Green-skinned train


The terms green-skinned train and green train 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.

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" and "普通旅客列车" 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. Only a few cars still retain their original color, in particular Type 25G cars maintained by Xidaku depot in Beijing. This green-painting has angered many Chinese railfans, and original-colored cars are considered very valuable to photograph and film.

Original

Modern

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