Uerdingen railbus
DB VT 95.9 DB 795 | |
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standard gauge |
DB VT 98.9 798 | |
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standard gauge |
The Uerdingen railbus (German: Uerdinger Schienenbus) is the common term for the
The majority of these vehicles were built by the Waggonfabrik Uerdingen. However, due to the large numbers ordered, vehicles were also made by other coach builders such as
The railbus, much loved by passengers, was also nicknamed the Rote Brummer (Red Buzzer) because of the loud noise it made when driving. In North Germany the railbus was also often known as the Ferkeltaxe (Piglet Taxi).[1] Amongst railway fans it was also called the Retter der Nebenbahnen (Branch Line Saviour).
Classes
Prototypes
In 1950 the Deutsche Bundesbahn placed twelve single-motored prototypes in a total of three different models; eleven units had a wheelbase of 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in), the twelfth had a wheelbase of 6.0 m (19 ft 8 in), which became the standard on the production vehicles. They were braked using a foot brake and had double doors. The prototypes were given operating numbers VT 95 901 to 911 and 912, the latter was soon renumbered to VT 95 9112 because of its longer wheelbase. Suitable trailer cars were also placed in service.
VT 95 series (Class 795, single motor)
The VT 95.9 was developed based on the experience gained with the prototypes and was delivered in 1952 by
Its furnishings are very simple and resemble those in a bus (hence the name Schienenbus or railbus): one large open coach shared also by the engine driver, seats which can be folded two-ways depending on the direction of travel and simple lighting from bare light bulbs with no covers. The production vehicles were braked using a driver's brake valve.
The vehicles had a
15 VT 95 railbuses and 15 VB 142 trailer cars were delivered to the railways in Saarland in 1956. They were painted in DB red livery with the inscription SAAR. On the annexation of the Saarland into the Federal Republic of Germany these railbuses were taken over by the Bundesbahn.
In 1968 the vehicles were reclassified into Class 795 (power car) and Class 995 (trailer car).
Contrary to usual operating practice the VT 95 could also be coupled to two VB 142 trailers.
VT 98 series (Classes 798 and BR 796, two motors)
The VT 98.9 evolved from the VT 95.9 which, with its single motor, was too underpowered for many lines. The VT 98.9 was therefore fitted with two driving motors. Because this variant of the railbus was fitted with normal buffer and screw couplings, it could haul other types of wagon or be placed at the end of other trains hauled by other locomotives.
Büssing Type 10 underfloor motors were installed in all units, the same engine as those on the Büssing Type D2U double-decker buses used in Berlin. The six-way gearbox was supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen.
In addition to the 329 power cars, 220 VB 98 trailer cars with luggage compartments, 100 VB 98s without luggage compartments and 321 VS 98
A few VT were modernised and were given a special white and mint green livery. These railbuses worked in Chiemgau (Aschau–Prien), as did the vehicles of the Ulmer Spatz. Otherwise the railbuses were painted in red, the typical DB colour for motive power units.
In 1988 47 power cars, 23 trailer cars and 43 driving cars were converted for one-man operation. They were given pneumatic door-closing equipment and a ticket counter for the engine driver. These railbuses were redesignated as Class 796.
Special class VT 97.9 (Class 797, rack railway vehicle)
Eight power cars were designed as rack railway engines and designated as Class VT 97.9; the six driving cars as VS 97 001 to 97 006. Their top speed climbing uphill was 15 km/h on the rack section, otherwise it was 90 km/h (56 mph). The VTs were used on the Honau–Lichtenstein rack railway in the Swabian Jura and, from 1964 to 1965, VT 97 901 was even employed in goods duties on the Passau–Wegscheid line due to the lack of suitable locomotives. After the closure of rack railway routes the cogwheel drive was removed. The vehicles were once more designated as VT 97.9 or from 1968 as 797. Their area of operations included the branch line from Göppingen to Boll (the Voralbbahn), until this line was closed on 27 May 1989.
