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Like many other car manufacturers, Bugatti suffered from the consequences of the stock market crash in 1929, a time when many Bugatti models were difficult to sell. It was only the company's involvement in motor racing that ensured regular income throughout the years of the depression. Nevertheless, a major production was required to save the jobs of the 1,200 employees. The decisive contract came at the beginning of the thirties from the French national railway, which commissioned Bugatti with the development and production of a railcar. Ettore Bugatti designed the railcar along similar lines to his car models. He aimed for high speed and acceleration, requiring a great deal of drive power. Two or four of the engines that had been intended and manufactured for the Type Royale provided the power. The train was an aerodynamic sensation. Ettore Bugatti was familiar with the advantages of low air resistance from his racing cars. He had already tested the wedge shape on a racing car ten years previously. For six years, the production of 91 railcars enabled the Bugatti company to survive. The railcars were durable and generally remained in service for more than 20 years. The last one was not taken out of service until 1958.