SDWR4üm/WR4üm-62/WRümh 131 & WR4üm-63/WRümh 131

The dining coaches which were originally built for the Rheingold and Rheinpfeil trains were and are still unique dining coaches in the world. The coaches had three levels, the normal level, a lower level and a higher level. On the lower level were the supplies stored and was a dishwasher installed, the kitchen was positioned on the higher level. Not the whole coach had three levels, only on one place were two level on top of each other, here the coach had an elevation in the roof.

The coaches had 48 seats divided over two compartments. Along the kitchen and dishwash room was a gangway on the normal level. Behind an entrance door was a little staircase to the lower level were the dishwasher and stockroom was situated. A staircase upwards gave entrance to the kitchen. There the coach had three different levels. Further onwards in the coach was a buffet situated.

The dishwash room had a dishwasher and a coffee machine. The kitchen was equiped with propane gas burners and refrigerators. Two small elevators were installed for the transportation of food and plates over the three levels. The dishwash room and the buffet had also a conveyer belt to transport the dish. The three rooms had an internal telephone system so that personal could easily communicate with each other.

The coaches had a length of 26,4 meter. Also here the roof ends were rounded instead of straight. The coaches weight 50 ton and were equiped with bogies Minden Deutz type 50. The coaches were suitable for speeds of 160 km/h. The climat control system was of type Jettair. The kitchen had a separate ventilation and extractor system.

In 1962 the first two coaches were delivered. The coaches were built by Orenstein & Koppel in Berlin. The coaches were delivered to the DSG and had initially the numbers 101 and 102. The coaches were originally planned as SDWR4üm but were delivered as WR4üm-62. Until 1963 again three coaches (WR4üm-63) were delivered, here the first two were delivered to the DB and the third to the DSG. These coaches had the numbers 11 103 up to 105. Later the first two coaches are renumbered to 11 001 and 11 002.

The coaches were all delivered in the blue/ivory white Rheingold coloring. On both sides were the inscriptions "DSG" between the two DSG logos. In 1965 the coaches were painted in TEE colors and in 1967 the letters "DSG" were replaced by the inscription "TRANS EUROP EXPRESS". The coaches had service in the Rheingold and Rheinpfeil trains and later in the same TEE trains and in TEE "Erasmus" until 1967. Normally the coaches were coupled together with a panorama coach.

Between 1964 and 1968 all coaches were renumbered to the new UIC numbering scheme. The number "4" disappeared from the indication and the letter "h" and the number "131" was added. On this way all coaches of this type (WR4üm-62 en WR4üm-63) got the type indication WRümh 131.

Apart from the changes in the type indication also the numbers changed. The coaches got the numbers 61 80 88-80 001 up to 002 (year of construction 1962) and 61 80 88-80 003 up to 005 (year of construction 1963).

The meaning of the letters was as following: "WR" stood for dining coach, the "ü" stood for coach corridors between coaches, the "m" stood for coaches which were longer than 24 meter and equiped with the so-called "Gummiwulstübergängen", the modern coach corridors, and electrical heating or heating with the central train wire, and the "h" stood for the fact that the energy supply in the coach was done with an axle generator.

Here you can find an overview of all coaches WR4üm-62/WRümh 131 en WR4üm-63/WRümh 131 which were built during epoch III (). The overview contains year of construction, numbers and manufacturers of the coaches.