Belgian Railway Type 608

The Type 608 formed a series of six railcars with internal-combustion engines that were delivered by Forges Usines et Fonderies d'Haine-Saint-Pierre shortly before the Second World War. These vehicles were streamlined at both ends, intended for fast traffic without a trailer cars. They were built under license by Ganz in Budapest and offered ten seats in second class and 54 in third class. Both axles of each bogie were driven by an 500 hp eight-cylinder diesel engine via mechanical transmission. 

The six railcars were preceded by a Type 607 prototype that had been delivered in 1936. The Type 608 series vehicles were ordered together with the two-car type 553 railcars and delivered in 1939. They achieved a speed of up to 126 km/h in test drives, but were limited to 85 km/h in service. In contrast to other Belgian railcars, some of them survived the Second World War. It is thanks to this fact that the 608.05 can be visited in the railway museum in Treignes after a refurbishment and is therefore one of only two pre-war Belgian railcars that are still preserved today.