Minitrix 15806 N "New Colors" Passenger Car Set, Ep V, DB
Prototype: 4 German Federal Railroad (DB) presentation cars consisting of 2 type ABm 241 cars (the original prototype cars are type Bcm 241, which were designated as type ABm 241) and 2 type Bnb 719 commuter cars, 2nd class. The cars look as they did as a presentation train of new "Product Colors".
Model: The cars have a close coupler mechanism. An interior lighting kit can be installed in the cars.
Total length over the buffers 660 mm / 26".
Lighting kits to go with this car: 66616 LED Lighting Kit.
Prototype information
As early as the beginning of the Seventies, the German Federal Railroad undertook a "Large Experiment" to create a new color scheme for its passenger cars and powered rail cars. These units were quickly designated by railroad fans as "Popwagen" / "Pop Cars" (including the class 614) and were positively accepted back then, particularly with respect to all of the color schemes that followed. Yet these colors probably seemed too daring to the DB board of directors at that time and thus came the rather unfortunate "Ocean Blue / Beige" starting in 1974, which was quickly developed to the dismay of all railroad photographers. However, ten years later there was a "change of mind" and/or a change of generations at the upper levels of the DB. Perhaps in step with the spirit of the times, because outside of the DB companies were also attempting to position themselves not only visually as "new" in their appearance but also changed to the public. The magic phrase of the hour was now "Corporate Identity". Following in this spirit of the times, on December 10, 1986 the DB introduced its new color concept, which had been preceded by extensive studies at the largely unknown and since then disbanded DB Design Center. The new color concept was now planned to explain only the train classes with a standard paint scheme in four different product colors. Distinguishing car types by any colors was abandoned. The four presentation cars were now shown as follows: InterCity: RAL 3031 "Orient Red" / RAL 4009 "Pastel Violet" InterRegio: RAL 5023 "Distant Blue" / RAL 5024 "Pastel Blue" Commuter Service: RAL 6033 "Mint Turquoise" / RAL 6034 "Pastel Turquoise" S-Bahn: RAL 2012 "Salmon Orange" / RAL 1034 "Pastel Yellow" As presentation cars, the DB simply removed four cars in service that were not needed. Two type "Bcm 241" slumber coaches were thus rebranded without further ado as type "ABm 241" InterCity and InterRegio cars in order to document externally 1st and 2nd class. A type "Bnb 719" commuter car would not have been allowed to run in S-Bahn service. Only with the type "Bnb 719" in "Mint Green" for commuter service did the product color agree with the train class. All said the DB Design Center had attempted a bold step here blessed from above in the direction of a modern railroad. Unfortunately, this color concept was also not destined to be around very long because already in the Nineties everything changed again, this time to the ICE/IC white and Regional service red.