Liliput DB Tower railcar BR 704 704 002-5 BW Karlsruh

The five tower drive cars of the series 704, delivered between 1977 and 1978, were developed as successors to the series 701/702 based on the drive car series 627.0/628.0. The two-engine vehicles were capable of speeds of 140 km/h and could still reach 100 km/h with a trailing load on a 5 ‰ gradient. This allowed them to quickly arrive at the job site, and their excellent technical equipment made them versatile for use everywhere. They were often seen operating alongside overhead line construction vehicles or additional equipment cars. Throughout their over 30 years of service, they changed depots multiple times depending on the workload and duration of major construction sites in the rail network, enabling them to be deployed quickly from various locations across Germany. Initially, the staff were often affected by engine exhaust fumes, so in 1986, the 704 series received new, lower-emission engines. Additionally, exhaust pipes were routed along the left and right sides of the roof, allowing for remote-controlled diversion of the exhaust gases depending on wind and air conditions. Due to the inability to procure spare parts after the withdrawal of the series 627.0 and 628.0, the tower drive cars were taken out of service by 2012 and collected in Cottbus. They remained there for several years for sale but found no buyers. The longest operational vehicle was the 704 002-5, which was transferred from its last depot in Ludwigshafen to Karlsruhe and then to Cottbus in January 2012. Unfortunately, all five tower drive cars were dismantled, and none were preserved for museums. Our model is the second tower drive car of the series 704, which was delivered to the Karlsruhe depot on February 6, 1978.