Inauguration of the Flying Hamburger

On June 18, 1928, the Deutsche Reichsbahn launched the “Fliegender Hamburger,” the world’s first scheduled diesel-powered high-speed train. The two-car articulated unit, powered by two 410-hp Maybach engines, covered the 178 miles between Berlin Lehrter Bahnhof and Hamburg in just 138 minutes—an average speed of 77 mph. The train’s streamlined design and lightweight construction set new standards for passenger rail travel and influenced later developments such as the American Burlington Zephyr and Japanese bullet trains.