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Luggage Cars |
Number series:
- 51 84 09-90 051, 054, 056, 057
Number in service: 4 (January 2009)
In service for EETC: 2004
Originally built: 1976
Length: 26.400m
Maximum speed: 200km/h
In 1997 the German Railways ended the mass transporation of mail by train. Many
mail coaches were put aside to be scrapped or sold. At the same time the Dutch
Railways were in need of coaches to transport bikes in international (holiday)
trains. In 1996/1997 two Swiss coaches were rented for this, but at the end of
1997 five German mail coaches were purchased for this purpose. These coaches
were originally numbered 51 80 00-95 048, 046, 050, 100 and 112 of type MRZ -
Baureihe 73.
Before the summer of 1998 two coaches had been reconstructed at the workshop
of Haarlem, the other 3 were still in their DBAG livery. The two rebuilt coaches
operate in international holiday trains from 's-Hertogenbosch to the south of
France and Austria.
In 2000 12 more mail coaches were obtained from DBAG to be rebuilt to express freight coaches for the Overnight Express Amsterdam-Milan. 10 of these together with 2 of the remaining coaches of the first series (052-053) were rebuilt in the workshop of Haarlem and then sent to Wagons-Lits in Ostende (Belgium) to be finished as express freight cars Dm 51 84 92-99 060-071.
Two of the second series have also been rebuilt to luggage coaches 51 84 92-90 056 and 057. These two and one of the first series were sold so EETC in 2004. EETC will use them especially for bike transportation in international night holiday trains to Austria, France and Italy. In January 2007 EETC also acquired bike coach (Df) nr. 051 from NS Internationaal.
