The Schienenzeppelin, or "rail airship," was an experimental train built by German engineer Franz Kruckenberg in 1929. Powered by a wooden propeller and looking unmistakably like a dirigible, this strange locomotive managed to exceed 230 kilometers per hour, setting a world speed record for a vehicle on rails. Only one prototype was ever built, and after a series of tests it was finally dismantled in 1939. Did you know about it?
An Idea Ahead of Its Time
The idea wasn't entirely original. When Franz Kruckenberg started thinking about building a propeller-driven train, his Russian colleague Valerian Abakovsky already had the Aerowagon (or aeromotowagon) working—essentially the same concept. But under the auspices of the Nazi regime, which encouraged the development of anything massive (just recall the the Dora cannon or the gigantic Landkreuzer P1000 'Ratte' tank), Kruckenberg managed to develop a vehicle that looked like an airship on rails, yet was incredibly fast: the Schienenzeppelin.
Franz Kruckenberg was a renowned engineer specialized in railway matters. He had designed several models, including a monorail, but he wanted to create one capable of competing with airplanes when it came to carrying passengers at high speed. What Kruckenberg wanted was the equivalent of today's high-speed trains, but since he didn't have superconducting magnets or any other high-tech components these trains use, he resorted to what he had on hand: a powerful BMW 6-cylinder diesel engine used in the German aviation industry, and a propeller.
The shape of the train was no accident. Kruckenberg had calculated, based on engine power, train weight, and other factors that engineers typically consider, that his invention would travel fast enough for air resistance to become a problem. That's why he designed the train with the profile used in aircraft and airships.
Breaking the World Record
The engineer wasn't wrong. When the Schienenzeppelin was ready on May 10, 1931, and testing began, Kruckenberg knew the train would make history. During a trial run on June 21 of that same year on the tracks connecting Hamburg and Berlin, after replacing the original engine with another of the same brand but with 12 cylinders, the train reached a speed of 230.2 kilometers per hour. That mark earned it the world record for a diesel-powered vehicle on rails—a record it would hold for more than 20 years. The Schienenzeppelin, built by the German company Deutsche Reichsbahn, had 600 horsepower and could carry up to 40 passengers. Its structure and skin were mainly aluminum to keep its weight—about 20,000 kilograms—as low as possible.
It measured 25.85 meters long and 2.8 meters wide, more or less the same as a current bus. Its original propeller, carved from ash wood, had 4 blades and would later be replaced by one with only two. According to some historians, the Schienenzeppelin was never mass-produced due to the fragility and problems these propellers caused at railway stations. Others blame the tracks of the time, built for different—slower and heavier—trains, and the belief among many of those responsible for approving such a project that they didn't actually need such a fast train.
It measured 25.85 meters long and 2.8 meters wide, more or less the same as a current bus.
Regardless, only the prototype used in the tests was built, and it was dismantled in 1939. Perhaps this type of train wouldn't have been as successful as today's high-speed trains, but Kruckenberg's work should not be forgotten. The vision of these engineers made it possible to seriously consider new technologies, and thanks to them we have our current modes of transport. Don't you think?
