Need for high speed    
The ICEs (InterCity Express trains) are the German pride to the super high speed transportation. When Japan started it's high speed service with Shinkansen in 1964, the Europe was encouraged to put more effort on it's own projects. France was to be the number one for the coming decades, Germany the second dividing it's resources with two separate projects. The British had their APT project to modernize their rail travel. Even the Soviet Union started it's high speed initiative although with little success. 
   
 Early developments - divided focus 
Both Germany and France had made smaller scale experimentation with high speed rail transportation. In Germany this meant both using traditional locomotive traction in the form of famous class 103.1 with high speed TEE and IC coaches (successfull) as well as high speed experimental class 403 "Donald Duck" EMUs (unsuccessfull). Both of these were limited to mere 200 kph, so more serious development work was needed, something Germans had been very good at earlier.   
   
The following decisions lead to the loosing battle against the French: the German forces were (again) divided with the research of magnetic levitating train Transrapid Maglev and the use of traditional super high speed train units, the Intercity Experimental. Germany was also lacking rail network for the super high speed travel. So initially, there was a lot to do with scarce funding. Another interesting factor was that while the German rail travel in high speed TEE trains was meant for upper class, where as the French approach was meant for everybody, another loosing battle for Germans. 
 
Interestingly, the Germans thought long after the French had run their TGV successfully at 300 kph, that the conventional rail travel was limited to mere 200 kph! However the ICE-V (V for Versuch or testing) train of two TGV like power cars and two intermediate cars was built. The locomotives were initially in effect just traditional 200 kph class 120 iron horses built with more streamlined design. So, it looks like the Maglev lobby almost succeeded to kill the German train industry. Today we know that the Maglev production tracks were finally built...in and near Shanghai in China!        

 The ICE1
ICE-V, despite of the lack of devotion and resources, finally got success and the national ICE1 project was started around 20 German producers of components.  The ICE consists of class 410 power car at both end and around 11 normal high speed coaches in between. The coaches are not articulated (like in TGV) and the insides were and still are even refurbished very spartan looking design. But the initial super high speed traffic got started on the German rails for real. A total of 60 units were built in the batches of 41 + 19. The ICE1s were designed for speed up to 280 kph. No ICE1's were ever sold abroad although the Germans tried very hard sparing no efforts. TGV was the winner for all the firm orders.  
 
 ICE2
An ICE2 was the next evolution step forward. Otherwise very similar to the ICE1, the ICE2 only had one class 402 locomotive at one end, six intermediate cars and a driving trailer (cab car) at the other end. The German National Railways ordered 44 ICE2's.

 ICE3 and Velaros 
After the now successfull ICE2's the next step was the development of a totally new concept, the ICE3. ICE3 has distributed power throughout the train and it is more design product than it's ugly predecessors. Even the ICE3 was still a project of German transportation giants Siemens and Adtranz (latter now part of Bombardier). The ICE3's had some severe teething problems reported by locomotive magazines. Today the Siemens ICE3's next generation design Velaro trains have finally become a very strong competitor to the French national TGV/AGV fortress by Alstom.  

The Velaro is operating in Spain as well and soon the first test trains will run also in the Russian Federation. The first of China's CRH3's are in use as well. Out of the Chinese units 3 were built in Germany and 57 will be built in China by Tangshan Locomotive.  

There is also a tilting version of the German ICE design, the ICE-T, which challenges the Alstom manufactured Pendolinos on the conventional lines of track. 

Where the ICE1 and 2 are meant mainly for the German national traffic, the ICE3's and velaros are Paneuropean versions of the train. 

  ICE1       
  ICE3      

Common sight in Berlin and numerous other cities the 59 ICE1 trains and 46 ICE2 units seem to form the majority of the numerous passenger trains.  

Technical details  
-> Delivered to use: 1989 - 1996 
-> Number of units built: 60 units, 122 power units, 118 remaining after accidents, 708 wagons, all refurbished by 2009.    
-> Configuration: Power Car (Bo-Bo) + typically 12 wagons + PC
-> Capacity: 197first class +506 second class passengers seats 
-> Operated by Deutsche Bahn 

-> operations area: mainly Germany  

-> Unit length: 357 meters for the 14 part train
-> Unit power: 2 x 4800 kW (     Hp), 2 x 4 powered bogies
-> Power to weight ratio:  
-> ?? bicurrent versions: 15 KV 50 Hz / 16,7 Hz
-> Operational max. speed: originally 280 km/h

-> Mass, metric tons:    t net /     t gross
-> Wheel diameter: 1030 mm
-> Coupler type: 
-> Axle weight max: 20,1 tons  

-> heated, airconditioned and pressure controlled environment for the passengers and train service personnel

Easy recognition guide

• "technical" clear featured design   
• white with red line    
• all units separable with their own bogies (unlike articulated TGV/AGV type trains)  
• separate locomotives at both ends of the train
  

ICE3 is the first generation super high speed model for Siemens of Germany. The ICE3 also opened traffic to France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands. The later ICE3 like trains are called Velaro by Siemens and have been very successfull in larger markets like China, Spain and Russia.     

ICE3 Technical details  
-> Delivered to use: 2000 - 2005
-> Number of units: 67    
-> Configuration: 8 car EMU, Powered bogies troughout the train (according to the source book every second car is powered)
-> Capacity: 
-> Operated by: Deutsche Bahn, Renfe, (RzD) 
-> Unit length: 200 meters
-> Unit power: 16 x 500 = 8000 kW  (    Hp)
-> Power to weight ratio: 
-> 17 Quadcurrent versions: 25kV 50 Hz, 15 kV 16,7 Hz, 3000V DC, 1500V DC
-> Operational max. speed: originally 330 km/h, under 1500/300V 220 km/h

-> Mass, metric tons: 435t net
-> Wheel diameter:
-> Coupler type: 
-> Axle weight max: 16,6 tons

-> heated, airconditioned and pressure controlled environment for the passengers and train service personnel  

Easy recognition guide

• white with red line on sides and nose  
• more futuristic design tahn ICE1/ICE2
• Top running lights UNDER the windscreen (to separate from ICE-T)