LGB No. 35099 - Special car for 30 years of the SOEG, 20 years of “Historik Mobil”

This is a Zittau Narrow-Gauge Railway baggage car with a special adhesive covering to mark 30 years of the SOEG and 20 years of “Historik Mobil.” The model has a prototypical paint scheme and lettering. Solid metal wheel sets are fitted. Length over the buffers 57.5 cm / 22-5/8".

Highlights

The Original Story: 
Originally built for the German State Railroad Company (DRG) as a “standard baggage car,” this four-axle baggage car was adopted by the German State Railroad (DR) of the GDR after the Second World War and was initially used in its original form. It was given the type designation “KD 4” by the DR. All narrow-gauge railways in the GDR belonged to the DR, and the Weisseritz Valley Railway was no different. The car technician responsible for this railroad believed that this baggage car did not offer sufficient storage space for the cargo to be transported. He therefore suggested modernizing some of the baggage cars at the repair shop in Perleberg. This work, during which only the running gear and roof were retained, involved giving the cars new car bodies with just one end platform. The new, internal type designation then changed to: KD 4 mod. When the cars were returned to the company, the train attendants were extremely unhappy because they could no longer walk from one end of the baggage car to the next passenger car if the baggage car was coupled between passenger cars. As a result, these “single-platform” baggage cars always had to be coupled at the front or rear of the train, which in turn created many operational problems. After the reunification of Germany and the privatization of many narrow-gauge railways, an unexpected phenomenon led to several modernized baggage cars from the Döllnitz Railroad, the Sächsische Dampfbahngesellschaft mbH (SDG), and the Saxony-Upper Lusatia Railroad (SOEG) being further modernized or optimized by having their second platform returned, this time, naturally, to the new car body.