Hybrid Vehicle Gigants
The Porsche Land Trains!

The Landwehr train

1912 Porsche Landwehr

Porsche left Lohner in 1905 to accept a position at Daimler. During the next 25 years, his constant search for new designs and very low level of diplomacy resulted in many different design engineering positions with different companies. During this turbulent time, one of his realizations was the Landwehr train, a train designed for open road and off the road transport. It was used by Emperor Francois Josephs army to bring supplies to his frontline troops.

In the Landwehr train, Porsche used mixed propulsion (in other words - hybrid propulsion).

The leading car, or engine, was powered by a Daimler petrol engine of 100 horsepower, linked to an electrical generator which powered several self-propelled trailers each equipped with an electric motor on all four wheels.

Each trailer could be de-coupled and 'driven' and steered individually, drawing power via a cable connected to the traction unit. This allowed the train to negotiate weak bridges, one trailer at a time, and to be maneuvered in the tightest of spaces.

So flexible was the coupling and steering arrangement that the train could be driven in a circle tight enough to allow the traction engine to push its own rearmost trailer.

During the first World War, these trains traveled on difficult terrain to supply the army, and could also be fitted with special tires in order to ride on normal railroad tracks.

The Landwehr is thus the first hybrid train although later trains used diesel ICE in stead of the petrol Landwehr.

The "C train"

C-zug, Porsche Hybrid

The "C Train" succeeded the Landwehr on the drawing table. Its intent being purely military, it was equipped with an 81-ton gun and four trailers.

Each trailer was fitted with eight hub-motors and the "tractor" was powered by a 20-litre 150 hp traction engine.

With a total weight with cargo in excess of 150 tons the Porsche's C-Train unfailingly lumbered its way to strategic positions even over the most hostile terrain.

1916 M12/M16 C-Zug

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