InterCityExperimental

InterCityExperimental ICE V
410001MKF train
Interiors in second class
Manufacturer	Siemens, Krauss-Maffei, Krupp, Thyssen-Henschel, AEG, Brown Boveri Company
Fleet numbers	1
Capacity	60 (first class), 27 (second class)
Operator(s)	Deutsche Bundesbahn
Specifications
Train length	ca. 114 m (374 ft)
Width	3,070 mm (121 in) (power car) 2,930 mm (115 in) (coaches)
Height	3,820 mm (150 in) (power car) 3,650 mm (144 in) (coaches)
Wheel diameter	920 mm (36 in) (new) 870 mm (34 in) (used)
Wheelbase	1,150 mm (45 in)

InterCityExperimental (ICE V)

The power cars without the coaches on the Karlsfeld-Olching line

Type and origin Power type electric

Specifications UIC class Bo'Bo'+2'2'+2'2'+2'2'+Bo'Bo' Loco weight 296 t (291 long tons; 326 short tons) (powerheads 77.7 t (76.5 long tons; 85.6 short tons) each)

Performance figures Maximum speed 406.9 km/h (252.8 mph) Power output 8,400 kW (11,300 hp) (2x4,200 kW (5,600 hp))

Career Delivered 31 July 1985 Last run Summer 1998

The Intercity Experimental, later renamed ICE V, was an experimental train developed by the Deutsche Bundesbahn for research into high-speed rail in Germany. It is the predecessor of all Intercity-Express trains of the Deutsche Bahn.

The trainset was built with two Class 410 power cars built jointly by Krupp, Krauss-Maffei and Thyssen-Henschel, and up to three Class 810 intermediate coaches, of which two were built by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm and one by DUEWAG and Linke-Hofmann-Busch. When one of the coaches was used for measurement purposes, the other two were used for demonstration of a modern high-speed train. The powercars weighed 78 tons each and had a maximum output of 3,640 kW. They were mostly based on the DB Class 120 locomotives developed earlier, but had been equipped with an aerodynamic outer hull and a corporate identity livery. In the summer of 1986, one of the coaches (810 001) was refurbished from a measurement coach to a demonstration coach.

After a derailment on 3 September 1986, one of the power cars was not available for service. For a period of 10 months, one of the coaches was temporarily refit with a driver's cab in order to avoid further stalling of project schedules of the experimental project.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research in 1968 commissioned a study to study the technical and economic feasibility of high-speed rail tranport in Germany. The results, published in 1971, showed a necessity for higher speeds in the German railways. In 1972, the ministry took the lead in developing new railway technologies. During the same time, a working group for "Rail/Wheel" was initiated in the Bundesbahn Central Offices in Minden. Initially, they concentrated on research regarding the Maglev project Transrapid that eventually led to the Emsland test facility.