Who's claiming only a steam locomotive can attract the village youth? The "Skl" during the stripping of the track up to Waldbröl on 22-apr-2005 in Hermesdorf. Photo: Ulrich CleesAnd what kind of vehicle is it? Let's have a look at the DB definition: The motor vehicle Klv 53 is intended for the transportation of construction materials, roadbed and track material, as well as signalling devices, equipment and excavation materials in the first place. Apart from the driver up to 6 persons can be transported sheltered in the driver's cab (taken from: Deutsche Bundesbahn, description of the crew motor vehicle Klv 53, in force since 1-January-1972).
That's right! We use it and its two working wagons (Kla)(what does this mean?) for transporting gravel and soil, signal posts and station name plates, sleepers and tree prunings, level-crossing barrier motors and the barriers. And workers and machines, of course. Also the vehicle itself provides a very significant worktool for the maintenance of our track in the form of its hydraulic crane. And in the dark new floodlights illuminate the workplace for our crew.

This is also possible: on the occasion of the station festival on 14-sep-2008 it served as stage for a rock band. Photo: Christof WeschenbachAll this the Skl does "primarily", as DB liked to put it. Although it doesn't have a standard railway coupling device it can also haul "normal" railway vehicles using a special coupling bar. This way we have already used it to haul a hopper wagon or for shunting passenger trains. It has even served as stage for a rock band at the Waldböl station festival. If that's not a universal vehicle...

The operators of the website www.nebenfahrzeuge.de state the following regarding its "curriculum vitae":

 

Technical data:

Vehicle:	Klv 53-0371
Wheel arrangement:	B
Manufacturer:	WU 1974
Serial number:	18361
Net power:	115 HP.
Top speed:	44 mph.
Crane manufacturer:	ATLAS