Between 1959 and 1977, the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) procured a total of more than 4,800 carriages in three layouts for use in local transport and to reinforce express trains: pure 2nd class, 1st and 2nd class, as well as control cars with luggage compartments and 2nd class open-plan compartments. The carriage family was assigned the class letter “n.” A prototype car already had the unpainted outer skin with a brushed peacock eye pattern, which gave it the nickname “Silberlinge” (Silverlings). Eliminating the paint job reduced the weight by about two tons. With a total weight of between 27 and 30 tons, the second-class carriages, for example, were at least 5 tons lighter than the pre-war express train carriages of the 1936 design. The D62 axle generator initially installed limited the top speed to 120 km/h. The technically permissible 140 km/h could be achieved with a different axle generator design or by cars powered electrically by the traction unit. In 1969, the DB purchased a total of 180 examples of the Bnrzb724 type, which can easily be converted into hospital cars in the event of a disaster. A striking difference from the previously manufactured cars is the almost vertical roof (“pitched roof”). The first control cars had a transition point to the next car at the end of the driver’s cab, which meant that the driver sat in a drafty little room (“rabbit box”) to the right of the aisle. From 1972 onwards, the DB received control cars with the modern “Karlsruhe head”. To make local transport more attractive, from 1984 onwards the DB had several sets modernized inside and painted in pebble grey and orange, and operated them with the matching 218 under the product name City-Bahn. The success of the product prompted DB to modernize additional cars starting in 1990 with newly upholstered seats, modified luggage racks, and a new exterior paint scheme. A variety of different variants of these cars, known as redesigned cars, were created, initially painted in the then-fashionable mint turquoise light gray. Starting in 1993, DB received control cars with the “Wittenberg head” on the driver’s cab side, reminiscent of the VT 628 railcar. In 2019, 60 years after the first Silberlinge entered service, several cars are still in daily service.