Johann Culemeyer (16 October 1883 - 20 January 1951) was a German
engineer.
Culemeyer was born in Hanover in 1883 and, in 1936, he became a director of the
Deutsche Reichsbahn and in that capacity was responsible for the construction, procurement and running of road vehicles, railway wagons and heavy transporters.
As early as 1931, he had designed a transportation system which was subsequently named after him, the "Culemeyer heavy
trailer".
[http://www.berth.eu/waggon_de.html as at 31 January 2009] This heavy road trailer enabled the transportation of
goods wagons on the road. These trailers initially had four axles with 16 solid rubber wheels. From 1935, a six-axle, 24-wheel version was also produced.
Under the
slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...
''Die Eisenbahn ins Haus'' ('The Railway to Your Door') goods wagons were brought to factories and other places that did not have their own railway links from the nearest loading station. It was patented on 29 November 1931 under the name ''Fahrbares Anschlussgleis'' ('Rail Link on Wheels') and demonstrated to the public for the first time on 24 April 1931 at the
Anhalter Bahnhof
The Anhalter Bahnhof is a former railway terminus in Berlin, Germany, approximately southeast of Potsdamer Platz. Once one of Berlin's most important railway stations, it was severely damaged in World War II, and finally closed for traffic in 19 ...
in
Berlin.
In the
Deutsche Bundesbahn the trailers were hauled by ''Kaelble'' tractors; the
Deutsche Reichsbahn (GDR) in
East Germany used ''
Tatra'' tractors.
Whilst ''Culemeyer'' heavy trailers have been largely superseded on the roads by lorries, in some factories and firms they are still used occasionally.
On 4 November 1976 a private road belonging to the management of the former Reichsbahn authority (''
VdeR'') in
Berlin-Marienfelde
Marienfelde () is a locality in southwest Berlin, Germany, part of the Tempelhof-Schöneberg borough. The former village, incorporated according to the Greater Berlin Act of 1920, today is a mixed industrial and residential area.
Geography
The M ...
(
Tempelhof) was named after Johann Culemeyer. The road is open to public traffic and is a cul-de-sac with several industrial sites along it, including the ''Berliner Werk der Converteam Deutschland'' that in 1984 moved there as the
AEG-Stromrichterfabrik. In the vicinity, there is also the ''Schwechtenstrasse'', named after the architect of the Anhalter Bahnhof.
Culemeyer died in 1951 in
Nordholz,
Cuxhaven, in north Germany.
References
Sources
:de:Johann Culemeyer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Culemeyer, Johann
Businesspeople from Hanover
1883 births
1951 deaths
German railway mechanical engineers
Engineers from Hanover