| DR 877 a/b Flying Hamburger (Fliegender Hamburger) | |
|---|---|
 The express unit before its first trial run to at Lehrter station in Berlin. | |
| In service | 1932–1957 |
| Manufacturer | WUMAG |
| Constructed | 1932 |
| Number built | One 2-car set |
| Fleet numbers |
|
| Operators |
|
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 41,920 mm (137 ft6+3⁄8 in) over buffers |
| Width | 2,830 mm (9 ft3+3⁄8 in) |
| Height | 4,080 mm (13 ft4+5⁄8 in) |
| Wheel diameter |
|
| Wheelbase | 37,250 mm (122 ft2+1⁄2 in) |
| Maximum speed | 160 km/h (99 mph) |
| Weight |
|
| Prime mover(s) | Maybach G05 (× 2) |
| Engine type | 12-cyldiesel engine |
| Traction motors | 2 × 302 kW (405 hp) |
| Power output | 604 kW (810 hp) |
| Transmission | Diesel-electric |
| UIC classification | 2′Bo′2′ |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
TheDRG Class SVT 877Hamburg Flyer – sometimes alsoFlying Hamburger or inGermanFliegender Hamburger – wasGermany's first fastdiesel train, and is credited with establishing the fastest regular railway connection in the world in its time. Correctly named theBaureihe SVT 877 (laterDB Baureihe VT 04 000 a/b), thediesel-electric powered train was used to carry passengers on theBerlin–Hamburg line (roughly 286 km or 178 mi). It entered service in 1933.
The Hamburg Flyer, a train consisting of two cars – each having a driver's cab and passenger cabin – was ordered by theDeutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft in 1932 fromWaggon- und Maschinenbau AGGörlitz (WUMAG). The train was delivered in 1932 and put into service in 1933.
The train wasstreamlined afterwind tunnel experiments, a sort of research which was pioneered by the developers of the high-speedinterurban railcarBullet a couple of years before. TheFliegender Hamburger design was very similar to the Bullet's. Its lightweight, articulated construction andJakobs bogies were also known on the US interurban scene. However, theFliegender Hamburger had diesel-electric propulsion. Each of the two coaches had a 12-cylinderMaybach diesel engine with adirect current generator directly coupled to it, which drove a Tatzlager traction motor. The two engines developed a combined power of 604kW.
The train had apneumatic brake developed byKnorr-Bremse and anelectromagnetic rail brake. At 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph), it needed 800 metres (2,600 ft) to come to a halt.
The train had 98 seats in two saloon coaches and a four-seat buffet. The Hamburg Flyer was the prototype for the later trains of theDRG Class SVT 137, which were calledHamburg,Leipzig,Köln andBerlin.
As a sign of its exclusivity, the Hamburg Flyer was painted cream and violet – like the coaches of theRheingold Express train.
The success of this design ledHenschel to develop the streamlined and steam-poweredHenschel-Wegmann Train in 1935 which boasted a comparable performance on the routes between Berlin andDresden.
From 15 May 1933, the train ran regularly between Berlin (Lehrter Bahnhof) and Hamburg'scentral station. The train travelled the 286 kilometres (178 mi) in 138 minutes – an average speed of 124 kilometres per hour (77 mph). This performance was only equalled 64 years later, as the Deutsche Bahn began to useICE trains between the two cities in May 1997.[citation needed]
DuringWorld War II, the diesel trains saw no service. After 1945 they were confiscated by the French occupation army and were used in France until 1949. The Deutsche Bahn put them into service again up to 1957, but with a red painted hull and a new type number (VT 04 000). Only the driver's cab, the engine compartment and the saloon are preserved, the other parts were scrapped; the existing remains are preserved in theNuremberg Transport Museum. A set of the Series SVT 137, which had previously been refitted forDDR government use, is preserved complete atLeipzig station.[1]
Classes of GermanDMUs | ||
|---|---|---|
| BR number |  | |
| Pre-1968 classes | ||
| OldDRG numbers | ||
| DR in the GDR | ||
| Special trains | ||
| Diesel railbuses | ||
