The definitive history of the Class VT 11.5 railcars of Deutsche Bundesbahn. In the 1950s, these distinctive trains ushered in a new era for Deutsche Bundesbahn: that of international TEE traffic! For more than ten years, DB’s premium TEE services were in their hands, including services with such illustrious names as "Helvetia" or "Parsifal".
The units were subsequently cascaded to general IC services and by the 1980s they could be found working the "Alpen-See-Express" tourist trains between northern Germany and the southern German holiday centres. After around 30 years of intensive use, the former TEE railcars were still very popular and even after they were decommissioned in 1988, they still caused a stir as a luxury train in Italy.
This book covers every aspect of the units’ history, from early forerunners and the circumstances that gave rise to their specification, to construction, testing and operation. It discusses aspects of new technology incorporated into the design and the operational history of the VT 11.5 and the gas turbine trains of the 602 series. The book also looks at derivatives of the design built by other nations.
Numerous original documents are reproduced and over 400 photographs complement the detailed portrait of this elegant railcar. 296 pages. German text. Hardback.