Everyday Rail Life in the East: The Electric Multiple Units of the DR and Berlin S-Bahn
They were the pulsating heart of Berlin’s local transport system and steadfast mainstays of the GDR’s painstakingly rebuilt electric rail network: the electric trainsets of the Deutsche Reichsbahn. From historic pre-war classics—such as the legendary “Stadtbahn” trains of the Berlin S-Bahn—and the robust “Baal” prototype series to the few AC pioneers that remained in the East, these vehicles mastered daily operations under often challenging economic conditions and kept the Republic moving.
Our historical image archive documents the fascinating history of electric rail operations in the GDR. Our photo database features authentic images from the Berlin S-Bahn network as well as rare photographs spanning the era up to the merger of the German railway systems.
Click on the series designation to go directly to the images in the photo database.
Beyond the funicular section of the Oberweißbach Mountain Railway, two-axle railcars of the Class 479 series operate on the plateau. On a glorious December day in 1995, Thomas Heidemann captured this winter scene featuring unit 479 205 near Oberweißbach.
| Series new / old | Numbers | built | Decommissioning |
|---|---|---|---|
| BR 285 / ET 25 | 012 (DRG) / 001 (DR) | 1957-1959 | 1971 |
| BR 285 / ET 25 | 201 | 1965 | 1972 |
| BR 275 / ET 165 | 001-638 (S-Bahn Berlin) | 1946 from a conversion | 2004 |
| BR 276 / ET 166 / ET 125 | ET 125 001-018 (S-Bahn Berlin) ET 166 035-052 | 1950 from a conversion | 2003 |
| BR 276 / ET 166 | 001-034 (S-Bahn Berlin) | 1936 | 2000 |
| BR 277 / ET 167 | 001-285, 286-292 | 1937-1945 | 2003 |
| BR 278 / ET 168 | 001-050 | 1925/1926 | 1962 |
| BR 278 / ET 170 | ET 170 001 278 201 | 1959 (two half-platoons) | 1972 |
| BR 279.0 / ET 188.5 | ET 188 501-503 279 001-003 | 1980 Rekonstruktion (for Müncheberg-Buckow) | 1993 |
| ET 188.5 | 511 und 512 | 1932 (for Schleiz-Saalburg) | 1969 |
| ET 188.5 | 521 und 522 (Baggage motor car) | 1932 (for Schleiz-Saalburg) | 1969 |
| BR 479.2 / 279.2 / ET 185.5 | ET 188 531 279 201 | 1923 (for Lichtenhain-Cursdorf) | 1982 |
| BR 279.2 / ET 188.7 | ET 188 701 279 203 | 1963 (for Lichtenhain-Cursdorf) | 1984 |
| BR 279.2 / 479.2 | 201, 203, 205 | 1984 | in service |
| BR 280 | 280 001–004 (Prototypes for two four-car S-Bahn trains) | 1973–1974 | 1980 |
| BR 270 / 485 | 001-170 | 1980; 1987; 1990-1992 | 2023 |