technology with aerodynamic shape and very light materials. the interior of the railcar was spartan and designed in Bauhaus style.
only one prototype was ever built and in 1931 it exceeded a velocity of 200 km/h for the first time. On 21 June 1931, the train set a new world railway speed record (which was kept until 1954) of 230 km/h on the Berlin–Hamburg line. due to many problems with the prototype and the disagreement between the railway company and the developer, the Railzeppelin never entered in service and in 1939 it was finally dismantled because its material was needed by the German army.
one of the reasons for the failure of the railzeppelin was the danger of using an open propeller in crowded railway stations. kind of a mixer...
only one prototype was ever built and in 1931 it exceeded a velocity of 200 km/h for the first time. On 21 June 1931, the train set a new world railway speed record (which was kept until 1954) of 230 km/h on the Berlin–Hamburg line. due to many problems with the prototype and the disagreement between the railway company and the developer, the Railzeppelin never entered in service and in 1939 it was finally dismantled because its material was needed by the German army.
one of the reasons for the failure of the railzeppelin was the danger of using an open propeller in crowded railway stations. kind of a mixer...
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