Straßenroller – moving railway wagons by road

There’s a lot of oddball railway vehicles out there, but the “Straßenroller” (“street scooter”) of Germany are something else altogether – a trailer designed to move railway freight wagons by road.

Also nicknamed “Culemeyer” after their inventor, there isn’t much written about Straßenroller in English, but German-language Wikipedia has a long article on them. Here’s the story of how they came to be:

Due to the increasing transport demands on the German Reichsbahn in the 1930s, technical solutions were sought in order to be able to meet these demands. One reason for this was the increasing motorization of road vehicles, which led to an increasing number of transport options using trucks. The freight transport options of the railways therefore had to compete with those of trucks. The small number of vehicles owned by the German Reichsbahn Company (DRG) was not enough to compete. Therefore, options were sought to attract companies that were not located near a railway siding to rail transport. The “door-to-door” concept offered customers the opportunity to receive containers of various sizes in so-called container transport or various freight wagons on site.

The Reichsbahn senior engineer Johann Culemeyer – responsible for mechanical engineering at the DRG – developed a trailer for transporting railway wagons based on these requirements. This road vehicle, the Straßenroller, enabled freight wagons and heavy loads to be transported economically and easily on the road.

A freight wagon could be transported from a freight yard to a company by road on a Straßenroller. This made it possible to transport goods in a wagon to and from a company that did not have a rail connection. The goods could be loaded and unloaded directly into the wagon, or fuel could be pumped directly from the tank wagon into the tanks of a gas station. When loading was finished, the wagon was put back on the tracks and could be transported over the rails again. It was also possible to park a freight wagon at a customer who did not have his own tracks. For this purpose, a mobile frame, the “mobile drop-off track”, was parked directly on the customer’s premises. The mobile drop-off track was a rectangular steel frame onto which a wagon was dropped off from a Straßenroller.

Under the motto “Bringing the railway to your home”, the DRG advertised the transport of freight wagons and the overland transport of heavy goods using the Straßenroller in its advertising brochure at the time. The Straßenroller was registered with the patent office on November 29, 1931 under the name “Mobile connecting track”; the patent was granted on November 9, 1933. On April 27, 1933, the Straßenroller and its possible uses were officially presented to the press and companies at the Anhalter freight station in Berlin.

The special road tractors used to tow them.

The Kaelble company, which had already provided the 72 hp Z4 Express tractor, delivered the newly developed three-axle tractor “Z6R/1” with a 100 hp diesel engine in 1933, and Henschel delivered the three-axle tractor “33 D O” with a 100 hp petrol engine, both with solid rubber tires. In 1934, Kaelble delivered its successor, the “Z6R” with pneumatic tires, and in 1935, Henschel delivered the “33 G 0” with a 100 hp diesel engine and pneumatic tires. Since the turning circle of these tractors was too large for city traffic, Kaelble developed the two-axle “Z4GR”, which became the standard tractor for city traffic from 1934 onwards. Due to the increasing number of orders and heavier loads, Kaelble delivered the three-axle tractors of the type “Z6RL” to the Deutsche Reichsbahn in 1937; the revised version, the “Z6R2A100”, followed in 1938, and the two-axle vehicles of the type “Z6GN125” were added in 1939.

How wagons were loaded and unloaded.

The Straßenroller, with a deadweight of around 10 tonnes and a load capacity of 32 tonnes, can transport a wagon with a payload of 20 tonnes and a deadweight of 11 tonnes. The maximum speed for transport with the Straßenroller was limited to 25 km/h for safety reasons.

It consists of two individual chassis that are connected to one another by a movable guide rod. Each individual frame is used to accommodate one axle of the railway wagon. The frames can be pulled apart to the axle spacing of the wagon. Each individual frame has eight wheels with highly elastic tyres; each of the wheels is movable. All wheels are connected to one another by a steering rod so that they can be steered into a circular arc for cornering.

The dimensions of a chassis without attachments are 3000 mm long, 2000 mm wide and 150 mm ground clearance. The maximum width across the wheel hubs is around 2821 mm.

After the wagon has been pulled onto the Straßenroller, it is lowered to transport height by a manually driven hydraulic lowering device. The lowering device was omitted from later Straßenrollern in order to save time when loading. The braking system is a combined air-oil brake and consists of a single-chamber pneumatic cylinder and two oil pressure pumps, each of which acts on two wheels of a single frame.

