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07.08.2024: Breuer shunting tractor

The world has already seen some interesting railway vehicles. One of the most unconventional is certainly our Breuer shunting tractor, which was built for shunting goods wagons in very confined spaces.
Vehicles of this type were used in industrial operations in particular, where the freight wagons were turned over short turntables onto tracks leading into workshops or warehouses. The use of these turntables made the installation of points connections unnecessary. However, these turntables were often only slightly longer than a two-axle goods wagon. If the wagons were initially moved using muscle power, the greater weight of the wagons made the use of motorised aids necessary.
For this reason, the Breuer company in Höchst (now part of Frankfurt/M) developed a very short two-axle vehicle in the 1910s that was powered by a petrol engine. The unique feature of this type of vehicle was that it could drive under the buffer beam of a wagon to be moved and clamp itself there with a mechanical ram. This lifted one side of the wagon by about 20 centimetres, which meant that part of the weight of the wagon was borne by the tractor, which in turn increased its friction weight and prevented its drive wheels from spinning so quickly.

(Source: Wikipedia / Breuer company)
Our shunting tractor belongs to type III, which was equipped with a 40 hp engine. It was delivered to Maschinenfabrik Heller in Nürtingen in 1939. At some point, it was fitted with a VW Type 122 engine, which car enthusiasts will recognise in a similar form from the VW Beetle. In 1984, it came to the Friends of the Hamburg Railway Association and was exhibited in the Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg Railway Museum. It was also shown at the exhibition "150 years of the German railway" in Bochum Dahlhausen.

Unfortunately, the museum burnt to the ground in the mid-1990s after an arson attack, which also affected the shunting tractor. As there was no longer any future for it there, its owner handed the vehicle over to us on permanent loan in 2002. Some time ago, we decided to restore the vehicle to working order and thus commemorate the factory goods transport that also took place in Wittenberge on a large scale (e.g. sewing machine factory, oil mill, gas works).
What did it mean to "restore" the vehicle? We first removed the roof and the driver's cab. After inspecting the interior, we decided to remove the engine, starter, alternator, gearbox, clutch, drive shaft, brake system, axles and drive chains. The parts were completely dismantled, cleaned and partly reassembled using new or newly manufactured parts.



All cables were replaced. Finally, the driver's cab was replaced and all mechanical and electrical controls were connected to the respective parts in the vehicle. We are proud to say that since the end of July, the good thing has been moving under its own power again. And as far as we know, it is the only Breuer model in Germany that is still (or again) running.


Come and visit us at our "Autumn Steam 2024" in October. Then we will demonstrate the vehicle in operation. We are already looking forward to it!
vehicle: Breuer Lokomotor

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