A prominent "eccentric"

The standard colour scheme for the locomotives of the business unit DB Fernverkehr is normally traffic red with a light grey front beam. This finishing has become standard over the decades, and turned into a trademark of DB-AG, even for other locomotives. For the anniversary "50 years of the ICE in Germany" in September 2021, Deutsche Bahn AG trod new paths with the 101 013 for the first time and treated the locomotive with the colour scheme that corresponded to the IC wagons.

It received the light grey design with a traffic red decoration strip known from the ICE and the long distance passenger cars. Since longevity was an important aspect, the 101 013 was not pasted with foils, but painted in this striking design.
As it stands, it will keep this design until it’s withdrawn from service in a few years. In total, 145 specimens of the series 101 were put into service until the end of 1999, which are still in service today, except for a few examples.

Due to the ongoing modernization of DB AG's rolling stock, their field of operation will, however, continuously be getting smaller in the coming years. Currently, the daily schedules also include destinations in neighbouring countries. For example, some IC lines reach Graz or Klagenfurt in Austria or border stations in Switzerland.
The richly detailed reproduction of this special locomotive will soon be available for operation on N scale tracks.

FLEISCHMANN reproduces the original with the special colour scheme (Art. No.: 735509, 735579). We'll keep you updated about the progress of production in our news.