The within invention concerns a spring element with a hydropneumatic strut to be positioned between the bogie and the body of a rail car, with the strut enclosing a piston that can slide in a cylinder so that the piston or the cylinder can be connected with the bogie and the other component can be connected with the body, and the piston space of the cylinder is connected with a hydraulic accumulator. A spring element of this type is known from, for example, WO 94/22702.
Spring elements of this type serving generally as secondary spring elements are known in a wide variety of embodiments. It is known how to adjust the strut height and hence the vehicle height, with height sensors being positioned between the car body and the bogie, by use of the sensors, the desired vehicle height is adjusted via a feedback loop. Sensors of this type become dirty, on the one hand, and on the other hand are positioned in such a way that changing them requires the disassembly or at least the removal of the strut. Another disadvantage of previously known height sensors is that in wheel wear equalization the sensor must be re-adjusted.