Product Features and Details
Information about the model
With the conversion programs for 3yg and 4yg carriages, the German Federal Railway (Deutsche Bundesbahn) was able to counteract the wartime shortage of carriages for the first time from the mid-1950s onward. However, the new construction programs were initially limited to the development of intercity and express train carriages. Only after these were completed did the Federal Railway have the capacity to develop new local passenger carriages (n-cars). The steadily increasing demand and the fact that the 3yg carriages in particular were designed for a short service life led to the first prototypes of the new n-cars in 1958. Based on the findings of the previous new developments and the prototypes, three basic types were created: one with five first-class compartments in the center of the carriage and two open second-class compartments (AB4nb), one with three open second-class compartments (B4nb), and one with two open second-class compartments and a luggage compartment with a driver's cab (BD4nf). While prototypes had experimented with side panels made of aluminum, standard steel, and even corrugated side walls, stainless steel (V2A) cladding was ultimately chosen for series production. Since this material eliminated the need for paint as corrosion protection, the n-cars were given a so-called peacock eye pattern of brushed finish below the windows. This brushed pattern, combined with the silver surface of the V2A, quickly earned the n-cars the distinctive nickname "Silberlinge" (Silverlings). With few exceptions, the n-cars were equipped with Minden-Deutz lightweight bogies with block brakes (MD42), which were replaced in later series with disc brakes (MD43). To facilitate rapid passenger exchange, the usual end entrances were omitted and replaced with double entrances featuring swing doors located approximately one-third of the way through the car. The basic design of the n-type carriages proved so successful that between 1960 and 1980, a total of around 5,000 carriages were built by various carriage manufacturers as well as at the Karlsruhe and Hanover repair shops. Initially, the space in the very cramped driver's cabs of the BD4nf carriages was less than ideal, quickly earning the nickname "rabbit hutch" from the crews and leading to discontent and safety concerns. As a consequence, the Karlsruhe repair shop redesigned the driver's cab, resulting in a driving trailer with a fully functional cab and no connecting passage to the next carriage in 1972. These changes significantly differentiate the Karlsruhe-style cab from the previous "rabbit hutch" with its connecting passage at the end. From the mid-1980s onward, the German Federal Railway (Deutsche Bundesbahn) began modernizing the carriages, some of which were already over 20 years old. After several design studies, the Hanover repair shop combined the advantages of the individual programs into the new "Hanover design." New features also included a mint green paint scheme and new sliding windows with plastic frames. This design,The interior paint scheme, which was also used by PFA Weiden and OFV Verona, can still be found today in the n-cars, now painted in the current corporate identity of DB AG. Further modifications again involved the driving trailers. The two previously presented types could only be adapted for either diesel or electric traction by changing the control panel. Therefore, a new driver's cab was designed at the Wittenberge maintenance depot, based on the DB standard cab of the BR 111, to allow for more flexible use of the driving trailers. Numerous older "rabbit hutches" and "Karlsruhe heads" were subsequently converted to "Wittenberg heads." To meet the demand for more push-pull trains, DB AG also included standard 2nd class carriages in the conversion program.
Model details
- Variant-specific design differences on the roof and vehicle floor
- Multi-part brake system
- Exemplary interior design
- Close coupling kinematics according to NEM
- Precise reproduction of the roof welds
- Metal axle holder
- finely engraved details
- The vehicles are delivered correctly equipped, according to their design.
