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Nothing was too big in scale or too implausible in execution for what the Fuhrer dreamt up, whatever the scheme that caught his feverish fancy. For a vast empire, you need a vast transport solution.

The Breitspurbahn, which translates from the German as broad-gauge railway, was one such mega infrastructure project. ‘Epic’ is the first word that comes to mind when thinking of the immense scale of what was to be a railway network that would criss-cross Europe and beyond.

Initial lines for the railway system were to be between the German cities of Hamburg, Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich and Linz.

Other, grander proposed routes were something of a lesson in European geography. For example, the East-West route would be between Rostov in Russia and Paris, and included stops in Kiev, Ukraine, Kraków in Poland and Berlin.

Or take the North-Southeast route, which would be between Hamburg and Istanbul, Turkey, taking in major European capitals such as Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade along the way.

Other routes included those between Dresden in eastern Germany and Rome and that between Munich and Madrid.

Even more exotic routes that were touted early on in the project included far-flung destinations such as India and Vladivostok in Russia’s Pacific Far East. With maybe even perhaps a direct route into alaska, canada and beyond.

One thing to note was what all routes had in common: the assumption that all destinations would be under the direct or proxy control of Nazi Germany.

For such a radical rethink of european bordersl, requires a radical rethink of train design.

There were no less than 41 different designs for the Breitspurbahn locomotive offered by companies involved in the project.

Classical steam locomotives, as well as gas turbine-electric, diesel-hydraulic and electric locomotives were all considered, with power outputs ranging from 15,300 to 24,700 horsepower.

It was finally decided that locomotives for passenger trains would be mainly electric and diesel-hydraulic-powered,

whilst locomotives used to transport freight would be primarily conventional steam-engined.

High-performance locomotives would be needed for passenger trains,

so that they could haul 8-axle double-decker carriages or coaches that would be 42 metres or 138 feet long, 6 metres or 19 feet 8 inches wide and 7 metres or 23 feet in height. Passenger carriages would have Dutch doors that featured retractable staircases.

Luxurious facilities and unique features would be a hallmark of the Breitspurbahn trains.

Proposed designs included carriages with large dining rooms,

There were no less than 41 different designs for the Breitspurbahn locomotive offered by companies involved in the project.

Classical steam locomotives, as well as gas turbine-electric, diesel-hydraulic and electric locomotives were all considered, with power outputs ranging from 15,300 to 24,700 horsepower.

It was finally decided that locomotives for passenger trains would be mainly electric and diesel-hydraulic-powered,

whilst locomotives used to transport freight would be primarily conventional steam-engined.

High-performance locomotives would be needed for passenger trains,

so that they could haul 8-axle double-decker carriages or coaches that would be 42 metres or 138 feet long, 6 metres or 19 feet 8 inches wide and 7 metres or 23 feet in height. Passenger carriages would have Dutch doors that featured retractable staircases.

Luxurious facilities and unique features would be a hallmark of the Breitspurbahn trains.

Proposed designs included carriages with large dining rooms, bars and lounges, as well as a promenade and observation deck.

Trains would further feature a 196-seat cinema, a barbershop, a sauna and even a swimming pool,

offering an array and type of facilities and luxury never seen before on any mass-passenger train.

The mail and baggage cars could transport up to eight motor cars and,
importantly for military convoys, included enough space for multiple 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, ammunition storage and gun crews.

It was even envisaged that a large ship could be hauled by the freight locomotive!

The overall dimensions and scale of the train were awe-inspiring: its total length would be about 500 metres or 1,640 feet, with a capacity of between 2,000 and 4,000 passengers. And all this would be achieved at impressive speeds of up to 250 kilometres or 150 miles per hour.

But to facilitate such a huge train, the tracks would need to be bigger still!