Budd–Michelin rubber-tired rail cars which featured innovative and distinctive pneumatic tires. The company claimed that its application of tires on its rail cars afforded both a substantially more cushioned ride and increased the cars' traction by 35%. The design of Michelin's tired wheels included an aluminum safety ring and a flange that were only used in the event of a puncture or other type of tire failure; during normal operation, only the rubber tire made contact with the rail. Inspired by Michelin's success, the Budd Company set its sights on marrying the new rubber rail tires with its shot-welded, stainless-steel carbodies; it had developed
Rubber Island Rubber Island Rubber Island (Gummiinsel) is the nickname of an estate in the western part of Giessen (Germany). Due to its location close to the Lahn river, and because it was close to the rubber factory Poppe & Co. The area was then isolated from the rest of the city on the opposite side of the Lahn. Even today, the area can be clearly demarcated by its physical structure of the rest of the western city. The residential area was built 1932-39 as a settlement of small two-storey red brick houses with no basement, each with a small front yard.