The German Sleeper and Dining Car Company (Deutsche Schlafwagen- und Speisewagengesellschaft, later the Deutsche Service-Gesellschaft der Bahn or DSG) was a subsidiary of Deutsche Bundesbahn with its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, that emerged from the Mitropa infrastructure left in West Germany in 1949. It existed until 1994 when it was combined with the East German Mitropa to form Mitropa AG.
The DSG provided its own sleepers until 1974 and its own dining cars until 1966 and also ran the DB's half-diners, buffet, snack bar and couchette cars, the US troop trains in Germany, the German ferries of the Vogelfluglinie and the restaurants and bars on many stations in the Federal Republic of Germany (including the West Berlin restaurants at Bahnhof Zoo). In addition there were club cars, that were frequently hired by firms and other excursion companies and the "InterCity Hotels" that appeared in the 1980s. The coaching stock used stemmed mainly from the pre-war period and the 1960s. In the 1970s self-service dining cars (Quick-Pick) were introduced experimentally. In trains without dining cars the so-called minibar came into use. These were small, mobile sales trolleys from which passengers could purchase hot and cold drinks, hot sausages, pre-packed sandwiches, snacks and confectionery. The coaches were stocked at their home station and could be replenished during longer halts or at the destination station by sales staff at the respective DSG depot.
Legally the DSG and Mitropa were merged just like the Deutsche Bundesbahn and Deutsche Reichsbahn. However, in view of the considerable assets owned by MITROPA the DSG was absorbed into MITROPA. That made it the only West German company, apart from a Rheingau sekt merchants, to be absorbed by an East German firm.
Up to 1971 the DSG continued to use the pre-war Mitropa insignia of a stylised "M" with the head of an eagle above a four-spoked wheel in an oval border (colloquially known as a Gefriergans or "frozen goose"). The decor of the DSG's own coaches was also based initially on the old Mitropa ones, including the style of signwriting designed for Mitropa ("Schulpig font" by Karl Schulpig). The base colour of the coaches varied during the 1950s from RAL 3003 ruby red to the darker RAL 3004 purple red.
In 1971 a more modern logo appeared in the form of a square cloverleaf. This was displayed on the DSG's own sleepers. The more recent coaches went into the sleeping car fleet during the 1970s and were given "Trans Euro Nacht" inscriptions to international standards. Initially they had the purple red basic livery and were only later repainted in cobalt blue. The DSG used the cloverleaf logo until their union with Mitropa (Ost).
The Rheingold ('Rhinegold') was a named train that operated between Hook of Holland, near Rotterdam, and Geneva, Switzerland, a distance of 1,067 kilometres (663 mi), until 1987. Another section of the train started in Amsterdam and was coupled to the Hoek cars in Utrecht. The Rheingold ran along the Rhine River via Arnhem, Netherlands, and Cologne, Germany, using special luxury coaches. It was named after Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold opera, which romanticized the Rhine. From 1965 until the train's discontinuation in 1987, the Rheingold was a first-class-only Trans Europ Express (TEE) train.
Newrest Wagons-Lits, formerly Compagnie internationale des wagons-lits, also CIWL, Compagnie des Wagons-Lits, or just Wagons-Lits, is a division of Newrest particularly known for its on-train catering and sleeping car services, as well as being the historical operator of the Orient Express.
DSG may stand for:
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remained the state railway of West Germany until after German reunification, when it was merged with the former East German Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) to form Deutsche Bahn, which came into existence on 1 January 1994.
Veluwse Stoomtrein Maatschappij (VSM) is a Dutch heritage railway between Apeldoorn and Dieren. It passes through the villages of Lieren/Beekbergen, Loenen, and Eerbeek.
The Deutsche Reichsbahn or DR(German Reich Railways) was the operating name of state owned railways in the German Democratic Republic, and after German reunification until 1 January 1994.
