| Auto Transport Car
German Federal Railroad (DB) type Off 52 (later planned as the type Laae 540) auto transport car as a double unit. Bi-level version. The car looks as it did at the start of the Sixties.
Source: www.maerklin.de
The German Federal Railroad was early to purchase suitable rolling stock with the rebuilding of the German automobile industry. The goal was railroad cars capable of hauling these valuable vehicles rationally, safely, and protectively. Bi-level special transport cars were built on the steel construction of the type Omm 52 and Omm 55 high-side gondolas that were modern for their time. These cars could be coupled permanently together. End walls and side doors were done away with and crossover plates were present on both levels by means of which a unit train of such cars could be loaded from both ends. The upper deck could be lowered at both ends of a pair of cars to make a loading ramp. |
