The boiler is preheated. Slowly, the pistons push forward. The train is rolling. Every 10 minutes, a HANSA-PARK Express starts at the Victorian-style station of the Hansa Garden. However, the HANSA-PARK Express is not a steam locomotive but a diesel locomotive.
The park has three locomotives, each with a tender and four wagons. The locomotives were made by the brothers Ihle from Bruchsal who have made a name for themselves mainly by the construction of bumper cars. They completed in 1977 the change from LEGO locomotive to Western Railway. At that time the park railway was driving in the opposite direction.
The company Ihle built in the locomotives diesel boxer engines with 1600 ccm and 50 PS, as they occurred in VW beetles. However, even in damp weather, the 37-kW engines have trouble putting the 1.5 tons locomotive, including tender and wagons, into motion. In order to increase the friction between wheels and rails, the driver can put sand in a funnel, from which several hoses direct the sand directly onto the rail in front of the drive wheels.
The park railway is not only a means of transport for visitors, but also to get an overview of the rides and the park offer. The train takes you through the park, past the wild water ride, the western town and the pirate country, where there is a train station. You can not get closer to Nessie. In their thunderous descent into the loop the HANSA-PARK Express drives only a few centimeters past the action. The driving of the railway must be skillful. Not only gas, gear, brake and bell must be under control, but also a keen eye on every level crossing.