Their entry to service:

After a year of testing the Straßenroller on the grounds of the Berlin Anhalter freight station, the first official transport of freight wagons with a Straßenroller was opened on October 12, 1933 in Viersen on the Lower Rhine . The customer for this regular service was the “Kaiser’s Kaffeegeschäft GmbH”, which had built its own settling track system with transfer tables on the grounds of the chocolate factory and a permanent settling system with a turntable in the courtyard of the boiler house. The same year, the textile factory “Pongs & Zahn” in Viersen- Rahser and the “Benzin-Großhandels-Gesellschaft Heinrich Jansen” followed.

On June 15, 1934, Straßenroller transport began in the town of Aschersleben ; the first customers were the “Werkzeug-Maschinenfabrik u. Eisengießerei Billeter u. Klunz AG” , followed by the Gebrüder Ludewig wool blanket factory. Straßenroller operation for the rolling bearing manufacturer Kugelfischer in Schweinfurt began on July 10, 1934, and between eight and ten freight wagon transports were carried out daily. On November 2, 1934, freight wagon transport began in Elmshorn, among others for the “Gebrüder Asmussen Presshefefabrik” and the “Gebrüder Rostock AG”.

Other major customers included the Osram company from Berlin and Continental Gummiwerke AG in Hanover. Osram had two sidings on Utrechter Strasse, which were connected to each other by a transfer table inside the building. The first companies in Baden to use the Straßenroller services were the Freiburg brewery Ganter and the silk thread factory Mez AG, from June 5, 1935. In Saxony, regular service began in January 1935 in the town of Pulsnitz , where the long-distance power station and the consumer cooperative were supplied from the freight station.

And the growth in traffic.

When the “Culemeyer” was put into operation in 1933 in the Viersen district, a delivery rate of around 30 wagons per week was expected; after just a few months, the peak value was 90 wagons per week. In the first year, a total of 4,284 transports were carried out.

From October 1933 to April 1938, around 163,000 freight wagons were transported for 140 customers. By July 1942, 500,000 freight wagons had already been transported by road.

In 1964 there were a total of 123 locations in West Germany and 120 in East Germany with regular Straßenroller service.

A number of different designs of Straßenroller were created.

The first Straßenrollern were built by the Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG (GWF) on behalf of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and according to the plans of Johann Culemeyer, while the one-part 12-wheeled Straßenroller was manufactured by both the Waggon-und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft Görlitz (WUMAG) and GWF.

  • Two-part 16-wheel: 31 tonne capacity, each half having two axles and eight solid rubber tires across two rows. Originally equipped with a lowering device to lower the loaded wagons to transport height, this was removed in 1935 increasing load capacity to 40 tonnes.
  • Two-part 24-wheel: 100 tonne capacity, each half having three axles and 12 solid rubber tires across two rows.
  • One-piece 12-wheel: 40 tonne capacity, six axles with only outer wheels.

From 1953 onwards, a new generation of Straßenrollern was developed on behalf of the DB by Siegener Eisenbahnbedarf AG (SEAG) and Waggon-und Maschinenbau GmbH Donauwörth (WMD). This one-piece Straßenroller was based on the DB design.

Sometimes multiple Straßenroller were used to transport large railway carriages.

The fleet continued to grow after their introduction.

In 1933, the Deutsche Reichsbahn owned two Straßenrollern, by the end of 1934 there were already 16 and by the end of 1935 there were 32 Straßenrollern. In 1939, the Deutsche Reichsbahn had 49 two-part 16-wheeled Straßenrollern in its inventory, but only four two-part 24-wheeled Straßenrollern.

By the end of 1945, the Deutsche Reichsbahn owned around 200 Straßenrollern of various designs, and in 1947 around 132 of these were still operational.

In 1949, the German Federal Railway took over around 153 two-part and eight one-part Straßenrollern from the stocks of the German Reichsbahn.

In 1964, the Deutsche Reichsbahn had 104 Straßenrollern for 40 t payload, 6 Straßenrollern for 80 t and 6 for 100 t payload.

Retriment of the original Straßenrollern commenced in the mid-1970s, with the Deutsche Bundesbahn discontinuing the delivery of freight wagons by road in 1987, following the growth in truck swap bodies and ISO containers for intermodal freight. However the tractor units and trailers were sold to private companies who continued operating them, for the delivery of specialised cargoes or for special transfers of railway vehicles.

