Launched in the 1950s, the Volkswagen Kombi became synonymous with the utility van. But you may not know that the Kombi was once used as a rail trolley running on tracks.
According to a report by the website Auto Evolution, this unusual conversion took place in 1955 and quickly became one of the most elegant self-propelled railway vehicles in history.
The VW Bulli, also known as the Klv-20 (which means “small vehicle with an internal combustion engine” in German railway terminology), combined an original VW Kombi with a railway chassis.
The project came to life in 1954, when the Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railway) needed new compact service vehicles for its rail network and, instead of building new models from scratch, commissioned a Kombi capable of traveling on rails.
The Deutsche Bundesbahn hired two manufacturers to build the Klv-20, Martin Beilhack and Wagon & Maschinenbau GmbH. Each built 15 units over the following year.
The vehicle itself has no steering wheel or rearview mirror. To operate it, a special hydraulic turning mechanism is used, allowing a single individual to lift the railcar and rotate it 180 degrees so it can return to its point of origin without driving in reverse.
Some modifications were made to the exterior to better comply with railway regulations. For example, the round headlights and brake lights from the original van were removed and replaced by two white lights mounted higher up beside the classic split windshield, along with a single red rear light.
The VW Bulli rail buses remained in service until the 1970s and were mainly used in railway maintenance and signaling depots for inspection and repair work.
Of the 30 units built in total, only a handful still exist today, and one of them was discovered by the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Oldtimer (VWNO) department.
The restored model, vehicle number 20-5011, was built by Beilhack and is one of the few units still operational today. After years of work on the tracks, it is now part of the VWNO collection in Hanover, Germany.
More recently, it made a special appearance at the VWNO stand during the Bremen Classic Motorshow in January in Bremen, Germany, where it was displayed in all its glory for automotive history enthusiasts.
Photos: Volkswagen. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
