Umbauwagen (German for “rebuilt coaches”) is a term used for a series of passenger coaches that were used by the Deutsche Bundesbahn (the West German state railway company) from the 1950s onward. These coaches were not built entirely from scratch, but were rebuilt from older passenger coaches—hence the name.
After World War II, the Bundesbahn faced a great need for passenger coaches but had limited resources. Many old coaches from before the war were still in use, but they were worn out and outdated. Instead of constructing new coaches from the ground up, it was decided to rebuild the old ones—primarily Prussian wooden coaches and similar types—to meet more modern standards.
There were two main types of Umbauwagen:
- 3-Axle Umbauwagen (3yg)
- Rebuilt from old 3-axle coaches.
- Typically used existing underframes but received new steel bodies.
- Mainly used in local traffic and on shorter regional routes.
- 4-Axle Umbauwagen (4yg)
- Rebuilt from older 4-axle coaches.
- Offered more space and comfort, and were therefore often used on longer routes.
- Some were equipped with modern features such as electric heating and automatic door control.
The new coach bodies had a relatively modern appearance for the time, often with rounded corners and large windows. The interiors were also modernized with new seats, lighting, and heating. Many Umbauwagen were painted in the Bundesbahn’s characteristic green color (Epoch III and IV). Umbauwagen were used from around 1953 and, in some cases, well into the 1980s and 1990s. They were gradually replaced by newer coaches such as the Silberlinge and n-Wagen.
A few Umbauwagen still exist today in museum and heritage trains in Germany.