The MaK GDT is a large-volume diesel railbus (German: ''Großraum-Dieseltriebwagen'' or ''GDT'') that was first built in 1953 for private railways in Germany.
History
The GDT was developed in the early 1950s by
Maschinenbau Kiel for light and private railways. Eleven units were built as driving cars (''Triebwagen'' or ''VT'') for north German private lines.
The Danish railway company ''Odsherreds Jernbane'' was supplied by MaK with two similar vehicles in 1961. These were designated as Mo 25 and Mo 26; they had 66 seats, were fitted with
gangway connections and had a top speed of .
The firm based the coach bodies on the design of the
centre-door coaches of the
Deutsche Bundesbahn.
The engines each drove an inside axle on the bogie; only on the VT 81 delivered to the Kiel–Segeberg Light Railway (''Kleinbahn Kiel–Segeberg'') did the engines drive both bogie axles.
MaK railbuses of private German railway companies
The railbuses were delivered to the following railways:
*
Kiel-Schönberg Railway (''Kiel-Schönberger Eisenbahn'') (one unit)
*
Kiel-Segeberg Railway (''Kiel-Segeberger Eisenbahn'') (two units)
*
East Hanoverian Railways
The Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen AG (OHE) is a Celle based transportation company with railway network in North-eastern Lower Saxony around the Lüneburg Heath area of over 250 km.
The OHE's main business is the transportation of freight ...
(''Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen'') (seven units)
*
North Frisian Transport (''Nordfriesische Verkehrsbetriebe'') (one unit).
Following the withdrawal of passenger services the railbuses were sold to south German railways or to Italy. After the six railbuses had been decommissioned in Italy, there were bought in 2000 by the Lüneburg Railway Society (''Arbeitsgemeinschaft Verkehrsfreunde Lüneburg'' or ''AVL'') and brought back to Germany.
Only one vehicle has been scrapped to date, the others still exist, some in working order. In some examples the engine was removed and they were only used as trailer cars. In 2010 the following are working:
* VT 21 of the
Prignitz Railway
Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of Englan ...
, (''Prignitzer Eisenbahn''), sold to the Westphalian Localbahn, (''Westfälische Localbahn''), ex OHE GDT 0517
* GDT 0518 of the
AVL AVL may refer to:
* Automatic vehicle location
* Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (Valencian Language Academy)
* Anti-Villain League, a fictitious international crime fighting organization in the Despicable me media franchise and the movie Mini ...
, ex OHE GDT 0518
* T3 of the
Mittelweserbahn, ex OHE GDT 0520.
Gallery
File:Mak_521_Menzingen_UK.jpg, VT 521 of the SWEG in Menzingen shed
External links
* http://www.loks-aus-kiel.de/index.php?nav=1400850&lang=1 (Lieferliste)
{{Rolling stock of Denmark
German railbuses
MaK railbuses
Railbuses of Denmark
Train-related introductions in 1953