The late 30's and early 40's where an exciting time. Days of wonder. Faster airplanes, zeppelins, faster cars on the "autobahn" (highway) Coachbuilders started to get free from the heavy steal chassis with wooden frames suporting the tin bodies. Ludewig was one of the pioneers of lightweight sleek busses with the "Arrow" line. 2 extremens seem to have shared that name. Distingtifly different at the bonnet. "Strassen Sep" slang for street zeppelin after the zeppelin and the "schienen Sep" (railroad zeppelin) mark the excitement that designers and marketing caputed the spirit of the day. (Sep being a common first name also)
Even an expensive design product like this one was send into the war. As see in the 1942 picture. I guess someone copied it from a book (Which?) because of an (incorrect) remark under it.
A logo of one of them is the only thing that has been found surviving. See Here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Left front view | (source: Historischer Kraftverkehr 6-87) | (source: Historischer Kraftverkehr 6-87) | At the eastern front, 1942 | From the rounded corners this must be an inside view from this version. | Roden Aero modell | |
|
|
|||||
| An add for the chassis programm in 1937. This version came from an Opel truckprofile. Just to small to read the chassis versions. | On the Berlin motorshow(?) a promotional picture |
Even more into the streamline at least three of these where build. (Pictures came from Christian Papeleux. Thanks!)
 |
 |
 |
|||
| A period illustration promoting the new "Autobahn"(highway). |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Operated by the Deutsch Rechsbahn.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Seen around the shop in the Essenerstrasse.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
At the outing with the 3 Aero streamliners and the Mercedes there where many more pictures made.....
A doubledecker? Really! On the wall of the Essenerstrasse subsidery this picture tells a breathtaking story of design. And a 2nd picture is provided by Christian Papeleux. It was buildt in 1934 on a 90 Hp Büssing-NAG chassis. It was used by "Omnibus-Reise-Dienst G.m.b.H" opperating from the same street (Steelerstrasse). It was part of a promotional trip. ("Jeder einmal in Berlin" für 25.- Reichsmark hin und zurück" Everybody's trip: to Berlin and back for 25 Reichsmark) The comfortable seats and heater are praised.
It's mentioned in an article in the 1934 of the Commercial Motor archive.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
| From the Ruhr-archive. Seen on the Berlin Motor show 1934(?) | A promotional picture |
Another streamliner evolves from the Ruhr Museum Archive. It's even seen on a Berlin mot0r show.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Seen on the Berlin Motor Show | ||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| Large promo picture | Detail of the tail | An amazing find: It got drafted! a civilian plate and children in uniform. Late in the war? |
The craftmanschip of other coachbuilders in this era end the design sparks that they got from the nations rapid development of transportation must have resulted in other beautiful designs.
Verheul still exists today. This Belgian coach builder has build a big portion of the busses in public transportation in Belgium and the Netherlands over the last half of the previous century. Maarsen & Kroone is also a memorable name. This bus is claimed to be a Blitz. By 1940 there where other good frames for a splendid bus like this one, but Opel had (and still has) a very good name in reliability. Why do I hesitate? By 1940 anything useful for the war effort was restricted for export. Quite an achievement to aquire a bus-chassis in those days.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
| Verheul, Maarsen & Kroone operated | An almost identical bus, but no bumper, different headlights and different ventilation louvres. | Similar in several lines but also with differences. Maybe Verheul. | 2 Wehrmacht soldiers posing before a magnificently lined bus, note the low headlights. Martin Korth identified it as a Mercedes Lo 2600 with a Kässbohrer Bodywork. There where build six of it in 1936 for the Reichsbahn Schnellverkehr. (seen in the book "Der Autobahn-Schnellverkehr") |
From these group of 3 I'm certain that they are post-war. Pictures taken in the 80's and the story is known. The others are typical 50's to me.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Chassis is a 1937 Utrecht line bus | Den oudsten en Domburg | Carroseriebedrijf (Bodyshop) van Rooijen | Claimed to be 1940, but hardly possible | Dito |
| last revised:
April 1 2019