The famous n-coach become available in 1960. With their stainless steel finish they soon got nicknamed "silverling". About 5000 units were built until 1980, some of which were still in service by 2020. They were synonymous with local trains in Germany like no other kind of vehicle.
The name n-coach is based on the UIC-classification of railway coaches. There, the "n" is basically a "local coach of more than 24.5m length and two doors along the side". These coaches were the local coaches well into the 1980s.
Several modernizations were started during the 1980s, introducing updated interior in different color schemes and upgraded seat upholstery. In 1987 the coaches finally got an actual livery, according to the color scheme at the time the coaches started to come in a very light gray with mint stripe along the windows. In 1996 a new color scheme was introduced, with all local coaches becoming red. The changes of liveries took years, it was common to have coaches of all liveries wildly mixed in the trains. Based on that they got new nicknames like "mintling", "redling" or "Buntling" ("bunt" means multicolored).
One can now discuss whether the local coach in the set after 1987 is just a "silverling" coach in different colors or a new type altogether. I go for the latter, as the loading speed also changed after 1987.
Characteristics
|
|
passenger coach |
| available by | 1960 |
|---|---|
| capacity | 40 |
| loading speed | 10 |
| speed limit | 140 kph |
|
mail coach |
| available by | 1960 |
|---|---|
| capacity | 24 |
| loading speed | 12 |
| speed limit | 140 kph |
Images and screenshots
A class V 100 with a local train of "silverling" coaches somewhere on a branch line. This was a common sight in the 1960s.
The class 218 can also run with "silverling" coaches for local services, although it was originally designed for fast trains.
Usage
These coaches are the essential local service coaches until at least 1980, when the S-Bahn-coaches become available, which can only be used with a class 111. The later local coaches after 1987 have a better loading speed, so they should replace the "silverling" coaches eventually.