22.4.08

Starter sets

I finally got a chance to unpack my trains from the box and see how they look side by side. Two ICE3 and one ICE1. The ICE3 starter sets contained three cars, which I expanded to six cars. However, I read that the Deutsche Bahn's normal configuration is eight cars so I'll add two extra cars to each of them. The length of my ICE1 will remain six cars since there are no expansion cars with the same pin striping. It's difficult to see on the photograph, but the striping is an older style with a purple line beneath the red.

I came across the older prototype at Hertie's department store when I was in Munich in July. It was definitely an older model that had been discontinued as all the current ICEs in the Deutsche Bahn have changed their detailing to a single red pin stripe. The sales person gave me a 10% discount which I couldn't pass up. I suspect the store had difficulties selling it because of the older style detailing, but I wanted it because I remember riding other ICE cars with the same older style pinstriping.

Prior to 1994, the railway service in West Germany used to be called Deutsche Bundesbahn. East Germany's was called Deutsche Reichsbahn. After the country's reunification, they merged the two railway services and named it Deutsche Bahn AG or DBAG for short. I'm not sure what the AG stands for.

2 comments:

Brusseleir said...

AG (stands for Algemeine Geselschaft in german) is like Ltd. in English speaking countries, it means it's a private company, but you probably already found out. I live in Belgium, en get a lot of info en stuff from the german neighbors. I also love model railroading but have no time for it except in the summer holidays.
I agree with you on the german paint scheme I am determined to have german trains on my next layout.
Those ICEs pass almost in front of my door on their way to brussels' main stations from Cologne

Brusseleir said...
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