Can you still feel that pleasant jolt and smell the scent of diesel and the vast, wide world? In the Federal Republic of Germany during the postwar years, the DB’s diesel railcars became a symbol of freedom and a new beginning. Whether as the elegant “Trans-Europ-Express” (TEE), which luxuriously connected European metropolises, or as the deep-red railbus that, as a faithful “savior of branch lines”, connected even small villages to the wider world.
Travel back to the era of the economic miracle, full of nostalgic encounters and the unforgettable sound of new beginnings on West German railways.
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Prior to the introduction of two-class Intercity service by the Deutsche Bundesbahn, the Class VT 11.5 (later Class 601) trainsets—which offered only first-class accommodation—were in operation. On May 30, 1978, unit 601 004 departed from its starting station in Wiesbaden as IC 163, bound for Munich. Photo: Gerhard Lieberz
| Series | Numbers | built | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| VT 10.5 (DB) | 501 | 1953 | seven-car day train |
| VT 10.5 (DSG) | 551 | 1953 | eight-car night train |
| BR 601 (VT 11.5) | 601 001–019 | 1957–1958 | TEE |
| BR 602 | 602 001–004, 602 011 | 1970–1971 | Conversion to gas turbine propulsion |
| BR 608 (VT 08.5) | VT 08 501–520 | 1952–1954 | High-Speed Railcar |
| BR 608 (VT 08.8) | VT 08 801-802 Salon Railcar VT 08 803-806 Field Hospital Railcar | 1956 | US Army |
| BR 610 | 610 001–020 (“Pendolino” with tilt mechanism) | 1992 | “Pendolino” with tilt mechanism |
| BR 612 (VT 12.5) | VT 12 501–512 | 1953–1954 | Local/Regional Rail Cars |
| BR 614 | 614 001–084 | 1972–1975 | Series with MAN engines |
| BR 624.5 (VT 23.5) | VT 23 501–504 624 505-508 | 1961 | Prototypes/Pre-production, MAN |
| BR 624.5 (VT 24.5) | VT 24 501-504 624 501-504 | 1961 | Prototypes/Pre-production, Uerdingen |
| BR 624.6 (VT 24.6) | VT 24 601-680 | 1964–1967 | Main series with MAN engines |
| BR 627.0 | 627 001–008 | 1974 | Pre-production railcar, single-section |
| BR 627.1 | 627 101–105 | 1981 | Small-batch production, one-car |
| BR 628.0 | 628 001–024 | 1974–1975 | Pre-production multiple-unit trains, two-car sets |
| BR 628.1 | 628 101–103 | 1981 | Small-run set, two-car set with a control car |
| BR 628.2 | 628 201–319 | 1986–1989 | First major series, two-car set with a control car |
| BR 628.4 | 628 401–511 | 1992–1993 | Modified main series with enlarged entrances, two-car set with a control car |
| BR 628.9 / 629 | 628 901-905 | 1994-1995 | two motor cars |
| BR 633 / VT 33.8 | 801-803 | 1957 | US Army Passenger Railcar |
| BR 634 | 634 001–080 | 1971–1975 | Converted from BR 624 with air suspension |
| BR 692 / VT 92.5 | 501 | 1951 | Experimental vehicle, later towing vehicle |
| VT 95.9 | 901-912 | 1950 | Prototypes, Uerdingen; 6-meter wheelbase from VT 95 912 onwards |
| BR 795 (VT 95.91) | 95 113–669, 901-915 | 1952–1956 | Uerdingen railbus, single-engine with Scharfenberg coupler |
| BR 797 / VT 97.9 | 501-508 | 1962 | Rack-and-pinion railcar |
| BR 798.9 (VT 98.9) | 798 901-903 | 1953 | Uerdingen railbus prototypes, twin-engine with Scharfenberg couplers |
| BR 798 (VT 98.95) | 798 501–829 | 1955–1962 | Uerdingen railbus, twin-engine with a buffer beam |