BRAWA 51158

Information about the prototype

30m³ lightweight tank car Uerdingen design: The general technical progress in lightweight construction and welding technology awakened the idea among those responsible at the Reichsbahn to dispense with the actual vehicle frame in the construction of new tank cars. Instead, the tensile and impact forces should be absorbed as far as possible via the boiler. Through the extensive use of welding technology, it was hoped to reduce the need for raw materials and manufacturing costs and at the same time to obtain more robust vehicles. For this reason, Waggonfabrik Uerdingen received an order in 1938 to develop a lightweight tank car with a loading volume of 30m³. As early as 1939, the three prototypes were handed over to two private freight wagon lessors and the state-owned Economic Research Society (Wifo) for testing. After a small intermediate series from 1940, series production of the 30m³ lightweight tank car Uerdinger design began in 1941. The largest buyer was the Luftwaffe with about 2,200 units, followed by the Wifo and many smaller companies, so that a total of around 3,700 cars were built. In the post-war period, the cars of the Wifo and Luftwaffe were distributed to other wagon adjusters in both German states. Mainly larger companies in the petroleum industry, but also smaller private companies as well as DB and DR themselves, used the wagons in the following decades. Likewise, some of the cars remained abroad and were used there by new owners. In 2016, one car could still be found in internal company traffic at Haltermann in Hamburg.