Footnote: “Vagnbjörn” of Sweden

Statens Järnvägar in Sweden also operated special vehicles to transport rail wagons by road – they were called “Vagnbjörn” (“wagon bears”).


DigitaltMuseum photo

The Swedish Wikipedia page on them is sparse, but according to this page the first units arrived in the 1940s, and remained in service until around 2015.

More history on them can be found at the ‘Veteranlastbilar’ forums and this web page by Peter Löf, and hundreds of photos at the DigitaltMuseum.

Further reading

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Recycling retired locomotives for carriage heating

In much of Europe it gets awfully cold in winter time, which presents difficulties for rail operators when carriages are parked overnight in a siding, and need to be warmed up the next morning ready for passengers to board. Their solution – converting retired locomotives as a power supply for the carriage heaters.

Trains everywhere!

“Heizlokomotives” in the age of steam

During the days of steam, the heaters inside each carriage were fed with steam from the boiler of the locomotive that was hauling the train. This presented difficulties each morning as the train would needed to be preheated before departure, so rather than monopolising a mainline steam locomotive, retired locomotives were retained as source of steam.

German-language Wikipedia explains the modifications made to retired locomotives for their role as a “Heizlokomotive” (heating locomotive).

Old steam locomotives were often used for preheating carriages, or as switch heaters to prevent them from freezing in winter. Heating locomotives were also used as heat suppliers to heat the premises of the railway depots.

If a steam locomotive was only intended to be used as a heating locomotive, only a simplified overhaul was carried out. In many locomotives, the preheater was shut down and replaced by a second jet pump . Only the components required for heating, such as the boiler, were given a full inspection.

Photos of heating locomotives show high chimneys were often placed on the original locomotive chimney to improve the draft and to divert the smoke. In the case of rolling locomotives, this elevation was apparently usually mounted on a frame under which the locomotive could be driven or pulled out.

And the Deutsche Reichsbahn classifications of these steam locomotives.

  • Heizlok (heating locomotive)

    A fully operational locomotive that was used for limited traction.

  • Provisorische mobile Heizanlage (temporary mobile heating system)

    A decommissioned steam locomotive, whose boiler was kept in working order. In the repair shop they were equipped with appropriate steam extraction connections for heating service. These locomotives were allowed to travel under their own power between the heating location and the depot with a special permit to resupply themselves or to change their heating location.

    Locomotives were delivered to the depot almost complete, along with their removed parts. With relatively little effort, it would have been possible to restore them for operational service. As As result many traditional Deutsche Reichsbahn locomotives “survived” in this way.

    Some locomotives of the DRG Class 44 lost their entire internal drive in the Meiningen repair shop without the remaining parts being adapted for two-cylinder operation. After that, due to the disturbed mass balance, they were only allowed to travel at 60 km/h, tow a trailer load of 60 tonnes and were also acoustically recognisable due to the missing third exhaust beat.

  • Dampfspender (Steam dispenser)

    This was the name given to stationary, decommissioned locomotives with a boiler that was still usable. Everything that was not necessary for generating steam or that could be used as a spare part for other locomotives was removed from these locomotives.

    The engine was dismantled (cylinders, connecting rods, brakes) and the chassis was often simplified by removing individual axles. The axles in the area of ​​the firebox were removed in some cases to make it easier to access the ash pan from the side. With the wheel sets removed, such a locomotive cannot roll.

“Trafostations” in the age of electricity

As steam locomotive gave way to electric traction, so did the method of carriage heating – “Zugsammelschiene” (head-end power) was introduced, with electric heaters in each carriage powered by a transformer in the electric locomotive hauling the train. However the problem of preheating carriages without a locomotive was still a problem, so retired electric locomotives were converted into “Trafostations” (transformer stations).

Again, German-language Wikipedia has the backstory.

As with the steam heating locomotives, parts that were not required for their new role as a carriage heating power supply were removed from decommissioned locomotives. The electrical supply to these transformer stations was often via fixed wires instead of the pantographs, and in some cases, the former locomotives were placed away from the station on sections of track specially laid for this purpose .

In addition to supplying power to parked passenger trains, transformer stations were used for other purposes, such as in winter for electric point heaters where such heaters were available. Often the heating of the points had previously been converted from propane gas to electricity . Another use was to provide electricity for testing purposes in repair shops; for example, the two former locomotives in Frankfurt am Main shown opposite served this purpose .

