A German Federal Railway (Deutsche Bundesbahn, or DB) Class 612 DMU catches the early afternoon sun as it arrives at Altona Station in Hamburg on a run from the port city of Kiel.

The four-car, double-ended Class 612 was originally built as Class VT12, and was an follow-on version of one of DB's first diesel trainsets, the three-car VT08.

These trainsets helped begin dieselization on DB in the 1950s as it worked to recover and grow after the ravages of World War II. The VT08, although built primarily for domestic service, even helped inaugurate the famous Trans Europ Express (TEE) network of international trains in 1957.

DB also operated a fleet of EMU trainsets built to the same design. Although now long out of service, examples of each type survive in preservation.

Photographed by Thomas McCann, July, 1976.
Added to the photo archive by Thomas McCann, June 2, 2010.
Railroad: Deutsche Bahn.

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