The VT 41, later known as class 5041, was the first commercially successful diesel railcar in Austria. Designed for commuter service, it had 64 third-class seats and a top speed of 80 km/h. The diesel engine delivered 118 kW or 160 hp. It was coupled to a 106 kW generator that delivered its power to two 45 kW traction motors. To increase their capacity, ten trailers were built for the ten railcars. In service it turned out that the engine was too weak when hauling an additional trailer.

In the beginning, they were also used for express service until the problems with the lightweight Austro-Daimler railcars were solved. After this, they were used for commuter service and on branch lines. In World War II, VT 41.02 came to the Soviet Union in today's Ukraine. There it was used as an inspection car from 1980 until it was retired in 1990. In Austria, the engines were modified to indirect injection in the fifties due to reliability problems with the direct injection. They were withdrawn in 1976 and 1977 and today, only 5041.03 is being preserved.