The electric heating locomotives used included several examples of the DRG Class E 04, DRG Class E 52, ÖBB Class 1020 and ÖBB Class 1670.

Many former heating locomotives and transformer stations were not scrapped after being taken out of service, but were preserved as museum exhibits. Most of them were at least refurbished externally.

Some newer examples trafostations remaining in use through the 2010s, like this ÖBB Class 1042.

And today

As you might expect, keeping an old electric locomotive around just for the transformer inside it is a lot of work – so instead they installed special power outlets – “zugvorheizanlage” (train preheating systems) – at carriage yards.

Again, from German-language Wikipedia.

The electrical energy is taken either from the railway power supply network or from the public medium-voltage network and fed to the transformer via a medium-voltage switchgear consisting of a isolator (e.g. an overhead line switch ) and a circuit breaker . The transformer supplies a busbar with the voltage required by the train.

The power per branch in common systems is up to 800 kVA . When fed from the public grid, the maximum power depends on this, since the single-phase train busbar common in the UIC places an asymmetrical load on the public three-phase grid.

Each outlet leads from the switchgear house to a heating element. This usually consists of three units: the control column, a predetermined breaking point and a dummy socket stand.

The predetermined breaking point prevents major damage to the system if the train is accidentally moved despite the cable being connected. It is designed so that the heating cable can be torn off by the moving train without causing damage to the stationary system that is difficult to repair. It usually works in such a way that the end of the flexible heating cable is pulled straight out of the connection point through guides.

The dummy socket stand is used to hold the electrical jumper cable when it is not connected to a train.

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Road-rail fire trucks of Switzerland

I wrote about the fire-fighting trains of the Swiss Federal Railways the other month, but they aren’t the only specialised vehicles used to fight fires on the railways of Switzerland – they also have road-rail fire trucks.


Photo via Interkantonales Feuerwehr-Ausbildungszentrum

Matterhorn Gotthard Railway

The Matterhorn Gotthard Railway runs trains through the 15.4 kilometre long Furka Base Tunnel, and so in 2020 they acquired two road-rail fire and rescue trains – for each of the tunnel portals in Realp and Oberwald.


Photo via Interkantonales Feuerwehr-Ausbildungszentrum

Each train consist of three vehicles: a road-rail passenger transport vehicle, a rail-bound ambulance vehicle and a road-rail firefighting vehicle.


Photo via Interkantonales Feuerwehr-Ausbildungszentrum

The two road-rail vehicles are 12.5 metres long and can reach a maximum speed of 40 km/h on the rail; with a standard driver’s cabs at one end and a secondary cab at the other, so can be controlled from both the front and the rear. The centre ambulance vehicle is 13.7 metres long and also has a cab, allowing the train to be broken up into two portions.

The side doors on the side of each vehicle are sliding to suit the narrow tunnel profile, along with a hydraulically operated rear ramp for easy access. The fire and rescue vehicle has a 5,000 litre water tank and fire pumps, while the passenger vehicles can transport 60 passengers between them in a secured positive pressure air space.

While able to run on road, the choice of road-rail vehicles was made due to cost – self-propelled vehicles were desired, but acquisition of suitable locomotives would have been more expensive.

Rhaetian Railway

The Rhaetian Railway has a fleet of six road-rail fire trucks, which entered service in 2017, following legislative changes to the Railways Act (EBG) that made railway operators responsible for rescue operations on their tracks.

The vehicles were manufactured by Müller Technologie AG with firefighting equipment by Brändle AG. Each vehicle cost around 900,000 Swiss francs, with a total project cost of around 6 million Swiss francs including the construction of 57 road-rail pads where the vehicles can switch from rail to road and vice versa.

The new vehicles were deployed to fire brigades at Samedan-Pontresina, Bergün-Filisur/Albula, Ilanz, Arosa, Poschiavo and Thusis; while brigades at Klosters and Zernez already had road-rail vehicles for use in the Vereina Tunnel, the longest railway tunnel on the RhB network.

Sources

Further reading

Hong Kong also has road-rail fire trucks, for use on the 26 kilometre long tunnel underground section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail line.

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Fire-fighting trains of the Swiss Federal Railways

I’ve written about the fire-fighting trains of the Russia before, but they’re not the only railway to operate such trains – the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) also have a number of firefighting and rescue trains for use in their long underground tunnels.


