The 1930s were a decade of major global innovations in the field of railway technology. New electric and diesel-powered locomotives revolutionised the world on rails. Steam locomotives were also improved and attracted a great deal of attention by breaking world records in Germany and Britain, attaining speeds of 200 km/h. How-ever, experts were well aware that the traditional steam engine had reached the end of the road, at least as far as further increases in speed were concerned. Possible solutions were offered by a number of innovations such as single-axle drive systems powered by small steam engines. The Kassel-based traditional locomotive manufacturer, Henschel, built a prototype locomotive for the Deutsche Reichsbahn in order to further investigate this technology.