Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Wooden figure featuring number ‘88’ on chest triggers investigation I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Authorities in a town in Germany have ordered a statue erected by a man in honour of his late father to be removed following complaints that it closely resembled Adolf Hitler which was positioned in a cemetery in the town of Weil im Schönbuch in the southwest state of Baden-Württemberg featured the number ‘88’ on the chest – the numerical code for Heil Hitler since H is the eighth letter in the alphabet An investigation has been launched into the life-size statue of a man named by German newspaper Bild as Ewald E unveiled the wooden figure earlier this month “Within a few days I received half a dozen complaints from worried citizens about the wooden figure,” he said The statue was subsequently removed but the son insisted the ‘88’ was a reference to his father’s house door number His father was a cashier at a football club for 30 years.” Police said the investigation concerned the alleged use of symbols relating to unconstitutional organisations but we don’t yet know what’s behind it,” a police spokesman told German outlet T-Online Germany bans public displays of Nazi symbology including swastikas and SS sig runes or Nazi salutes and statements such as “Heil Hitler” In 2019, several German churches were accused of using bells bearing the swastika and Nazi inscriptions. The Evangelical Church in Thuringia was accused of violating the country’s ban on the use of Nazi symbols by using six bells in five churches, including on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Die Welt reported. A spokesman for the church told the KNA news agency the inscriptions could be removed, but such action would need to be reconciled with rules on the preservation of historical monuments. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Further test runs followed in Madrid and Galicia research and industry developed a bimodal demonstration train with hydrogen fuel cells The project reached an important milestone with the approval of test runs on the Spanish railway network and the first long-distance journey to Canfranc in the Aragonese Pyrenees as the railway line to Canfranc was a particularly demanding route due to its steep gradients which posed a major challenge for the new power generation systems The demonstration train was built on a CIVIA commuter train from Renfe which was able to run with zero local emissions both in electric mode on lines with overhead lines and in hybrid mode using electricity from a system of hydrogen fuel cells and batteries MotivationHalf of the railway lines in the European Union were electrified at the start of the project and already enabled locally emission-free local transport at that time Diesel-powered trains were in use on the remaining sections of track the construction of overhead lines was very expensive the realisation depended on the local geographical conditions The range of purely battery-electric trains was around 30 to 100 kilometres depending on the route profile and outside temperatures Conventional diesel vehicles were limited in terms of maximum speed and acceleration compared to electric trolleybuses In the EU project FCH2RAIL (Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Pack for Rail Applications) the consortium with participants from Belgium Spain and Portugal developed and tested a new type of train bimodal drive that combined the power supply from the overhead line with an on-board hybrid power pack consisting of fuel cells and batteries that is independent of the overhead line the train drew its power for travelling from the overhead line the "Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Pack" "We wanted to show that such a bimodal power system is a competitive and environmentally friendly alternative to diesel propulsion," said Holger Dittus project manager and employee at the Institute of Vehicle Concepts at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) "Our bimodal fuel cell-battery system combines the advantages of both electrical technologies This allows us to make rail transport even more sustainable and energy-efficient," says Eva Terron Technical Project Manager at Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) summarising the main objective of the project The hydrogen train's energy supply was designed in such a way that the power and range could be expanded according to the operator's application profile using a modular system The drive power scaled with the number of fuel cell and battery modules while the number of hydrogen tanks determined the range on non-electrified routes This allowed the drive unit to be optimised for use in both passenger and freight transport The modular design also made it possible to produce the required components in larger quantities and therefore more cost-effectively CAF had installed a new power generation system in Renfe's commuter train which generated electricity using a hybrid of hydrogen fuel cells and batteries The innovative system was integrated into the vehicle's existing drive system After a static test phase at the CAF plant in Zaragoza and the first hydrogen refuelling the first test drives on a closed route began in mid-2022 This allowed the hybrid drive system to be optimised before the first long-distance journeys on representative routes of the Spanish rail network The start of this test phase marked the first authorisation from Adif to operate a hydrogen train on the Spanish railway infrastructure The