Liliput L133241 H0 Tower motor coach BW Würzburg BR 704, 704 004-1 of DB AG

The five tower railcars of the 704 series delivered between 1977 and 1978 were developed as successors of the 701 / 702 series on the basis of the 627.0 / 628.0 series of railcars. The twin-engine vehicles were fast at 140 km/h and were able to reach 100 km/h at 5 ‰ with trailer load. Thus they were quickly applicable at the place of installation and by their excellent technical equipment everywhere applicable. They were often also used to drive cable wagons or additional equipment wagons. During their 30 years of operation – for example, depending on the working situation and the length of major construction sites in the rail network – they changed the Bw's where they were stationed so that they could be deployed quickly from there practically everywhere in Germany.

Since the employees were often affected by engine exhaust gases at the beginning, the 704 got 1986 new, less polluting engines. In addition, exhaust gas pipes were routed to the left and right of the roof, through which the exhaust gases could be diverted in the desired direction – depending on the wind and air conditions. Since no spare parts could be procured soon since the end of the 627.0 and 628.0 series, the tower railcars were parked and collected in Cottbus until 2012. They were there for sale for a few years but did not find a buyer. The vehicle, which was still the longest operational, was the 704 002-5, which was transferred from its last service Bw Ludwigshafen to Karlsruhe in January 2012 and then on to Cottbus. Unfortunately, all five tower engines were dismantled and no museum has been preserved.

Our prototype was delivered to Bw Osnabrück on April 11, 1978 as the fourth vehicle in the 704 series, where it was based until November 1986. After that, the tower motor vehicle was repositioned in Bw Würzburg, where it remained until its withdrawal – after a "detour" into Bw Nürnberg 2 from February 2004 to August 2006.

This text is machine translated.