Until the middle of the last century, the main type of locomotive on the railways was steam locomotives, which were in no hurry to give way to more modern diesel and electric locomotives. This technique had a number of characteristic advantages that outweighed the existing disadvantages and for a long time ensured superiority over other types of locomotives. Nevertheless, attempts were regularly made to create new railway equipment with higher characteristics. So, in 1919 in Germany began testing a high-speed self-propelled car Dringos, equipped with a propeller.
The author of the project of a promising railway machine was Dr. Otto Steinitz. The goal of his original project was to create a promising vehicle capable of developing a higher speed than the locomotives that existed at that time. Probably, in the course of research and design work, O. Steinitz compared the possible options for the propulsion device, as a result of which he came to the conclusion that it was necessary to use the original power plant. The car being developed was to be driven by an aircraft engine and propeller. A similar system has been used on snowmobiles since the beginning of the 20th century, and was considered a very convenient way to achieve high speed. In the Dringos project, it was proposed to transfer it to the railway.
The Dringos aerial car is being tested. Left in front, the author of the project - Otto Steinitz
By the spring of 1919, at the Lufthart plant (Grunewald), the assembly of the first and, as it later turned out, the last prototype of the Dringos air car was completed. An old carriage was taken as the basis for this car, which has undergone major changes. In fact, only the chassis, frame and some hull units remained from the base car. It was equipped with an engine with a propeller, a cockpit for the crew and passengers, as well as a number of other units.
Unfortunately, very little information about the Dringos project has survived. In particular, the type of engine used, layout features and some characteristics remain unknown. In addition, only one photo of the aerial car of not very high quality has survived to this day. Nevertheless, on it you can see some of the features of the car, as well as see the author of the project.
The standard railroad car used as the base for the Dringos car lost the rear and front hulls, in place of which two power plants were placed. In the rest of the hull, the driver's cabin and passenger seats were placed. Despite the reduction in the size of the carriage, it was possible to accommodate several dozen seats for passengers. The car frame and chassis with two wheelsets remained unchanged.
Two rotor groups are located at the front and rear of the car. Both power plants had a similar design. At a considerable height above the car platform, aviation gasoline engines were installed. The photo shows that six-cylinder in-line engines were used, as evidenced by the common exhaust manifold, to which the pipes of the six cylinders are connected. The exact type and power of the motors are unknown. The available information about the German engine building at that time suggests that each of the engines had a power of 100-120 hp. The radiators of the liquid cooling system were located under the engines. The power plant was equipped with two-blade propellers with a diameter of about 3 m. A curious and controversial feature of the power plant used was its specific appearance in terms of aerodynamics. The body created an aerodynamic shadow that covered a considerable part of the propeller disc being swept away.
Construction of the first Dringos air car was completed in May 1919. On May 11, the car was taken out for testing. Since O. Steinitz intended to offer his development to the military and railroad workers, many officials were present at the tests. So, on the first test flight, the car carried not only the crew, but also 40 high-ranking passengers. Calculations showed that with such a load, Dringos can show very high characteristics, and the capabilities of the power plant used are limited only by the features of other structural elements.
The test track for the Dringos air car was the Grunewald – Belitz railway section, which is about 45 km long. A promising car with a payload of 40 passengers, using propellers, successfully got under way, accelerated and made two flights, to Belitz and back. On the route, Dringos was able to reach a speed of about 90 km / h and hold it for some time. According to some reports, the power plant made it possible to develop high speeds, but such experiments were abandoned due to the imperfection of the chassis and brakes, which were not subjected to any modifications. A characteristic feature of the machine was the great noise produced by engines without mufflers.
In fact, Dringos was a demonstrator of new technology and could hardly have come out on the line in its original form. Nevertheless, after some modifications, it could take its place in rail transport. In addition to the obvious advantages in the form of high speed, such transport did not require the production of new components. Both the prototype and production equipment were to be equipped with existing aircraft engines, the production of which grew throughout the First World War.
While potential customers were deciding the further fate of the Dringos project, the war ended and the Treaty of Versailles was signed. In accordance with this document, Germany did not have the right to use or manufacture a wide range of military products. All the available material part, falling under these restrictions, had to be destroyed. In particular, a large number of aircraft engines were subject to destruction. This feature of the Versailles Treaty led to the termination of work on a promising air car.
The hypothetical production Dringos cars were left without engines, as a result of which the railroad workers lost all interest in them. The only prototype of a promising air car was stored at the Lufthart plant for some time, after which it was dismantled and converted into a railcar. After several years of operation, the car was decommissioned and disposed of. Until the end of the twenties, German engineers did not return to the topic of railway transport with propellers.
