by Werner Klein

The beginnings of German railroading up to the founding of the German State Railroad Company (DRG), a period of intense railroad construction culminating in the completion of a comprehensive network of state owned routes and numerous privately owned lines. This is The Länderbahn or Provincial Railroad period with locomotives and cars in the individual colors and markings of the different independent state railroads of the various German political units (e.g.,Royal Prussian State Railroad, Royal Bavarian State Railways, Royal Württemberg State Railways, Grand Ducal Baden State Railways, Royal Saxon State Railways, etc.)

The Reichsbahn or German State Railroad Company period. While the postwar German Federal Railroad and its East German counterpart, the German State Railroad (DR, not to be confused with the prewar DRG for all of Germany), were not officially established until several years after the end of World War II, many people consider the Reichsbahn period to have ended with the end of the war, i.e. when Germany ceased to be a unified country. This period is characterized by the "Einheits" or "standardized" designs for locomotives and cars and by expansion of the electrified network of routes in Prussia, Bavaria and Württemberg (primarily around Stuttgart). Perhaps the most striking express trains of this period are the Rheingold" introduced into service in 1928 and the "Wagon-Lits" trains with their almost incomparable coaches (the nearest competitor being the Rheingold cars) and romantic names such as Côte d’Azur, Train Bleu, Edelweiss, Flèche d’Or (Golden Arrow), etc.

The early "Bundesbahn" or German Federal Railroad period, reconstruction and reorganization of the railroad infrastructure destroyed during World War II. Among steam locomotives the most striking feature of this period is the change from the large Wagner smoke deflectors of the prewar period to the smaller Witte designs. The electrified network is expanded rapidly and new electric locomotive designs are introduced to take care of the growing traffic. The diesel hydraulic locomotives blossoms forth for a brief period in the form of the V 200 and other designs until the growth of the electrified rail routes renders them largely superfluous. This are is marked by the introduction of the TEE system of premium express trains in their now classic red/cream liveries. Some people feel this era ends in 1968 with the introduction of the UIC computer numbering system for cars and locomotives. Visually the period ends with the introduction of the ocean blue / cream paint scheme on locomotives and passenger cars in 1975/76.

Widespread final transition to electric and diesel locomotives with the last steam locomotives in regular service being retired in 1975/76. Introduction in 1968 of an international computer classification system for freight and passenger cars (UIC system). In Germany, locomotives are also reclassified under a computer numbering system. The TEE network gradually declines during this period as its 1^st class only clientele deserts it for automobiles or planes. Its replacement as the railroads seek to win back passengers is the domestic (in West Germany) Intercity network (at first only 1s^t class, later 1^st and 2^nd class service and international, cross-border EuroCity trains (also 1^st and 2^nd class) to provide the premium service formerly provided by the TEE system.

Although high speed trains make their first appearance in the preceding period, they come into widespread use in this, the current period. The French TGV, German ICE, Italian Pendolino, Swedish X 2000 come to mind. A number of state-owned railroads, the most prominent among them being the German and French, undertake extensive building projects for brand new high speed lines or the upgrading of existing lines to higher speeds. The various European railroads attempt to find a fresh look for their existing locomotives and passenger cars. Red for locomotives seems to be the predominant color on the minds of designers, as several railroads adopt it at the same time. In the aftermath of the reunification of the two Germanys, this period also sees the gradual merging of the German Federal Railroad and former East German State Railroad in terms of paint schemes, equipment usage and standards, the standards of the former being adopted for the latter.