Photo via Interkantonales Feuerwehr-Ausbildungszentrum

Early trials

The first fire-fighting and rescue train in Switzerland entered service in 1964 as class LRZ/TES 64, and was based at Göschenen for use on the railway through the Gotthard Tunnel. The train consisted of two carriages – a tank wagon with pump and foam system, and rescue carriage – hauled by a diesel locomotive.

LRZ/TES 76

This train was considered a success, and in 1970 the SBB-CFF-FFS developed the concept further, with ten trains of class LRZ/TES 76 entering service in 1976. Costing 2.5 million francs, they included a four-axle fire extinguishing wagon, an equipment wagon, and a rescue carriage.

Each train carried 44,000 litres of water, 1,000 litres of foam extract and 1,000 kg of extinguishing powder. A 200 hp diesel engine drove a motor pump and a compressor could supply 1,000 litres of air per minute. The class LRZ/TES 76 was withdrawn from operation in 2009.

LRZ/TES 96

The LRZ/TES 96 rescue trains were introduced 1996, and were also locomotive hauled.

However an improvement on the previous design.

  • 16-metre long, 36 tonne fire-fighting vehicle,
  • 14.52 metre long, 24 tonnes equipment vehicle with generator,
  • 19.9 meter long, weighs 37.8 tonnes gas-tight rescue vehicle, with spaces for 50 people and air reserve of 491,000 liters.

They remained in service until 2018.

LRZ/TES 04, 08 and 18

In 2004 the first self-propelled firefighting, rescue and recovery trains were introduced to Switzerland, based on the CargoSprinter platform developed by Windhoff GmbH of Germany.

Features of the train include:

The Lösch- und Rettungszug Neue Technologie (LRZ) consists of three vehicles: an equipment vehicle (with power unit, air compressor, firefighting equipment), a tank wagon (with a 50 cubic metre water tank and 1,800 litres of foam extract), and a rescue vehicle (with space for up to 60 injured and uninjured passengers from tunnels, with separate supply of breathing air and equipment for 23 firefighters).

Both the equipment and rescue vehicles have their own diesel engines. Thus in the case of a tunnel fire the train can be separated, with one part remaining at the scene to deal with the incident, and another part shuttling back and forth between the accident site and the outdoors to evacuate the passengers.

The firefighting and rescue train is used not just for tunnels, but also as an intervention vehicle. The railway emergency services also accomplish tasks that can be reached from the tracks. These include clearing accidents, extinguishing fires and towing broken-down trains.

The first train was delivered to SBB-CFF-FFS in 2003, with the Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon railway also purchasing their own train. Eight more units entered service in 2008, followed by two in 2014 for the Gotthard Base Tunnel; and six in 2018 for the CEVA line, Ceneri Base Tunnel, and the Lötschberg and Simplon Tunnels.

Sources

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Testing automated trains on the Paris Metro

While perusing a geographically accurate map of the Paris Metro, I came across an isolated section of track labelled “Base d’essais de la Petite Ceinture” – which lead me down a rabbit hole to the introduction of automated trains on the Paris Metro.


RATP photo via metro-pole.net

You can find the geographically accurate map of the Paris Metro at cartometro.com, with the piece of track that caught my eye found in the south of Paris where the pink Line 7 and purple line 14 meet.


Map from cartometro.com

Labelled “Base d’essais de la Petite Ceinture”, the Petite Ceinture was a orbital railway that once connected the major railway stations of Paris, but has now fallen into disuse – the abandoned tunnels being a popular photography site.

But other parts of the railway are far less salubrious.

Luckily French-speaking railfans have also extensively researched the history of the railway, including a Wikipedia article on the Base d’essais de la Petite Ceinture. Here is an extract via Google Translate.

The Base d’essais de la Petite Ceinturc (BEPC) is a former test line located on the right-of-way of the Petite Ceinture railway in Paris, in the 13th Arrondissement.

As part of the Météor project (which would become line 14), approved by the government in 1989, the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) decided that the new line would be operated with fully automated trains and awarded the design of the Système d’Automatisation de l’Exploitation des Trains (SAET) at MATRA Transport International (now Siemens Mobility). In order to validate the system before completion of the work, it was decided to carry out the tests on a temporary track.

On the Petite Ceinture line , the section located between Parc Montsouris and Avenue d’Italie stood out as the ideal site for installing a test line due to its excellent geographical location, in the heart of Paris. At the time, it was also planned to eventually extend line 14 to the Cité universitaire station by reusing the Petite Ceinture, the former La Glacière-Gentilly freight station being planned to accommodate a workshop for maintenance.

