Stalen Rijtuig

‘Steel coach’ promotional model

Model of steel coach NS AB 7205, at 1:15 scale. The first series of steel coaches made by manufacturers Werkspoor and Beijnes rolled onto the rails in 1928. Before then, all train carriages were made of wood, which tended to splinter in the event of a collision and could seriously injure passengers. Steel coaches were much stronger and therefore safer. One eye-catching detail of these steel coaches are the oval windows near the balconies. The model was built in the Hamburg workshop of modeller Josef Born in the late 1920s, most likely at the NS’s request. The NS then presented it at trade fairs and exhibitions for promotional purposes.