Palatinate Railways MBCC

The type MBCC designated four four-axle battery railcars which had been built for the Pfalzbahn in 1900 and 1902. Although Waggonbau Rastatt had manufactured these vehicles, the electrical part came from Schuckert Nuremberg and AfA Berlin. The order had been placed in 1899 after tests with four two-axle railcars, firstly two in narrow gauge and two in standard gauge. The three-axle MC was ordered at the same time.

The MBCC had 156 battery cells which were mounted in the benches. They powered two 30 kW traction motors which were mounted in one bogie. The range between charges was initially 30 to 40 km, but was later increased to around 100 km with new batteries. Charging stations were installed in Ludwigshafen, Neustadt, Landau and Schifferstadt. Usually, they ran distances of around 150 km per day. The last one was withdrawn in 1936.