[3] During the 1930s, Goicoechea, a pioneering railway engineer, sought to produce a new generation of rolling stock that would be primarily composed of metal, rather than wood; to reduce operational cost, he also emphasised lightweight yet sturdy construction, while a low center of gravity would deter derailing and thus permit higher operating speeds.

[3] During the late 1940s, Talgo came to recognise that Spain, and the wider European continent, were in a poor economic condition following the Second World War and so were unlikely to be customers for new rolling stock from an unproven manufacturer.

Furthermore, the company was keen to acquire advanced technical knowledge and designs, so a favourable agreement was struck with American Car and Foundry (ACF) to collaborate on the manufacture of the Talgo II in the United States.

[3] International rail travel between Spain and the rest of Europe had been historically hampered by the differing track gauge at either side of the Pyrenees.

Variable-gauge trains were soon a common feature of overnight services between various Spanish cities and destinations across Western Europe.

As a consequence of its mountainous terrain, curved tracks prevailed, despite restricting line speeds due to the centrifugal forces exerted on the trains and their contents.

[3] The company's long-term primary customer, and thus the main source of its revenues, is the Spanish railway operator Renfe.

[8] In May 2015, the company made an initial public offering (IPO) on the Bolsa de Madrid, during which it was valued at €1.27 billion.

[10][11] In the early 2020s, the company invested in new manufacturing facilities in India with the aiming of securing sizable orders from across the country's railways.

[18] The trainset was destroyed on February 5, 1944 after approximately 3000 km of testing in a fire at its storage location, a warehouse in Cerra Negro.

Talgo II coaches and locomotives were first built in 1950 at the American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) works in the United States under the direction of Spanish engineers (the diesel–electric locomotives were assembled by ACF with electrical components made by General Electric).

Slightly different coaches were later introduced, and the last car type of the Jet Rocket resembled that of the future Talgo III.

In 1988, a Talgo Pendular was used on trials for Amtrak on the Boston–New York corridor in the United States and on Deutsche Bahn lines in Germany.

In September 2022, the Talgo IV sets were transported to the Villa Luro workshop to undergo repairs, aiming to add an extra daily service between Buenos Aires and Rosario.

Talgo made an agreement in 2009 to build a manufacturing facility in Wisconsin which would initially supply two 14-car trainsets for the Amtrak Hiawatha until the project was cancelled.

[29][30] Early in 2010, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced that it had negotiated the purchase of two 13-car trainsets for use in the Pacific Northwest rail corridor between Eugene and Vancouver, British Columbia.

[32] The Series 8 trains offer passengers many modern amenities including high-speed Wi-Fi, reclining seats and a full-service bistro and lounge car.

In 2014, the state of Michigan expressed interest in operating the unused Talgo 8 cars for their Amtrak Wolverine service.

[33] Three years later, Amtrak proposed to lease or buy the unused cars in the wake of the 2017 Washington train derailment.

In July 2015, Talgo stated its intention to ship a Series 9 train to India at its own cost as a demonstration on the Mumbai–Delhi rail route.

[40] The Talgo 350 entered service as the Renfe AVE Class 102 marking the company's entry into the high-speed train manufacturing market.

Tests with the prototype commenced in 1994,[16] and Talgo 350 trains have been operating at a top commercial speed of 330 km/h on the Madrid–Barcelona and Madrid–Valladolid lines since 22 December 2007.

The North American version has four-axle power cars in compliance with United States FRA regulations.

Possible specs are: Talgo has developed recently a push-pull train known as "AVRIL" (Alta Velocidad Rueda Independiente Ligero — Light High-Speed Independent Wheel), intended for speeds of 380 kilometres per hour (240 mph).

This negates the words of the Minister of Transport who justified that train is a gift from the company for President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

[51][52] In addition to the multiple units with variable gauge, in 2005 Talgo built a prototype of a variable-gauge locomotive (the L-9202, TRAV-CA, 130-901 or Virgen del Buen Camino).