This is Schienenzeppelin, the Futuristic Train With Propeller and Airplane Engine From the 1930s

Schienenzeppelin 1

The Schienenzeppelin was an experimental railcar resembling a Zeppelin airship, designed by German engineer Franz Kruckenberg in 1929.

Powered by a rear-mounted pusher propeller, it achieved a top speed of 230.2 km/h (143 mph), setting a land speed record for petrol-powered rail vehicles. Only one prototype was built, and due to safety concerns, it was dismantled in 1939. The design was influenced by the earlier Russian Aerowagon, which also used an aircraft engine and propeller.

h/t: vintag.es

Schienenzeppelin 2

Constructed in early 1930 by the German Imperial Railway Company, the Schienenzeppelin measured 25.85 meters long with a streamlined aluminum body. It initially featured two BMW IV 6-cylinder engines, later replaced by a single BMW VI 12-cylinder engine. On May 10, 1931, it exceeded 200 km/h for the first time and was publicly exhibited across Germany. On June 21, 1931, it set a world railway speed record on the Berlin–Hamburg line.

Schienenzeppelin 3

In 1932, Kruckenberg modified the railcar, adding a new front end with a two-axle bogie and hydraulic power transmission. Despite reaching 180 km/h in 1933, the prototype faced numerous issues. The Deutsche Reichsbahn developed the Fliegender Hamburger in 1933, which incorporated many of Kruckenberg’s ideas but was more suited for regular service. Ultimately, the Schienenzeppelin’s open propeller design and inability to pull additional wagons hindered its practicality, and it was dismantled in 1939.

Schienenzeppelin 4
Schienenzeppelin 5
Schienenzeppelin 6
Schienenzeppelin 7
Schienenzeppelin 8
Schienenzeppelin 9
Schienenzeppelin 10
Schienenzeppelin 11
Schienenzeppelin 12
Schienenzeppelin 13
Schienenzeppelin 14
Schienenzeppelin 15
Schienenzeppelin 16

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

Beautiful Vintage Black And White Fashion Photography By Georges Dambier In The 1950s

"Parallel Universes": Dreamy And Surreal Photo Works By Ibai Acevedo

Striking Black And White Photographs Of Venice Beach Eccentrics In 1984

Fascinating Colorized Photos Of Refugees During World War II

Beautiful Photographs By Brock Elbank In Tribute To Freckles

Supercool Pics Of Bugatti Cars In The 1920s And 1930s

Stuffed Llama Travels The World Taking Vacation Photos

Inuits from Remote Russia Get Used to being Photographed for the Very First Time

Mike Miller's Photography Captures '90s Hip-Hop And Lowrider Culture To The Fullest

UK Capturing Ecology 2017 Photo Competition

Assistant Professor Of Design Makes Honest Charts That Sum Up A Designer’s Life

Inside Amazon's Very Hot Warehouse

Spectacular Winning Photos from The Northern Lights Photographer of The Year 2021

Stunning Black-and-White Wildlife Winning Photos from the 2025 reFocus Photography Awards

Found Photos Show Fashion Styles of Young Women in the Late 1980s and Early ’90s

Experimental and Abstract Photography by Angela Allison

Stunning Photos of Cher Taken by Richard Avedon for Vogue in 1966

Lifestyle Female Portrait Photography By Alessandro Bondielli

Every Spring This Forest In Belgium Becomes A Blue Wonderland

Nostalgic Photos Of American Teenage Girls At Texas Beaches During The 1980s

Picture Hats: One Of The Favorite Fashion Styles Of Edwardian Women

The Future Imagined in Albert Robida’s "La vie électrique," 1890

"Back To The Future": A Retro Hi Fi In A Dark & Cozy Man Cave

Assembly: A Sense of Comfort through Proximity

This Photographer Captured The Life Of A Ping Pong Table For 5 Years

Keira Knightley for GQ UK, March 2012

Meet Colombia's FARC Rebels Preparing For Peace After More Than Half-Century Of Conflict With Government

The Monster Building: Photographer Tristan Zhou Captures Epic Photos Of Dystopian Asian Cityscapes

Anthropocene Mapping: The Human Influence On Earth

Beehive Hairdo: The Women’s Popular Hairstyle Throughout the 1960s