In The Mid-1920s Karl Maybach Shifted His Focus Towards The Construction Of Fast Running Engines For Trains, Essentially Rendering Existing Solutions Inferior. This New Strategic Outlook Was A Feasible Way To Bring The Company Through Adversity. Having Had Provided High Performance Engines For Airships And Planes Prior To And During WW I, These Products Had Been Banned Afterwards Due To The Versailles Treaty. At The Time, Steam-Powered Trains Were Still The Status Quo And A Fast-Running Diesel Engine For This Specific Application Was Not Being Produced By Any Of The Large Industry Players. Gradually, ‘Maybach Motorenbau’ (‘Maybach Engine Works’) Claimed The New Terrain With A Stubborn Attitude. What Then Followed Can Only Be Described As A Disruption Of An Entire Industry: Powering The So-Called SVT Trains (“Schnelltriebwagen Mit Verbrennungsmotor”) Which Enabled Passengers To Travel To All Major German Cities Within A Day By Reaching World-Record Speeds Of 160 Km/H, Thereby Reshaping Society Forever. The First Train Of This New Generation Was The ‘Flying Hamburger’ Built In 1932 Which Made Use Of The GO 5 Type Engine.
1932
