The prototype is a two-seater inspection vehicle originally (1930) manufactured by Daimler and later by Puch. In total, about 100 of these vehicles were delivered for various gauge widths. On all vehicles, the original Daimler engine was replaced by a Puch motorcycle engine (125 or 250 ccm, air-cooled, 1 or 2 cylinders). The vehicle was made for gauge widths of 750 mm or wider. ÖBB, the Austrian railways, deployed 760 mm narrow-gauge and standard-gauge vehicles for up to 50 years. Today, some 10 vehicles are being preserved in museums, a few of which are still operative. In some museum railways and railway museums they can be viewed by the public (local museum at Mariazell, Hirschwang museum railway, railway museum at St.Veit, Glan). |
| The Puch rail motorbike is kick-started. It features several forward gears but no reverse gear. To turn the vehicle, a pivot, controlled by a large lever on the right-hand side, can be lowered beneath its centre of gravity and the vehicle swivelled around it by one operator. The front axle is chain-driven. The draisine operated by the Hirschwang (Lower Austria) museum railway reaches a maximum speed of about 80 km/h (vehicle mass: 320 kg; engine rating: 12 HP). The vehicle brakes are two levers fixed on the sides of the vehicle chassis which, via connecting rods, act on the axles' band brakes. By closing the exhaust pipe, the exhaust gases can be routed to a whistle. The acoustic signal is activated by operating a level located to the left of the driver's seat. The clutch and the carburettor throttle are controlled via the two foot pedals. The tank is mounted above the engine, in the middle of the engine hood. |
| The only weather protection for operators is a simple windscreen. The seats are made of tubular steel and covered with a textile fabric. The headlight is positioned in front of the engine hood. The rear end is fitted with one white and one red tail light. The electric system is powered by a battery placed under the back seat. Behind the front seat, small containers are provided for tools right and left. The dashboard comes only with the bare necessities, including an ignition lock, a light switch, and control lights. In addition, there is a control for the air filter inlet, a fuel cock, a ventilating valve for the carburettor float chamber, a decompression lever for shutting down the engine, and, on some vehicles, an electric horn that was not part of the original accessories. The draisines were usually painted in very bright colours. All of the vehicles preserved to that date have yellow liveries, the steel tubes of the seats are painted red, windscreen frames are yellow, red or black. The seat covers were originally blue, grey, or green. As the material was rapidly soiled, it usually had a black appearance. On some museum vehicles, the textile covers have been painted yellow. |
| | | |
