The 1st series of 5x units is built in 1962 by Credé in Kassel for
the "Rheingold" express service.
These very luxurious salon coaches had 48 individual adjustable
seats in a 2+1 configuration and they could be turned in the
direction of travel. The central passage was 580 mm wide.
Upon delivery, the coaches are painted in a cobalt blue & light
beige colour scheme.
Technical details:
- weight: 44,5 t
- gauge: 2500 mm
- length: 26400 mm
- distance between bogies center: 19000 mm
- width: 2825 mm
- height: 4050 mm
- bogies: MD 50 (Minden Deutz)
- maximum speed: 160 km/h (later, in epoch IV, 200 km/h)
- equipped with an axle generator for the energy supply
The coaches were originally planned as SA4ümm 10421 to 10425 but
upon delivery they are already registered as Ap4üm-62 10501 to
10505.
Sources: http://www.dbtrains.com/en/coaches/epochIII/rheingold-tee/apm
Both "Rheingold" and "Rheinpfeil" services are integrated to the
Trans Europ Express (TEE) railway service. As a result, these
coaches are no longer dedicated for a specific service and are
scheduled to receive the TEE red & light beige livery between 1966
and 1967.
Hence, these coaches started also to be used on other TEE
connexions and often during this 2 years period there were TEE
trains with mixed compositions of coaches in both colour schemes
(the "Rheingold" cobalt blue & light beige colour scheme and the
TEE red & light beige colour scheme).
Sources: http://www.dbtrains.com/en/coaches/epochIII/rheingold-tee/apm
14x additional units from this series are built in 1965 by
Maschinenfabrik in Esslingen for the TEE trains Blauer Enzian and
Helvetia services. They are delivered in the TEE red & light beige
livery.
The coaches are registered as Ap4üm-62, numbers 105012 to 10525.
Sources: http://www.dbtrains.com/en/coaches/epochIII/rheingold-tee/apm
By 1968, the registration changes from Ap4üm-62 to
Apümh121 and all coaches receive UIC registration
numbers:
- 10501 to 10511 receive registration 61 80 18-80 001 to 011;
- 10512 receives registration 61 80 18-80 101;
- 10514 to 10525 receive registration 61 80 18-80 102 to 113.
Sources: http://www.dbtrains.com/en/coaches/epochIII/rheingold-tee/apm
In 1976, some changes occurred in the signification of letters
designating passenger coaches at the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) and the letter "ü"
(designating from 1976 onwards: bogie wagons with passage and
closed transitions) and "m" (designating from 1976 onwards: wagons
over 24m in length for long-distance services) are no longer used
together to form the name.
Thus these coaches are designated as Apmh121 from 1976
onwards.
Sources: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gattungszeichen_deutscher_Eisenbahnwagen
The modifications over time were numerous, like:
- the axle generators are removed and coaches are supplied with
electrical power through the train busbar (new registration:
Ampz);
- the coaches are equipped with MD367 bogies with side shock
absorbers to be able to reach a maximum speed of 200 km/h (new
registration: 18-94).
Sources: Pierre B - https://forum.e-train.fr/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16899&p=2449250#p2449250