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Broader than broad: Hitler's Dream 3 metre gauge rails across Europe
Robin Barnes tells the story/history of what (had it been built) would have been the most gargantuan of all railway systems. It is the story of Adolf Hitler's fantasy of a 3m gauge railway network that was to spread across and beyond his new German empire, from Spain in the west to the frontier of what he expected to be the new Japanese empire in the east.
The scale of the concept was enormous, almost beyond imagination, even by today's standards. Locomotives and rolling stock were to be 6m (20 ft) wide and up to 6.85 m (22ft 4in) high, running on rails 3m (9ft 10in) apart. Many of the locomotives were to be 60 or 70 metres in length, with one design for a passenger diesel loco, a 36,000 hp 4-unit monster, being 95 metres long. Two of the steam turbine designs were to be even longer, the largest (a 21,800 hp freight loco) being all of 128 metres in length. Of the reciprocating steam designs, one freight-haulage unit was to be a 20,000hp 8-cylinder loco, some 77.5 metres long, while the largest passenger design was of a 24,000hp 10-cylinder machine 93 metres in length and weighing well over 1000 tonnes.
No less amazing were the proposed speeds that these monsters were planned to run at. Freight locos were to haul massive trains at a modest 100 km/h, but the passenger locos (including the 93m long steam monster) were expected to run 1000 tonne trains at no less than 250 km/h. Furthermore they were to maintain that speed for hundreds of miles at a stretch.
Robin illustrates his text with a large selection of vivid water colours showing several of these monstrous locomotives and their trains. Various wagon and carriage types (including the interiors of restaurant and cinema cars) are also pictured, together with diagrams of track work and other technical features.
Rounding off this amazing book are descriptions of the several broad gauge railway concepts that came before and after Hitler's dream, some of which are as odd, even if not as spectacular, as the Fuhrer's vision.
The scale of the concept was enormous, almost beyond imagination, even by today's standards. Locomotives and rolling stock were to be 6m (20 ft) wide and up to 6.85 m (22ft 4in) high, running on rails 3m (9ft 10in) apart. Many of the locomotives were to be 60 or 70 metres in length, with one design for a passenger diesel loco, a 36,000 hp 4-unit monster, being 95 metres long. Two of the steam turbine designs were to be even longer, the largest (a 21,800 hp freight loco) being all of 128 metres in length. Of the reciprocating steam designs, one freight-haulage unit was to be a 20,000hp 8-cylinder loco, some 77.5 metres long, while the largest passenger design was of a 24,000hp 10-cylinder machine 93 metres in length and weighing well over 1000 tonnes.
No less amazing were the proposed speeds that these monsters were planned to run at. Freight locos were to haul massive trains at a modest 100 km/h, but the passenger locos (including the 93m long steam monster) were expected to run 1000 tonne trains at no less than 250 km/h. Furthermore they were to maintain that speed for hundreds of miles at a stretch.
Robin illustrates his text with a large selection of vivid water colours showing several of these monstrous locomotives and their trains. Various wagon and carriage types (including the interiors of restaurant and cinema cars) are also pictured, together with diagrams of track work and other technical features.
Rounding off this amazing book are descriptions of the several broad gauge railway concepts that came before and after Hitler's dream, some of which are as odd, even if not as spectacular, as the Fuhrer's vision.
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 31, 2013
Fascinating history of how Hitler planned Europe's railways to look like in his Europe. A super 3 metre broad gauge railway that would have stretched from Brest on the French coast to the Ural mountains, and all over Europe.
These monstrous trains would have had two levels, shops, salons, dinning cars, cinemas and could carry thousands of people. The Freight versions could have carried small ships on their wagons as well as tons of cargo/freight.
Most engineers, then and now, said this would have never worked even if Hitler had won the war. Robin Barnes has created an interesting history of the project using some of the original illustrations that German Engineers came up with during the designing stage in the Third Reich.
A fascinating book.
These monstrous trains would have had two levels, shops, salons, dinning cars, cinemas and could carry thousands of people. The Freight versions could have carried small ships on their wagons as well as tons of cargo/freight.
Most engineers, then and now, said this would have never worked even if Hitler had won the war. Robin Barnes has created an interesting history of the project using some of the original illustrations that German Engineers came up with during the designing stage in the Third Reich.
A fascinating book.
May 5, 2025
A description of the frankly mad idea of Hitler for a three metre gauge railway. Not his only mad idea, obviously, and one that didn't entail death or destruction. Still chilling that an impossible and useless scheme could have received so much attention because of one man's obsession. The illustrations, I think, could have been better rendered.
January 4, 2017
It's a shame the Austrian paint dabbler didn't just rise to be chief of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, someone with his fanaticism directed solely towards the realisation of this megalomanic ultra broad gauge could have forced the project into a sort of experimental reality at least. This slim volume (which only took a year to get through as my copy spent most of the year with my uncle who was utterly bemused by the content) records from the scratchy and limited evidence that remains Hitlers plan to unite Europe with a steampunk style railway network. The proposal for a 3 metre gauge railway system with giant sized multi story trains wizzing about at high speed boggles the mind. Whikle the project sadly never got off the drawing board (genocide and other crimes againt humanity presumably taking priority) those in the drawing room at least gave the project thought and let their imaginations run riot both in the design of the rolling stock and the Germania inspired infrastructure. The technical specifications for a range of motive power are presented here and make me wish some nut with more money than they know what to do with would have a go at knocking up a few working examples (I'm more dreamily optimistic than the author in this). The book examines the traditional broad gauge concept, how most of Europe ended up with standard gauge and how Hitlers fascination with all things bigger and better led people to approach him with designs for the fantastical which had very little chance of successful execution in reality. The volume concludes with an examination of mega projects that were and post WWII proposals for similar grandiose schemes (including one that Stalin who shared a liking for the bigger and better supported). Fascinating stuff of particular appeal to steampunks!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews