Plan W - NS B4118

The 24 Prussian blue 2nd-class passenger coaches known as ‘Plan W’ were taken into service in 1966. These coaches were made especially for train services to Germany and Belgium. They represented a significant improvement on the previous series, Plan E. The Plan W coaches are 10 tons lighter. In 1968, the NS commissioned a second series known as Plan W2. These 26 coaches were intended only for domestic service within the Netherlands. Then, in 1986, the NS began using the new Benelux coaches for the domestic service. At that point, the Plan Ws were only deployed for domestic intercity service. The start of the 21st century brought the definitive end of these coaches. The Railway Museum received the three best examples of the Plan W series: the 4105, 4107 and 4118. When the NS experienced a shortage in rolling stock in 2000, the museum briefly loaned the 4118 back to the railway company for passenger transport. The 4105 and 4107 were donated to the Historical Diesel Stock Foundation.