Mainline steam trains in Great Britain
The most famous steam locomotive operating on the British main line is the 1923 built "Flying Scotsman". After being taken into public ownership in 2004, following a decade long refit it returned to mainline service in 2016. The fastest steam locomotive ever built, the 1938 built "Mallard", was also certified for main line operation briefly in the 1980s.
Berlin–Hamburg Railway
On 11 May 1936, high-speed steam locomotive 05 002, hauling three express carriages and a test van, reached 200.4 km/h at the 52 km mark between Vietznitz and Paulinenaue, a world record for steam locomotives.
On 15 May 1933, Germany’s first high-speed diesel train, DRG 877 "Fliegender Hamburger" ("Flying Hamburger"), was introduced on the line. With a travel time of two hours and 18 minutes the "Fliegender Hamburger" had an average speed of for the , between Hamburg Hauptbahnhof and Berlin Lehrter station. The "Fliegender Hamburger" was the world's fastest scheduled rail service. The majority of travellers still travelled in ordinary steam-hauled express trains with a travel time of three and a half to four hours. With the outbreak of World War II, military priorities meant that high-speed projects were abandoned.