Rocket powered metre gauge

[PaulRhB]

This was inspired by a photo in the Transpress ‘Die Harzer Schmalspurbahnen’ book that showed a photo of Rak2 a rocket powered sled that reached 219km/h on 12th October 1928, (dates on the photo are actually for the runs of Rak1 in the video below)

 

Photo of Rak2 after the run

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-test-drive-of-the-rocket-car-rak-2-1928-48390971.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=12A79FDD-D08B-465B-9AC4-EF6A9358FF07&p=291611&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dmax%20halberstadt%26qt_raw%3dmax%20halberstadt%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d

 

 

Someone then posted the link to the video below of the Rak1 trials and crash in July 1928 on NGRM. 
Translation of the video. 
July 17, 1928, Friedrichshohe, Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.  Test run of an Eisfeld-Valier drive system on a simple rail bus (chassis mounted on steel wheels) on the Harz narrow-gauge railways in central Germany.

The car leaves the starting point and reaches a speed of over 100 km per hour.  

July 25, 1928. Another test run of the rocket propelled rail bus. The car reaches a speed of 180 km per hour.  
 

July 26, 1928. Official speed of the Eisfeld-Valier-Rak. On this third run, the car reached 180 km / hr but continued its strong acceleration, causing it to derail and fly the distance at an estimated speed of 300 km per hour.
 

https://www.criticalpast.com/de/video/65675024381_Raketentechnik_Eisfeld-Valier-Rak-1Auto_Test-auf-Schmalspurbahn_Friedrichshohe-Deutschland_Stiege-Deutschland

So I wondered what it would look like . . . I couldn’t find any suitable rocket motors for HOm but the small Estes rocket motors might just fit in G scale. 

 

 

 

[KeithMacdonald]

I think we'll find that was a test-bed for the rocket motor technology. Which, it seems, was quite effective.

 

Just a few years later, they put wings on it, tilted the metre gauge track up at an angle of 30 degrees, and aimed it at London.

[PaulRhB]

11 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

I think we'll find that was a test-bed for the rocket motor technology. Which, it seems, was quite effective.

 

Just a few years later, they put wings on it, tilted the metre gauge track up at an angle of 30 degrees, and aimed it at London.

That was a pulse jet not a rocket  

Rocket powered vehicles were quite popular in the late 20’s for speed records. 

[Oldddudders]

It has something of Last Of The Summer Wine about it, with close connections to Heath Robinson. 

[pH]

“The Fastest Man on Earth”:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stapp

 

 

[PaulRhB]

5 minutes ago, pH said:

“The Fastest Man on Earth”:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stapp

 

 

Yes and at least his experiments were for science over personal glory too and well documented. There’s a documentary about him I’ve seen a couple of times. 
I’m chatting to a friend who holds appropriate licenses to keep the propellant more controllable and safe than even the Estes option so I better get on with the sled