Plan E-NS CKD6910

The NS CKD 6910 belonged to the Plan E series that was taken into service starting in 1955. It replaced the last remaining wooden coaches, which were in desperate need of retirement in the 1950s. These coaches were used only for domestic transport in the Netherlands. The letters CKD stand for 3rd class (C) with a kitchen (K) and baggage compartment (D). The trains are a shade of blue known as Prussian (or Berlin) blue with sandy yellow trim. In 1956, the NS adjusted the class designations of all of its rolling stock: 2nd class became 1st class and 3rd class became 2nd class. As a result, the type classification was changed to BKD. The Plan E is considered a mediocre model in terms of performance. Most of the coaches were retired from service in 1988. A number of the Plan E coaches, however, remained in use for other purposes, such as transporting bicycles. These carriages were assigned type number Df (the ‘f’ stands for fiets, which is ‘bicycle’ in Dutch). Some of the Plan Es went on to serve as accommodations for the crews of breakdown trains, which were deployed in case of an accident on the tracks.