Liliput Type (model railroad)

The progressive electrification of Germany's main lines, but also of its branch lines, required maintenance vehicles to ensure that the overhead contact line was always in optimum condition. In order to be able to phase out the outdated vehicles from the early days, the Deutsche Reichsbahn therefore procured new vehicles from the end of the 1920s. Among other things, a very special "tower car" was built, whose drive was powered by accumulators (housed in the front ends). Thanks to the integration of a rectifier in the vehicle, these batteries could be charged directly from the overhead line via the roof-mounted current collector, completely independently of stationary charging systems.
The battery-powered tower railcars were equipped with a crew compartment and a complete workshop. They mostly traveled individually, but due to attached variable-speed couplers and buffers, they could also carry material cars, for example, if required. While the vehicles themselves were manufactured by J.A. Maffei, the electrical equipment came from SSW (Siemens-Schuckert-Werke) and the accumulators from AFA (Akkumulatoren-Fabrik AG).
The prototypes of our models were built between 1929 and 1933, a total of six vehicles were built, some of which differed in minor details. They were stationed in Munich, Breslau and Augsburg. From Era III onwards, some modifications were made, e.g. additional sockets were fitted at the front, an open toolbox was mounted on one side of the chassis or the lamps were changed. Thus, at the end of their service in the early 1970s, some of the vehicles looked quite different in some details. Unfortunately, none of the interesting vehicles has been preserved in a museum.
Like their prototype, the LILIPUT models are equipped with a rotating working platform and folding platform railing, so that both the working situation on the overhead line and the driving operation or the stabling, e.g. in the catenary master's office or the Bw can be simulated prototypically.