Special Objects – Travel Exhibiton

Adler Diplomat 3 GS with a Wood Gas Generator

Adlerwerke vorm. Heinrich Kleyer, Frankfurt a. M., 1938

This six-seater Adler limousine with Pullman bodywork from Karmann and six-cylinder engine was converted to run on wood gas in 1941 with a wood gas generator from Imbert. The use of private motor vehicles was restricted after the outbreak of the war, as petrol was scarce and what little was available was requisitioned for the military. As a substitute fuel for petrol, many vehicles ran on wood gas, which was extracted in wood gas generators while driving. Wood gas systems had already been tested during the First World War. However, the engines never achieved the performance and quality of gasoline powered engines.

Wood gas generators carbonise wood at low temperatures to produce charcoal. The resulting gas contains combustible carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The gas enters the combustion chamber by way of a pre-cleaner, a separator, a gas cooler, a post-cleaner and a gas-air mixer. In 1942 the vehicle needed about 2.5-3.5kg of wood instead of 1kg of petrol. The heavy weight of the system and the wood further reduced the efficiency. The wood also had to be reloaded at "wood filling stations" at shorter distances (50-100km).

Technical data

•     Engine: 6-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine
•     Displacement: 2914cm³
•     Power: 44kW (60hp) at 3000rpm (petrol-powered), 26kW (36hp) (gas-powered)
•     Top speed: 100km/h (petrol), 70km/h (gas)

Inv.-Nr.: 1984-601

Goliath Pionier

Goliath-Werke Borgward & Tecklenborg, Bremen, 1931

Carl Borgward began producing three-wheeled small cars for commercial purposes in 1924. During the Great Depression, he developed a small passenger car based on this design called the "Goliath Pionier".

The modest two-seater microcar with a one-cylinder engine and synthetic leather-covered wooden body was one of the German "cycle cars" and promised automobility for small people. With only three wheels, a kerb weight of less than 350 kg and an engine capacity of only 198 cm³, it was exempt from compulsory driving licences and taxes and making it an ideal entry-level vehicle. The Goliath Pioier was even available in different versions. With an emergency seat in the rear, it could carry a small family.

Although the car was available for less than 1500RM and was advertised as the "cheapest limousine in the world", it was not a success during the economic crisis of the early 1930s. Only 4000 units were produced.

Technical data

•     Engine: One-cylinder two-stroke engine
•     Displacement: 198cm³
•     Power: 4.1 kW(5.5hp)
•     Top speed: 45km/h

Inv.-Nr.: 1993-63

ICE V

As part of the wheel/rail research programme, an experimental train was developed by the Deutsche Bundesbahn together with partners from the railway industry from 1982 onwards. The result was a train with two power cars and three coaches. It was delivered as class 410/810 on 31 July 1985 and was initially named ICE (Inter-City-Experimental).

With this train, the German railway explored the technical and economic limits of the wheel-rail system and thus created the conditions for high-speed traffic. An important contribution was the aerodynamic tests, the results of which defined the streamlined profile of today's ICE.

The ICE-V also carried out all the test runs required for the approval of the new routes between Hanover - Würzburg, Mannheim - Stuttgart and Hanover - Berlin. On 1 June 1998, the ICE-V was taken out of service after 13 years of experimental operation and 500 000 km of running performance.

Technical data

• Drive: 4 three-phase induction motors per powerhead
• Power: 4x1050 kW per powerhead
• Total power: 8400kW (ca. 11,400 hp)
• Maximum speed: 350km/h
• Train weight: 296t
• Train length: 113m

Inv.-Nr.: L2007-6
On loan from: DB Museum, Nürnberg

The Horse-drawn Carriage "Hannibal" of the Linz-Budweis Railway

Nachbau, Maschinen- und Wagenbau Fabris A.G., Simmering, 1920

The "Hannibal" carriage, which could seat up to 11 people, travelled on the first continental horse-drawn railway from Linz to Budweis. It began passenger service in 1832.

Horse-drawn railway carriages were the technical-historical link between the road coach and the railway compartment carriage. The "Hannibal" carriage had self-steering axles for travel on very narrow track radii. For this purpose, the wheelsets mounted on pivot plates were connected diagonally to steering rods. The coach body, on the other hand, was similar to that of large mail wagons. Coach boxes on both sides enabled bi-directional operation. The original "Hannibal" was built in 1841 by the Erste Eisenbahn Gesellschaft in Urfahr.

Horse-drawn carriage did not make travel faster, but it was much more comfortable and safer than travel by road, as the railway tracks were less bumpy. As a 2nd class vehicle, the "Hannibal" carriage already offered a high level of comfort and a new travel experience, which soon made the railway a popular means of travel.

Steam-propelled Cogwheel Car No. 10 of the Pilatusbahn

With cable cars and rack railways, tourists and day trippers ascended to the solitude of the mountains at the end of the 19th century. Switzerland's Mount Rigi was the first mountain to receive a mountain railway in 1875. Following its success, the next challenge was to build a mountain railway capable of scaling the precipitous and legendary Mount Pilatus. The steep incline of the preferred route presented a particular technical challenge.

To meet the challenge, Eduard Locher developed a rack-and-pinion system in 1888. Thanks to the horizontal arrangement of his herringbone gear and the horizontal meshing of opposed cogwheels, a gradient of 48% was feasible.

On 4 June 1889, the first regular train steamed to the summit of Mount Pilatus. It took 70 to 80 minutes to cover the 4.3 km distance. By 1895, 40,000 visitors were travelling up Mount Pilatus by cogwheel railway. Eight steam-powered railcars traveled up the mountain three to four times a day at a speed of 4.4 km/h. In 1937, the railway switched to electric railcars, which could carry more passengers in less time with fewer personnel. Today, over 250,000 visitors a year take the world's steepest cogwheel railway up to Mount Pilatus for a view of the Swiss Alps.

Technical data

•     Power: 54kW (73hp)
•     Maximum speed: 4.3km/h
•     Gradient: max. 48%
•     Track width: 800mm
•     Unladen weight: 7.6t

Pullman Car As 1154

Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft, Neuhausen, 1930

The 1st class pullman car of the Rhaetian Railway was acquired iduring the prime of the great express trains and initially ran as part of the Engadin Express between Chur and St. Moritz, which was the extension of the legendary Orient Express.

Graubünden, the largest canton in Switzerland, is characterised by a high alpine mountain world, spectacular gorges, waterfalls and quiet mountain lakes. Since the end of the 19th century, this fascinating landscape has been made accessible in large parts by the Rhaetian Railway on winter-safe railway lines. The construction of the lines was completed in 1914.

However, the routing of the lines with a total length of 375 km, 118 tunnels and 487 bridges required tight radius in curves and extreme gradients of up to 4.5 per cent. The railway engineers could only realise this engineering marvel as a narrow gauge with a track width of only one metre. Soon, the upper classes from around the world, eager to travel, discovered not only the glamorous spa and holiday resorts of the Graubünden mountains, but also with them the appeal and charm of a train ride aboard luxurious coaches through the breathtakingly beautiful landscape.

This pullman car 54 was restored for nostalgia trips in 1986, thanks to its good overall condition, and is today the only historic side-corridor carriage still maintained by the Rhaetian Railway.

Inv.-Nr.: L 2001-7
On loan from: Rhätische Bahn