Class VT 18.16 Diesel Express Powered Rail Car Train

In the Fifties an immense spirit of optimism also prevailed on the German State Railroad of the GDR. In 1957, the era of international express service began there with the express train "Vindobona" Berlin – Vienna, which was supplemented starting in 1960 by the "Neptune" Berlin – Copenhagen. These prestigious connections not only brought valuable hard currency to the country but also were to improve the GDR's international reputation. The aged prewar trains therefore had to replaced promptly. Together with the VEB (State Owned Enterprise) Görlitz Car Construction the German State Railroad developed at the beginning of the Sixties a modern, multiple-unit express powered rail car train. The basic concept was based on a 215 km/h / 134 mph express prewar experimental powered rail car, which Franz Kruckenberg, the designer of the legendary Rail Zepplin, had realized. The result was an elegant four-part express powered rail car, whose prototype was presented in 1963 at the Leipzig Spring Fair. Both end cars had a 12-cylinder diesel motor with a performance of 900 horsepower and the maximum speed was 160 km/h / 100 mph. In accordance with the German State Railroad's numbering system the train was given the designation VT 18.16. VT meant a powered rail car with combustion power, the number 18 stood for the motor performance, and 16 for the maximum speed. Regular production with the motor performance increased to 2 x 1,000 horsepower began in 1965 and included eight powered rail car trains as well as two reserve powered cars and six additional intermediate cars. These new stars of the German State Railroad's rails took over immediately the services of the "Neptune" and the "Vindobona". In 1968 came the "Berlinaren" Berlin – Malmö too and finally the vacation trains "Karlex" and "Karola", which connected Berlin and Leipzig with Karlsbad, were run with these brawny powered rail car trains. As early as the end of the Seventies the capacity of these powered rail car trains now designated as the class 175 was no longer sufficient so that the German State Railroad now switched their prestige trains to locomotive-hauled sets. In 1990 only one set was still operational, and it was run until 2003 as a museum train. Currently, this train legend is being overhauled to be operational again. This work is being done by the non-profit SVT Görlitz, Inc., which would like to use the "Delphin" again on European rails. The VT 18.16 was also called by this name. Two other class VT 18.16 units can be admired as non-operational display pieces in Chemnitz and Berlin-Lichtenberg.