Passenger Car Set

"Pop Cars" of the DB At the end of the Sixties, the German Federal Railroad had a new color concept developed, because up to that time locomotives and cars were painted exclusively in single colors. Now a paint scheme was to have a friendlier, more modern effect with a colorful window band and beneath it a light gray stripe. The main colors from which to choose for the window band were dark blue, dark green, orange, and crimson. This color palette was supplemented by a decorative stripe in the same color above the window area at the roof edge as well as directly above the lower edge of the car. From 1970 to 1974, the DB experimented with the new colors. One hundred forty five express train passenger cars were delivered new or repainted in "Pop" colors. All of the roofs on the cars gleamed in umbra gray (RAL 7022), the area under the windows was pebble gray (RAL 7032), and the underframe jet-black (RAL 9005). The experimental character of the "Pop" colors was revealed in the variety of colors for the window bands. Blood orange (RAL 2002) was selected as an attention-getter for 26 cars in 1st class and 1st/2nd class (Aüm 202, Aüm 203, ABüm 223, ABüm 225, and ABwümz 227). A cobalt blue window band (RAL 5013) served as a distinguishing feature on 85 cars in 2nd class (among others Büm 232, Büm 233, Büm 234, Bwümz 237, Bcüm 243, Bcümk 255, and BDüms 273). Seventeen dining cars (WRümh 132, WRüge 152, WLABümh 174, and BRbuümz 285) were given a crimson window band (RAL 3004). There was no dominant unity on the type Bcüm 243 slumber coaches: Two ran with a window band in blue lilac (RAL 4005) and three with red-violet (RAL 4002). Chrome oxide green (RAL 6020) was used initially on a short experimental train, yet it was finally to serve as the identification color for baggage cars (Düm 902). Twelve cars ran in this paint scheme. Pure "Pop Car" trains were seldom achieved due to the small number of repainted cars. These colorful cars were seen mainly in express trains from Bremen, Osnabruck, Norddeich, and Dortmund to Munich and in the routing Basle – Hamburg. The best candidates for pure train compositions were however, the DC trains introduced starting in the summer of 1973. They were short-lived and included only a few cars.