Between 1932 and 1941, Waggonfabrik Wismar built 57 railbuses which were based on road bus technology to save costs. Due to their narrow hoods, they carried the nicknames “Schweineschnäuzchen” (piggy nose) and “Ameisenbär” (anteater). As reversible gearboxes with the same top speed in both directions were not known in bus building at that time, they had one engine at each end and only one engine was used at a time. The gearboxes had four forward and one reverse gear, allowing to reverse slowly without changing the end. The engines were either of the type Ford AA with 40 hp or Ford BB with 50 hp. They were built for narrow and standard gauge and some had a wood gasifier.