The single track, equipped for rubber tyred trains, extended over one kilometer to Avenue de Choisy, with a second 300 metre long siding. A 90 metre long platform partially equipped with platform screen doors, and a small overhaul workshop with a 30 metre long inspection pit were also provided.

The base opened in the fall of 1994 and the actual tests began in the spring of 1995, continuing until May 1997 when testing was carried out on line 14 itself. The test campaign made it possible to validate the SAET system, with the verification of the interaction of automatic trains with manually operated trains, as well as to test the operation of platform screen doors.

After the tests, the installations are completely dismantled and the site is restored to its original condition.

The tests were carried out with two pre-production MP 89 CA train sets, as seen in this 1995 film by the Institut national de l’audiovisuel.


Institut national de l’audiovisuel

Further reading

The Petite Ceinture Test Base (BEPC) at metro-pole.net

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Fold down couplers on ‘Thunderbird’ rescue locomotives

I spotted something odd looking on the front of a British diesel locomotive recently – a fold down coupler! SO what’s the deal with them?

Turns out the locomotive in question was a Class 57/3, with Wikipedia explaining the reason for the extra coupler at each end.

During April 2002, Virgin Trains West Coast signed a deal with Porterbrook for the rebuilding of Class 47s into Class 57/3s; these were to provide a fleet of locomotives for rescue duties as well as to drag electric trains along routes that lacked overhead wires to power them directly, with it decided to fit the fleet with Dellner retractable couplings. The first of these locomotives were delivered in June 2002.

The retractable couplers are found above the standard screw couplers.


Photo by mattbuck, via Wikimedia Commons

And folded down when needed to couple up to a Dellner equipped multiple unit train.

221144 connected to 57308

They remained in this role until 2008 when the completion of West Coast Main Line upgrade saw Virgin Trains’ need for the locomotive reduce, with six units returned to Porterbrook and leased to Network Rail in September 2011.

Some units having the Dellner couplings swapped out for Tightlock couplings as used on ex-British Rail multiple units.

Rail Magazine writing in 2013.

Six new weapons have been unleashed in the war against delays on the former Southern Region, with Network Rail launching six Class 57/3s capable of rescuing electric multiple units and hauling them at 100mph (RAIL 725).

The locomotives are leased by NR from rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook, having been made redundant from similar jobs on the West Coast Main Line. NR leased the six (57301/303/305/306/310/312) in 2011, and their level of work has slowly increased.

Recent brake modifications allow drivers to operate both the brakes on the ‘57s’ and those of the failed train. The safety interlocks can also be operated on the EMUs from the ‘57’, which means that the trains can be hauled at normal line speed. In some areas, that is 100mph.

NR does not have its own drivers, and so drivers from other companies are hired
to operate the locomotives. They are predominantly from GB Railfreight, although Colas Rail and Direct Rail Services also provide crews.

“All six Class 57s have had their couplers lowered by 115mm,” he explains. “It has to be lower to couple to the EMUs. Four are

fitted with Dellner couplers to work with the Electrostars and Desiros, while two can work with Tightlock couplers. These are the couplings fitted to the EMUs built by British Rail, and to the Class 357s used by c2c.”

It gets more complicated, Stewart
explains, because five different kinds of electrical adapters are required (two for the Electrostars, for example). They are carried on the locomotives in the former boiler compartments, which remain from their days as Class 47s.

The electrical adapters are vital because they put various supplies from the ‘57’ into the EMU. “The Class 57s have air brakes, and that will translate into the unit,” explains Stewart.

Previously, if an EMU failed the option would be for another EMU to rescue it. This would block the line, and cause major delays. Rescues were easier with Tightlock-fitted EMUs, but not those with Dellner couplings – the trains would be unbraked and have to run at 5mph.

Now, the ‘57s’ can rescue an EMU and keep all its systems running, as well as clearing a blocked line.

“Before, failed units had to be rescued using whatever train was available, was powerful enough, and which could be coupled to the unit,” says Stewart.

“Route controls would have to source the rescue vehicle, and competent fitters, and get them to the depot to collect the emergency adaptor coupler before the recovery train could go out – all of which took valuable time.”

A rescue involving one of the modified ‘57s’ would involve its driver, the driver of
the failed unit, plus competent staff, such as a maintenance operations manager or a train operating company fitter, on either side of the coupling. This can be achieved in 15 minutes – a huge time saving over previous procedures, says NR.

