313 - M+F Kittel steam railcar no. 8 Karlsruhe, small-series model, gauge H0

M+F Kittel steam railcar no. 8 Karlsruhe, small-series model, gauge H0 Steam railcar of the Kittel type of gauge H0, small-series model by M+F (Merker und Fischer). Body in red colouring with a silver-grey roof, yellow decorative stripe and roof fittings, on the side the class figure 3 as well as the signs 'Raucher' and 'Nichtraucher' (smoker/non-smoker). The model carries the running number 8; the data panel names '8 Karlsruhe', the home station Freiburg and the inspection dates of 5.12.52 and 15.12.53. The electrics respond (motor hums), however the drive is seized and gummed up due to the long period of standing; servicing and cleaning are required. Played-with condition appropriate to age. The absence of smaller, delicate add-on parts cannot be entirely ruled out. The steam railcars of the Kittel type go back to Emil Kittel, chief engineer of the Royal Württemberg State Railways, who developed a vertical boiler for the drive. The vehicles were built by the Esslingen Machine Works, besides Württemberg also for Baden and Prussia. Their advantage lay in branch line operation: a single car replaced the complete train including locomotive and managed with a small crew, which first made lightly used lines economical. The vehicles remained in service until the 1950s. Merker und Fischer of Fürstenfeldbruck, founded in 1968, was among the pioneers of the German small series; kit production ended as early as 1978, which is why vehicles of this origin exist only in small numbers.