Blue Angel (train)

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. They were extensively used on branch lines in Friesland as well as on other non-electrified secondary routes. They also operated the Maastricht-Liège shuttle. Originally painted blue (hence the nickname), they were later repainted dark red. They were largely replaced by new Wadloper DMUs in the 1980s. 26 DE-2s were refurbished from 1975 to 1981 and repainted into yellow NS livery, but the DE-1s retained the dark red livery until withdrawal.