Students Restore the Welfenfest Train's Locomotive

It’s a genuine piece of living history that arrived at the RWU’s Automotive Laboratory a few months ago: the chassis of a historic Willys Jeep. For the past 50 years, it has served as the engine for the “Bähnle” train at the Welfenfest in Weingarten. Previously, it had been used first for military purposes and then as an agricultural tractor. But now, after all those decades of service, the vehicle was technically at the end of its life.

Faced with this problem, Walter Tränkle from the Welfenfest Committee turned to RWU. And he found a willing ear in the Department of Vehicle Engineering. Over the course of weeks and months, the 1940s-era Jeep was disassembled, cleaned, and completely rebuilt from the ground up at RWU.

Hands-On Learning Meets Local Tradition

As part of a hands-on project, students in the Automotive Engineering PLUS Teacher Education program set to work. At the heart of the work was the extensive overhaul of the engine, which now runs powerfully and reliably again following the complete refurbishment. The suspension and brakes were also partially overhauled to ensure safety for upcoming events.

Upon its successful completion, the Willys Jeep was returned to the Welfenfest Committee. Ralf Hermanutz, a laboratory engineer in the RWU’s Automotive Laboratory, handed over the freshly overhauled vehicle: “For us in the lab—and especially for our students—it was a wonderfully hands-on project. And if we can help get this historic club locomotive back on the tracks, that makes us twice as happy.”