ZF Group
ZF Celebrates ‘A Century on Track’
This article first appeared in the Railway-News Magazine Issue 3 2024.
In the early summer of 2024, ZF celebrated its 100th anniversary in the rail vehicle market. From its ‘humble beginnings’ in 1924 – with a drive system for railcars adapted from a passenger car transmission – ZF has continuously expanded its portfolio of driveline, chassis and safety technology.
Today, the company is positioned as a leading supplier for the industry, with customers all around the world.
Comfort. Speed. Reliability. Efficiency. Ever since the invention of the locomotive, manufacturers and operators have striven to improve this vital mode of transportation. In 1924, a then-new German engineering company did just that. Because that year, as evidenced by a sketchbook entry, saw ZF enter the railway business. The TS18.5 Soden transmission had been adapted by ZF engineers for rail vehicles, after already proving itself in its primary application in passenger cars.
100 years on track: ever since it entered the railway technology business in 1924, ZF has supported the industry in its trajectory towards the future – with better, safer and more reliable products.
