IFS vehicles

The Aachen Rail Shuttle was conceived, designed and built as a demonstrator vehicle together with renowned project partners. The two-axle vehicle with a length of 12 m and an unladen mass of less than 17 t has a battery-electric drive. All technical supply systems are modular and are located in the chassis. If the cabin with its secondary suspension is removed, the vehicle can also be used as a self-propelled container wagon in the future. The original Aachen Rail Shuttle was first presented to experts at InnoTrans 2024. It is to be used in the Flexible Rail Bus for Rural Areas (FlexSbus-LR) project as a lightweight, flexible, energy self-sufficient and locally emission-free rail vehicle for passenger transport in rural areas.

The EBO-approved Light Railcar is being made available to us by the Rurtalbahn for research purposes. This vehicle is being used to test sensor technology for automated driving together with project partners and the Aachen University of Applied Sciences.

Köf II is the German abbreviation for small locomotive with (diesel) oil engine and fluid drive of the power class II. It is used for shunting and also for measuring runs at the premises of the IFS. It was manufactured in 1959 by Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz in Cologne. It generates 128 hp and reaches a maximum speed of 45 km/h. After being delivered by the DB, it was refurbished and repainted at the IFS. The locomotive is authorized under the BOA (ordinance on the construction and operation of branch lines).

The rail-road vehicle ZW MB 3 Mercedes-Benz Type 308 with 86 hp received the additional equipment for standard-gauge track runs in 1982 from the Zweiweg company. The rail-guiding unit with guiding wheels can be lowered and lifted hydraulically. The track guidance occurs through the guiding wheels, and the transmission of driving and braking forces is accomplished by the road wheels, which run on the rails as well. A railway-technical authorisation under § 32 EBO (railway building and operation regulations) exists for its use on the public railway network. The interior of the vehicle is fit out to incorporate computers and measuring devices. By means of a trailer coupling, the track measuring trailer owned by the institute can be pulled.

We use another road-rail vehicle for test drives. It is a Unimog 406 with a Ries/Zwiehoff road-rail system. The BOA-approved vehicle is used for research purposes as part of “vegetation control”. The equipment required for the tests, such as the emergency power system and high-pressure pump, is loaded onto the flatbed.

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