#3099· Plan X
Blue Angel
🇳🇱 Netherlands ·built by Allan of Rotterdam· from 1953· class of 1- and 2-car diesel railcars formerly used by the Netherlands Railways
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3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. 41,Amsterdam: Bart from Amstelveen, Holland· CC BY 2.0
- 2. Blauwe Engel 41: Niels Karsdorp, Dh3201· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. NS 20: Roel Hemkes· CC BY 2.0
what is it?
The Blue Angel (in Dutch: Blauwe Engel) was the name given to the Plan X class DE-1 and DE-2 diesel railcars formerly used by Nederlandse Spoorwegen. There have been rumours that the name has a connection to the German movie Der blaue Engel, but this has never been confirmed. The class DE-1 DMUs were single-car DMUs, while the DE-2s had two (articulated) carriages.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 73 years ago, in 1953.
- Weighs about as much as 10 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 27.1 m long: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 49 years (1953–2002).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1953
- in service from
- 1953
- retired
- 2002
- status
- retired
- number built
- 96
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- builders
- Allan of Rotterdam, Werkspoor, Associated Equipment Company, Cummins
- operators
- Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Connexxion, Keolis Nederland
- top speed
- 105 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- DE-1: Bo'Bo'
- formation
- DE-1: 1 car per set , ABD, DE-2: 2 cars per set, ABk + BDk
- length
- 27.1 m
- weight
- 57 t
- Dutch name
- Plan X
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q2985732, Wikipedia: Blue Angel (train) (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.