A detailed history of the Class 614 diesel multiple units, whose clean lines and well-thought-out design became a familiar sight providing regional and local services around Nurnberg and Braunschweig for almost 35 years. Class 614, with its distinctive MAN engines, gave reliable service throughout that period and was also notable for various innovations including a form of self-levelling suspension.
Die Baureihe 614: DB-Dieseltriebzüge für den Nahverkehr looks at all aspects of the units’ history, including design, construction, early testing and service life. Includes many diagrams and illustrations, mainly in black and white, but also including a selection of colour plates illustrating the various liveries carried by the class over the years.
A chronological history of the Class’s service life is also included detailing the key operational changes to have taken place each year, accompanied by appropriate statistical data. The book also looks at the service life of the class after withdrawal by DB AG, with many examples having been sold to operators in Poland and Romania, where they have received life-prolonging refurbishments.
The class has not completely disappeared from the DB network as two examples are still used as railway service vehicles, having been reclassified as Class 719 and repainted in the distinctive yellow livery applied to such vehicles.
This book is a comprehensive account of this 42-strong diesel multiple unit class, which fills a significant gap in the Eisenbahn Kurier library. 224 pages. Hardback. German text.