The n-Wagen ("n-coaches") are a type of
passenger coach used by
Deutsche Bundesbahn and subsequently
Deutsche Bahn
(, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG).
DB was fou ...
. With two double-leafed doors per side to enable a high passenger throughput rate, the coaches were conceived for short
dwell times in
commuter
Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...
and
regional
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
transit. Succeeding the
yl-coaches, 5,000 units were built from 1958 to 1981, with some remaining in service still today.
Origin of the name
The
UIC classification identifier letter "n" is an abbreviation for Nahverkehr ("local transit"); the complete description is ''local transit passenger coach (Nahverkehrswagen) with a length of over 24.5 metres,
open coach with centre aisle in 2nd class, centre aisle or side corridor in 1st class, two centre doors, with 36-pole control cable for
push-pull operations.''
The term ''Silberling'' (from German ''Silber'', "silver") derives from the coaches'
stainless steel
Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
body, which was originally unpainted, giving them a unique silver look.
Technical data
Type overview
* Indicator z: Central control (''Zugsammelschiene'')
* Indicator r: disc brakes
See also
*
Rail transport in Germany
*
History of rail transport in Germany
Railway coaches of Germany
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