Further reading

A closer look at the class 57/3 fleet during the Virgin Trains era.

And a video by @mmlspotter on TikTok showing the class 57/3 coupling up procedure.

@mmlspotter GBRf 57306 lowering its coupling then coupling up to EMR 360108 at Bletchley working 5B60 Kettering to Northampton 24th May 2024 #bletchley #trainspotting #fypシ #fyp #class57 #57306 #gbrf #class360 #360108 ♬ original sound – MMLspotter🏳️‍🌈

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A miniature village in Kyiv

Last month I spoke about the ‘Miniland UA’ model railway display in Kyiv, but on the other side of town is another miniature slice of Ukraine – 1:33 scale models of local landmarks at the open air ‘Ukraine in Miniature’ park.

The idea for the park was conceived in 2000, and it opened in 2006 with 48 exhibits after four years of construction. The park spans 2 hectares, with a total of 60 exhibits now on display.

Kyiv landmarks featured in the park include Independence Square.

Kyiv Railway Station.

Boryspil Airport.

Saint Panteleimon Cathedral and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.

St Andrew’s Church.

National Bank of Ukraine.

And Mariinskyi Palace.

Further reading

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Miniland UA – a giant model railway display in Kyiv

I recently stumbled upon an interesting model railway display – “Miniland UA” in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.


Miniland UA photo

Billed as the largest model railway in Eastern Europe (Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany is the world’s largest at 1,545 m2) the Ukrainian themed 1:87 scale layout covers:

  • 87 m2 in area
  • 510 metres of track
  • 95 metres of roads
  • 1465 people
  • 152 point levers
  • 124 signals
  • 137 buildings
  • 156 wagons
  • 35 locomotives
  • 4374 trees
  • 6242 LEDs

Work on the project commenced in September 2020, with a soft opening to the public from November 2022.


Miniland UA video

Railway Supply magazine speaking to the creators of the display while construction was still underway.

The authors wanted to depict Ukraine on a model – with its cities and villages, reservoirs and the railway.

As director Pavel Gushchin explained, this will be one of the largest rail projects in Eastern Europe.

Objects and details are made on a scale of 1:87. To make them as realistic as possible, the craftsmen measured the walls of each architectural object that they made.

Among the Carpathian peaks, in the very center, rises the Olesko castle, which is located in the Lviv region. There is also the Podillia region with authentic huts, pierced by a river with real water and a dam.

The authors promise that they will implement a real river, mountain lake and water mill. Water will flow from the lake along the river to the boundaries of the layout. The sluices on the water mill will regulate the flow of water.

It is planned to install special pumps and a container with water under the model.

In mini-Ukraine, there is a wide and narrow-gauge railway and stations of Ukrainian cities. Carriage models were bought in other countries and produced with their own hands. The wireframes are 3D printed and painted according to real samples.

“We buy many carriages, there are those that we make ourselves. We don’t have many manufacturers, – Pavel Gushchin explained. “One train from several wagons costs about 900 euros.” A team of six people has been creating one carriage independently for almost a month.

There are also electric trains, in particular, the “Carpathian Express” – electric train EP2 with the communication Lviv-Mukachevo.

One of the most interesting locations of the model is the railway station in Gaivoron.

“This is a unique place where narrow-track and wide-track railways are combined. However, now there has been a reconstruction of the building, and we have reproduced everything in the old version. A drawing was sent to us by a subscriber, ”Pavel emphasized.

The layout for public viewing is planned to be exhibited in April next year in the entertainment center “Blockbuster” in Kyiv. After the completion of the main work on the project, the exposition will continue to be supplemented with new objects.

And a note on the war

The impact of the Russo-Ukrainian War can be seen at the bottom of the Miniland UA website:

If there is an air-raid alarm at the time of visiting the museum, each visitor will receive a Reserve ticket, which gives the right to re-visit the museum for free within a week from the moment of its issuance.

Further reading

More photos at the Miniland UA Instagram page.

Miniland UA also have a shop selling HO scale models of Ukrainian trains, along with decals for repainting models in Ukrainian Railways liveries.

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A parade of historic trams on the streets of Moscow

Each year to mark the anniversary of the Moscow tramway system a parade of historic and modern trams heads through the city streets.


Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/Xinhua

The most recent event was held in April 2024 for the 125th anniversary of the system.