Operations with the Deutsche Bahn
Passenger services
These railbuses were used on almost every branch line and for feeder services on many main lines in the Deutsche Bundesbahn and from 1994 Deutsche Bahn network.
Its last regular work on passenger services with the Deutsche Bahn AG finished in 2000 at
Departmental vehicles
Many Uerdingen railbuses were converted into railway
Other converted Uerdingen railbuses are sometimes used today as cars for rail testing, track measurement and LZB measurement, and as tool vans or signalling maintenance vehicles.
Museum vehicles
Many of these robust and well-loved railbuses were sold to railway societies and museums, and are still working today in museum duties.
For example, railbuses are still used by the Deutsche Bahn, even if the actual vehicles are provided by railway societies. One multiple is painted in
Other vehicles are in service with the:
- Bochum-Dahlhausen Railway Museum,
- Passau Railway Society (Passauer Eisenbahnfreunde),
- German Steam Locomotive Museum,
- Bavarian Railway Museum,
- Upper Hessian Railway Society (Oberhessische Eisenbahnfreunde e. V.),
- Historic Railway, Frankfurt,
- Alme Valley Forest Railway (Waldbahn Almetal),
- Railbus Society (Hönnetaler Eisenbahnfreunde),
- Rodachtalbahn from Steinwiesen to Nordhalben.
- Cologne-Bonn Railway Society (Köln-Bonner Eisenbahn-Freunde or KBEF)
- South Limburg Steam Train Society (Zuid-Limburgse Stoomtrein Maatschappij)
- Zollernbahn Railway Society (Eisenbahnfreunde Zollernbahn)
- Seelze Railbus Society (IG Schienenbus Seelze or ISS)
Uerdingen railbuses are also owned by the
- Nuremberg Transport Museum - one VT 95 rake and one VT 98 rake,
- Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin- a VT 98 exhibit,
- Historic Motor Locomotive Working Group (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Historische Brennkraftlokomotiven) - a steel-sprung VT 98,
- Honau-Lichtenstein Rack Railway Society (Freunde der Zahnradbahn Honau–Lichtenstein) - two VT 97s,
- Hamm Railway Society - one of the few still working VT 95 railbuses on long loan to the Freundeskreis für Eisenbahnen, Münster,
- DGEGat Bochum-Dahlhausen - a VT 95 in extremely poor condition after a shunting accident,
- Pfalzbahn GmbH - 2 VT 98, 1 trailer and 1 driving car with office.
Gallery
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Uerdinger Schienenbus (prototype) in Bois de Rodange
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A class VT98.9 at Hückelhoven in 1970
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A VT 98 on the harbour railway in Frankfurt
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The VT 98 on the Kasbach Valley Railway at Linz am Rhein
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The control panel of a VT 98
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798+998 pass Dürrenwaid stop on the Kronach–Nordhalben railway
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VT 98 (VT 3.09) of the AKN at Uetersen
German private railways
Many private railways have bought second-hand Uerdingen railbuses from the Deutsche Bahn. The Hersfelder Kreisbahn procure new ones, though, including a three-unit set with rubber corridor connectors and gangways. Used cars of this type were employed, inter alia by the Elbe-Weser Railway and Transport Company and the AKN Railway for local services.
In 1993 the Düren Kreisbahn (DKB) bought ten VT 98, modernised them, painted them blue and white and placed them in service on the Rurtalbahn until their duties were subsumed by RegioSprinters in 1995. The Vt 203 was sold by the Düren Kreisbahn to the Hümmlinger Kreisbahn museum railway. The museums is refurbishing the railbus to make it operational again, giving it the DB number 798 514, and will work it between Werlte and Lathen.
Other second-hand VT 98s were bought by the
Export
- Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) bought ten prototype power cars with trailers. One set is used as a museum train at the museum railway of the Industry and Railway Park Fond-de-Grasin Luxembourg.
- Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) also used these railbuses, the 5081. These were also procured by the Montafonerbahn Bludenz–Schruns and the Graz-Köflach Railway. After buying a small batch they were made under licence by Simmering-Graz-Pauker and the Jenbacher Werke.
