Product Features and Details
Model: Introducing the H0 DC Track. This version boasts two doors and bears the number 724 001-3, modeled after the test van for Indusi route devices. Engineered with a motor, balance mass, 18-pin digital interface, LED lamps, light change, driver's cab lighting, and interior lighting featuring a buffer capacitor and intricate decor. An array of lighting functions can be activated either analogically through a dip switch or digitally. Model is also equipped with a Zimo sound decoder. The sound files were developed exclusively by Modellebahn Union. The recommended minimum radius is 360mm.
Please note that side cars for the rail bus, as well as an AC three-wire version of this model, are scheduled for publication at a later date. The release date for these additions has not yet been determined.
Prototype: The concept of utilizing light road buses on rails for cost-effective operations on branch lines captivated and convinced from the outset. Although initial attempts date back to the Länderbahn and DRG period, it wasn't until 1949 that lightweight construction gained consistent attention. The Uerdingen wagon factory, renowned for its lightweight structures, collaborated with Büsing, a specialist in underfloor motors, to develop an innovative concept for the young Deutsche Bahn (DB) - the rail bus in Eile.
The objective was to operate secondary lines with affordable vehicles, thus reducing operating costs compared to regular buses. In August 1949, DB ordered ten railcars (VT) and five compatible sidecars (VB). These railbuses had a short wheelbase of 4.5 m to avoid complex chassis constructions. Propelled by a U9 lower base engine with a continuous output of 110 hp, the 6-cylinder pre-chamber diesel mirrored the one used in the 5000 T bus type, making railcars and buses comparable in size and weight. At 3 meters, the railbuses were also half a meter wider than conventional buses, reaching a total mass of around 29 tonnes with trailers.
The first vehicles of the new VT 95 series were unveiled on October 22, 1950, and handed over to DB for testing in March 1950. Official commissioning took place in May 1950. The production comprised ten identical motor cars VT 95 901 to 910 and six side cars VB 140 701 to 706. Two motor vehicles deviated from the standard design - VT 95 911 had four doors like all sidecars, while VT 95 912 had a longer wheelbase of 6.0 m, later used in the series version VT 95.9.
Initially equipped with a simple truck coupling, the VT 95 railbuses were later converted to Scharfenberg couplings for compatibility with the vehicles of the main series.
In the early years, the new railcars primarily operated in southern Bavaria (Kempten, Nördlingen, Schongau) and in the far north (Husum, Neumünster, Lübeck). As production vehicles became more available, all pre-series vehicles were contracted in the north in 1956.
However, the VT 95 series had a comparatively short lifespan. VT 95 901 and 902 were decommissioned as early as 1962, followed by the other vehicles in 1964/65. An exception was VT 95 906, converted into an Indusi test car in 1964, currently the only survivor of the pre-series vehicles, awaiting possible refurbishment in Gerolstein.
The success story of the light railbuses extended beyond Deutsche Bahn. The CFL in Luxembourg and German private railways also recognized the advantages of these innovative vehicles, deploying additional railcars and sidecars. The VT 95 railbuses left an enduring mark in the history of rail transport, considered a pioneering example of economical operation on branch lines. Their blend of lightweight construction, efficiency, and flexibility set new standards and exerted a lasting influence on the development of rail transport.
