By Stefan Schilde
Was it collectors? Or traders who want to make money with it? Brazen thieves have caused significant damage to historic BVG cars!
A shock for friends and supporters of the Berlin U-Bahn tradition: during the closure of the route between Kottbusser Tor and Warschauer Strasse in February, unknown persons broke into the Rudolfstrasse (Friedrichshain) depot, which was deserted at the time.
Almost like a time machine: the 212 railcar (type A1), which has also been beautifully restored on the inside. Enthusiasts painstakingly restored it to its original condition when it was delivered in 1913. This is how Berliners drove to work in the 1910s Photo: Private
A part of the historic subway fleet is stored there. The perpetrators neatly removed valuable original parts. A car at the zoo in Friedrichsfelde was also broken into.
Numerous emergency brakes, manufactured in the Siemens-Schuckert-Werke (SSW) in Berlin, were also stolen Photo: Private
The stolen goods: lights, emergency brakes, door handles and handles, signs, locks, covers, gauges, handrails – all antique, some more than 100 years old. A great loss for Berlin’s city history!
Here hung a manufacturer’s plate made of silver-plated brass. Inscription: “Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg” (MAN), known today as a bus and truck manufacturer Photo: Private
Spicy: According to the BZ information, there were no signs of a break-in. The bad suspicion: The perpetrators could have had access to the keys, so they could have come from the BVG environment. Recently, the false rumor is said to have circulated there that the historic wagons should be disposed of in the future.
The Berlin transport company confirmed the thefts, but did not want to give any details “for reasons of investigation tactics”. In any case, the company only placed an ad after the request from the BZ – at least a month after the history was stolen.
The big question: Can the cars be reconstructed according to the original model? “Together with the volunteer members of the AG Berlin U-Bahn, we are examining how the damage can be repaired,” says the BVG.
The perpetrators tampered with the large, three-bulb ceiling lights Photo: Private
Meanwhile, the fans of the Berlin subway are appealing to the guilty conscience of the thieves: “Give us back our piece of capital history!”