BR 406 'Rheingold' 1960s Blue

Vintage 1960s blue 'Rheingold' livery for the BR 406 ICE3M

Installation Instructions

Use TSW2 Livery Manager

Additional Comments

The Rheingold was a luxury express train from Rotterdam to Basel along the Rhine valley, operated by DRG from 1928-1939, and re-established by the Bundesbahn in 1962. It was DB's flagship service, a first-class-only train accomodating passengers in extreme comfort at high speeds. Consisting of E 10.12 locomotives* pulling special m-Wagen (the models for the Eurofimas a few years later), the trains included a three-level restaurant car and a domed observation car (of all the DB's passenger trains, only the Rheingold and its sister service the Rheinpfeil had these).

Colors were specified as RAL 1001 Beige and 5013 Cobalt Blue, with markings in 1015 Light Ivory. This did not last long, however; in 1965 the Rheingold was incorporated into the international Trans Europ Express (TEE) system, and over the course of 1966 the rolling stock was repainted in TEE purple-red. Starting in 1971 the traction was changed to the legendary BR 103.

Onviously the geometry of the ICE is entirely different and I have used rather a lot of license. On the originals, the RHEINGOLD logo of brass applique letters was mounted on the dome cars, which had space for them between the lower-level windows, and which were unique to the Rheingold service. Here I have had to place it on the right side of the dining car, and create a space for it on the left side of Carriage 5. The dining cars ('Speisewagen') on DB trains at this time were owned and operated by a separate company, Deutsche Speise- und Schlafwagen Gesellschaft (DSG), the successor in the west to the prewar Mitropa, and I have painted the ICE Bordbistro car accordingly.

*In Germany. On the Dutch portion of the route, with its incompatible electrical supply, the engines were V 200 diesels.

Tags: br-406 ice-3m rheingold schnellfahrstrecke-koln-aachen ska