The Moscow tramway system, an integral part of the Russian capital’s public transport service offering, celebrated its 125th anniversary in style last weekend. The capital’s tram system, which has been in operation since 6 April 1899, celebrated this milestone with a series of events that paid tribute to its varied past and highlighted its current positive future prospects.

The festivities kicked off with a tramway parade along Lesnaya Street on Saturday 6 April 2024, featuring a diverse collection of trams from different eras. Beyond the parade, Tverskaya Zastava Square became the center of attraction, hosting an exhibition that showcased an impressive array of historical cars and vehicles, drawing enthusiasts and curious spectators alike.

From its inception, the Moscow tram has served as the cornerstone of the city’s urban rail transport system. Reflecting on a decade ago, the landscape was dominated by last-generation trams characterized by high floors and access through turnstiles at the first door, often mingling with car traffic and susceptible to delays from frequent road mishaps.

In a bold step forward, Moscow has since positioned itself at the forefront of tram network development and infrastructure across Russia. Since 2017, more than 500 state-of-the-art, Russian-manufactured trams have been introduced to the streets of Moscow, revolutionizing the urban transit experience with a remarkable 95% renewal rate of the fleet.

By 2030, the ambition is to further bolster the tram fleet with an additional 200 latest-generation, fully low-floor trams. Efforts to enhance the commuter experience continue unabated, with ongoing track upgrades to segregate tram lines from vehicular traffic and the installation of elevated platforms at stops.

The anniversary celebrations also featured the highly anticipated Tram Parade at Belorussky Station, attracting over 200,000 attendees. The growing fascination with tram parades and the increasing yearly turnout underscore the deep connective tissue between the Moscow tram system and its community.

And Associated Press covered the 2019 event.

Thousands of Muscovites turned up to take a trip down memory lane on 19 tram carriages from various historical eras.

The oldest tram on display had to be pulled by horses, the newest is still in operation. Horse trams are operated by a coachman and managed in a similar way to a coach. Driven by two or four horses such trams entered the transport system for the first time on 7 July 1872.

It was in the late 1980s and early 90s that Moscow Transport started collecting and restoring old trams for historical purposes. “We had to search for those carriages literally at some backyards, dachas, dumps. These carriages, their restoration is a result of big work, big money, big historical work,” says Gennadiy Narykov, from the Moscow Transport Museum.

Until this year tram parade was held once a year on 7 April, on the date of the launch of the first electric tram in 1899. However, the event became so popular with public that it was decided to hold it twice a year.

This tram, built in the early 1930s, was the first in the collection. Restored in 1987 it became a movie star after featuring on a few well-known Soviet films.

Including a video of the parade.

Further reading

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Birthday train parade on the Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro has a long history of serving the capital of Russia, so beginning in 2015 with the 80th anniversary of the official opening, an annual ‘train parade’ has been held to celebrate the history of the system.

Replica of the original 1934-vintage Moscow Metro train in service

An example of these parades was that held on 15 May 2022, which was captured by Amery Tverskoy.

The seven trains taking part in the parade were:

The parade included both modern and historic trains.

The Moscow Metro is a world leader in the rate of renewal of carriages. From 2011 to 2021, the metro received more than 3,700 new cars, due to which the share of modern trains increased more than five times – to 70 percent.

Over 87 years, more than 10 types of trains ran along the metro lines. Different generations of cars are a unique reflection of the history of the Moscow Metro. Therefore, since 2015, a train parade has been held annually in honor of the metro’s birthday.

On May 14 and 15, on the Circle Line, passengers will be able to travel on any of seven types of trains; they will run counterclockwise.

And a static exhibition of historic trains was also held.

On May 13, an exhibition of retro cars opened on the third track of the Partizanskaya metro station. Until May 16, passengers can see five historic carriages that ran on the subway from the 1940s until 2008.

The oldest one presented at the exhibition is a G-type carriage. They have been running on metro lines as part of trains since 1940. The car of this type had more rounded outlines compared to its predecessors – A and B. They were the first to be painted blue, which later became traditional for metro rolling stock.

At the exhibition you can also see a type D carriage. It was produced since 1955, it was lighter, and also had improved electronic equipment compared to type G. Passengers will also see a type E carriage, it is four tons lighter than its predecessor and has wider doors.

In addition, it will be possible to inspect two service cars. Among them is UM5, the oldest track-measuring car, and the contact-battery electric locomotive VEKA.

Further reading

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