Green-skinned Train

The terms green-skinned train and green train ( zh, s=绿皮车, p=lǜpíchē, l=green skin carriage) refer to a type of design which used to be the mainstay of the passenger railway fleets of China and other communist countries during the Cold War. These words carry connotations of slow travel on old vehicles with few amenities, most notably lacking air conditioning. Despite these connotations, most locomotive-hauled passenger railroad cars in China have been repainted to a shade of dark green.

Gallery

China

Although strictly speaking only a subset of Chinese carriages have green as their original paint color, such as the Type 23 and , colloquially the term "green-skinned train" usually refers to the service classes of "普通旅客快车" (conventional fast train) and "普通旅客列车" (conventional slow train) which use locomotive-hauled trains without a fixed consist of railroad cars. Starting from 2014 almost all conventional rail cars have been gradually repainted to a "olive green" colour, supposedly to reduce operating expenses and make military use of railways harder to spot.This is a possible reason as military rail vehicles in China are all green in contrast to the many original colors of passenger cars, however many railfans can easily tell them apart using differences in top-mounted air conditioners and chimneys, window shapes and sizes, and other physical features, so the effectiveness of this argument is doubted. Only a few cars still retain their original color, in particular Type 25G cars maintained by Xidaku (西大库) depot in Beijing. This green-painting ("刷绿") has angered many Chinese railfans, and original-colored cars ("原色") are considered very valuable to photograph and film.

Original

File:XL21 3318@CRM (20150709141511).JPG, Type 21
File:YZ22 337445 20110901.jpg, Type 22
File:7102 YZ22B.jpg, Type 22B
File:YZ22C 339150 20110319.jpg, Type 22C
File:RW18 Railway coaches 20100405.jpg, Type 18
File:RW19 551981@BJI (20150527112446).JPG, Type 19
File:CA23 891343 K651.JPG, Type 23
File:YW25B 668098 20110901.jpg, Type 25B (pre-2014)
File:China Railways Train K1022 boarding in Nancha Station.jpg, Type 25G

Modern

File:BSP YW25T 676511 20111017 009.jpg, A Type 25T for the Qinghai-Tibet railway, not a "green train" in the traditional sense
File:YW25G-new-green.jpg, A Type 25G painted green
File:YW25K 670202@BJX (20150118131629).JPG, A Type 25K painted green
File:RZ25T 111068@BJI (20150701164029).JPG, A Type 25T painted green
File:T8702 Gia Lam - 29325868797.jpg, Type 25B (post-2014)
File:D754 by FXD3-J0013 near Chongqingbei Railway Station.jpg, A CR200J higher-speed EMU, the first "bullet train" to be painted green during production

Other countries

Asia

File:JRW kn24PC TLE 20061104 001.jpg, Japanese National Railways green train
File:Shinwiju-pyongyang train.jpg, Korean State Railway green train
File:TN17_Car_8_at_Dieu_Tri.JPG, Vietnam Railways green train
File:Trans-Mongolian_Train.jpg, Mongolian green train
File:Bangladesh Railway BR BR 6501 (29585275424).jpg, Bangladesh Railway green train

USSR

File:Вагон_пассажирский_цельнометаллический_плацкартный_(1).jpg, First generation green train in the USSR from 1953
File:Bf_Engelsdorf,_Weitstreckenwagenrohbau.jpg, Later Soviet green train

Europe

File:BR Mk.I FO No.S4823 - 51160270392.jpg, British Rail green train
File:Sk_in_Lublin.jpg, Polish State Railways green train
File:Fotothek_df_n-10_0000144.jpg, East German green train
File:Bf Rochlitz, Doppelstockgliederzug.jpg, East German Double decker green train
File:Vůz_Aa,_Beroun.jpg, Czechoslovak State Railways green train

North America

File:Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad coaches 03.jpg, Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad green train
File:GTP Nechako 2.jpg, Grand Trunk Pacific Railway green train

Notes

References

{{reflist

Rolling stock of China
Rail liveries