- Other vehicles were delivered to SFRY), where they were known as the Šinobus or JŽ class 812. Originally 40 were imported German railbuses, while 270 units were produced under licence by GOŠA. These vehicles were inherited by their successor companies (see the HŽ series 7221). Several were still used regularly until 2016 in Serbia. (see the ŽS series 812)
- Several multiple-units were delivered to Spain.
- Turkish State Railways(TCDD) as RM3000.
- Uruguay: Units retired by the Deutsche Bahn were sold to the State Railways Administration of Uruguay in sucesive lots starting in December of 1980 and ending in 1982, the complete stock was composed of at least 18 VT 795 powered units, 12 VB 995 trailer cars, 13 VT 798 powered units, 17 VB 998 trailer cars and 1 VS 998 Trailer cab; The stock was adquired to replace the aging fleet of Brill 60 motorcars, vehicles with two boogie with two axles for middle and long distance services and so the Railbus were put in inmense mechanical strain in badly conserved tracks at high speeds generating rejectment of both Rail workers and passengers including complains of the intense heat generated in Uruguay's warm and humid summers; In the following years following the suspension and restoration of passenger services in Uruguay resulting in a reduction of the services almost all Uerdinger Railbuses were scrapped following minor mechanial faillures until by early the 2010s only 4 VT 795 units had a complete powetrain and only one of them worked regularly until 2012 where it was sent to storage alongside the other 3 units
Successor
The Uerdingen railbus's successor from the end of the 1980s was the
See also
- KiHa 01/03: Japanese derivative; largely based on VT98.
References
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2016) |
- ^ Silberling und Bügeleisen: 1000 Spitznamen in Transport und Verkehr und was dahinter steckt by Richard Deiss (2010), pp. 102-103. Retrieved 4 Oct 2015.
Sources
- Rolf Löttgers: Der Uerdinger Schienenbus – Nebenbahnretter und Exportschlager. Franckh's Eisenbahnbibliothek, Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-440-05463-2
- Die Schienenbusse der DB – VT 95/98. EK-Spezial. EK Verlag, Freiburg 1990
- Jörg Hajt: Abschied vom Schienenbus. Heel Verlag, Königswinter 1998, ISBN 3-89365-664-2
- 50 Jahre Uerdinger Schienenbus. Eisenbahnkurier Special 56. EK Verlag, Freiburg 2000
- Malte Werning: Schienenbusse - VT 95–VT 98: Triebwagen-Veteranen der 50er Jahre. GeraMond 2001. ISBN 3-7654-7102-X
- Jürgen-Ulrich Ebel, Josef Högemann, Rolf Löttgers: Schienenbusse aus Uerdingen. Bd. 1., Technik und Geschichte bei DB, Privatbahnen und im Ausland.EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2001, ISBN 3-88255-221-2,
- Jürgen-Ulrich Ebel, Josef Högemann, Rolf Löttgers: Schienenbusse aus Uerdingen. Bd. 2., Einsatzgeschichte der Baureihen VT 95, VT 97 und VT 98. EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2002, ISBN 3-88255-222-0
- Jürgen Krantz, Roland Meier: Alles über den Schienenbus. transpress Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-71313-0
External links
- „Die Nebenbahnretter“
- Photos of the VT95 (BR 795) in the European railway picture gallery
- Photos of the VT98 (BR 798) the European railway picture gallery
- www.roter-brummer.de Extensive information on German railbuses
- Ulm Spatz
- www.fsbmenden.de Menden Railbus Society (Förderverein Schienenbus Menden)
- Historical Motor Locomotive Working Group (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Historische Brennkraftlokomotiven)
- The Kasbach Valley railway (Kasbachtalbahn) in Rhineland-Palatinate
- Seelze Railbus Society (Interessengemeinschaft Schienenbus Seelze)
- Audio CD, includes an MP3 sample of a Class 796 unit's noise.