hydrogen train had passed all risk analyses and safety validations to test the new technology Renfe had trained the train drivers and train managers to drive the converted CIVIA train The aim was to test the new technology across a wide range of power and energy requirements simulating different commercial multiple unit services the train was used on various routes of the Spanish railway network in Aragon The test scenarios included journeys under different climatic and operational conditions This made it possible to comprehensively characterise the new on-board technology and assess the competitiveness of the innovative bimode hybrid drive with hydrogen fuel cells as a sustainable alternative to diesel traction The test runs began with the questions of which railway lines in Spain and Portugal would be suitable and what environmental impact such a system would have from production to utilisation and disposal In order to answer these questions with the help of tests under real conditions the Spanish rail vehicle manufacturer CAF installed a fuel cell hybrid unit in an electric commuter train of the CIVIA series The train was provided by the Spanish state railway Renfe Operadora The central components were fuel cell systems from Toyota Motor Europe (TME) With the support of the infrastructure operators Administrador de Infrastructuras Ferroviarias (Adif) and Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) initial functional tests and test runs were carried out for approval on Spanish and Portuguese lines The Spanish hydrogen research centre Centro Nacional de Hidrógeno (CNH2) had built a hydrogen filling station to refuel the prototype the international project team had to solve numerous technological challenges The fuel cell and battery modules had to be combined and controlled in such a way that the system met all requirements and could also be realised cost-effectively It also had to be possible to utilise the waste heat from the fuel cells to heat and air-condition the train The air conditioning system manufacturer Faiveley / Stemmann Technik (STT) and DLR had investigated innovative solutions to minimise the energy required for heating Stemmann also analysed the interaction of the pantograph system with the hydrogen systems Another critical point was the safe interaction between hydrogen technology and the overhead line at all times so all safety precautions had to be taken together with the hydrogen operation The project therefore analysed norms and standards in the areas of hydrogen and rail transport and attempted to bring the two together the project team developed proposals for the approval authorities so that such trains can be approved quickly and easily throughout the EU in the near future The FCH2Rail consortium included participants from research and industry: CAF The success of the project confirmed and strengthened the commitment of the companies in the FCH2RAIL consortium to the development of environmentally friendly mobility solutions the project counted on the collaboration of companies such as IBERDROLA for the supply of green hydrogen for the test drives which provided a hydrogen refuelling solution which enabled the use of its facilities in Sabiñánigo during the test phase between Sabiñánigo and Canfranc The project is subsidised with 10 million euros by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU We want to show that such a bimodal power pack is a competitive and environmentally friendly alternative to diesel propulsion The TimesA man has been ordered to remove a wooden sculpture from his father’s grave after visitors complained that it resembled Adolf Hitler It depicts a stern figure with black hair and a little black moustache with a badge on his chest bearing the number 88 — a symbol in neo-Nazi circles representing the letters HH The man who commissioned it has been named only as Oliver E and was placed on the grave this month in a cemetery in the southwestern town of Weil im Schönbuch Registered in England No. 894646. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. A man in Germany was forced to take down a statue of his dead father because of its uncanny resemblance to Adolf Hitler Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience Don't have an account? Create Account The wooden sculpture was originally on the grave of the man’s father We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentThe memorial sported facial hair that was a little too close to the Nazi dictator’s, as well as a football jersey with the number ‘88’ engraved on it, which some perceived as code for “Heil, Hitler,” as “H” is the eighth letter of the alphabet. Concerned citizens complained to the mayor, who had the statue taken down at the cemetery but allowed Oliver to move it to his own property in Weil im Schönbuch in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The man’s attorney insisted his client is “not a Nazi,” explaining in court that the jersey number represents the “number of the house in which the father lived.” The fact that the wooden homage to his dad looks like Hitler is merely coincidence. An investigation has been launched into whether the statue violates the German Criminal Code, which prohibits the “use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations” – so think swastikas and other Nazi insignias and slogans, reported the Daily Mail. The exception is when those questionable symbols are used for artistic or educational purposes. transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. 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