Mitropa was a catering company best known for having managed sleeping and dining cars of different German railways for most of the 20th century. Founded in 1916, the name "Mitropa" is an abbreviation of Mitteleuropa. The railway carriages displayed a distinct burgundy-red livery with the Mitropa logo.
The ICE 1 is the first batch-produced German high-speed train and one of six in the Intercity Express family. Revenue service at speeds up to 250 km/h (155.3 mph) started in 1991. It was raised to 280 km/h (174.0 mph) in May 1995 and temporary reduced to 250 km/h (155.3 mph) again, as a result of the Eschede accident.
The VT 10.5 was a diesel multiple unit that was developed by the Deutsche Bundesbahn in the early 1950s. It was first displayed in public at the International Transport Exhibition in Munich in 1953.
The DB Class 403 was a series of three electric multiple units commissioned by the Deutsche Bundesbahn in the 1970s, an early predecessor of the Intercity-Express as a high-speed train. The units were mainly used for InterCity services and again by the Lufthansa airline in the 1980s. Due to the distinctive design of its front section, the unit was nicknamed the "Donald Duck". They were designed for operational speeds of up to 220 km/h, a speed which was also attained in extensive test drives, but they were limited to 200 km/h in regular DB service.
The Uerdingen railbus is the common term for the multiple units which were developed by the German firm of Waggonfabrik Uerdingen for the Deutsche Bundesbahn and private railways after the Second World War. These vehicles were diesel-powered, twin-axle railbuses of light construction. The diesel motors were built into the chassis underneath the vehicle. The VT 95 and VT 98 of the former Deutsche Bundesbahn in particular, are associated with this concept. These vehicles were employed in passenger train duties on branch lines where steam or diesel train operations were less profitable. Including the units built under licence, a total of 1,492 power cars were built from 1950 to 1971; and the total number of units, including trailer and driving cars, was 3,306.
The DB Class 218 are a class of 4-axle, diesel-hydraulic locomotives acquired by the Deutsche Bundesbahn for use on main and secondary lines for both passenger and freight trains.
The DB Class V90 locomotive is a German road switcher diesel-hydraulic locomotive for shunting and freight hauling.
A compartment coach is a railway passenger coach divided into separate areas or compartments, with no means of moving between compartments.
A Schnellzug is an express train in German-speaking countries, where it refers to trains that do not stop at all stations along a line. The term is used both generically and also as a specific train type. In Germany and Austria it is also referred to colloquially as a D-Zug, a short form of Durchgangszug, and express train services were often given numbers preceded by the letter D. The similar term, snälltåg, was used in Sweden until January 1980.
The Albert Schweitzer was a short-lived express train that linked Dortmund Hbf in Dortmund, Germany, with Strasbourg-Ville in Strasbourg, France. Introduced in 1980, it was operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) and the SNCF.
The word Mediolanum has been used to name three distinct international express trains that have run to and from Milano Centrale in Milan, Italy since 1957. The focus of these trains on the city now known as Milan reflects the fact that Mediolanum is the Latin word for ancient Milan.
The Merkur was an international express train linking Copenhagen, the Danish capital, with Germany. The train was named after the Roman God Mercury, the God of traders and travellers.
The Rembrandt was an express train that linked Amsterdam in the Netherlands, with Munich in Germany and later Chur in Switzerland. The train was named after the renowned Dutch painter Rembrandt. For its first 16 years it was a first-class-only Trans Europ Express, becoming a two-class InterCity in 1983 and finally a EuroCity in 1987.
The Komet was an international overnight express train service between Germany and Switzerland, which was in operation from 1954 to 2016. Its name reflected the notion that the Comet train and an actual comet can both be described as travelling through the night at high speed. It was introduced in 1954. It became a EuroCity (EC) service upon the launch of the EC network in 1987. It became categorised as CityNightLine (CNL) service in the mid-1990s. With the decision by Deutsche Bahn to terminate all CNL services in December 2016, the Komet ran for the last time on 10–11 December 2016.