Class 113

Updated: August 2026 – A front end that comes to a point and looks as if it’s been folded: the Bügelfalte is one of the most recognisable features in German railway history. It belongs to the Class 113, the fast variant of the standard-design E 10. This page explains how to recognise it, why it was once called Class 112, and where you can still meet it today.

What is the Class 113 (E10)?

The Class 113 is a four-axle electric locomotive for fast passenger services, descended from the E 10.12 sub-class of the standard-design family. Compared with the base version it was rated for 160 km/h instead of 150 km/h, and it received its own, more elaborately styled front end – the famous Bügelfalte.

The background is operational: the Bundesbahn, predecessor of today’s Deutsche Bahn AG, needed a faster machine for its premium express trains, including the Rheingold sets. Rather than developing an entirely new locomotive, a sub-class of the proven Class 110 (E10) emerged with a changed gear ratio and a new front end. This exact principle – variant instead of new design – runs through the whole standard-design locomotive family.

The numbering history: from E 10.12 through 112 to 113

Period	Designation	What’s behind it
before 1968	E 10.12	letter plus number, sub-class of the E 10
from 1968	Class 112	switch to three-digit, computer-compatible class numbers
from the late 1980s	Class 113	number 112 was needed elsewhere
related class	Class 115	another offshoot of the E 10 family

The pattern is typical of the German system: class numbers are assignments, not properties. They’re reissued whenever roles change or a number would otherwise be used twice. For the same reason, a whole wave of renumbering followed 1992, when the numbering schemes of the two former German railways were merged.

For you as an observer, this means: what always counts is the number that’s actually on the vehicle – not the one quoted in an older book. How to find and correctly place it is explained in the guide to identifying locomotive classes.

Recognition: the Bügelfalte as your way in

Where it fits: a museum vehicle

Occasion	Realistic chance	How you find out
Society special trains	good on individual dates	event calendars, society websites, enthusiast forums
Railway museums and depots	good, sometimes static	opening times and announcements
Anniversaries and vehicle parades	occasional, plannable	announced weeks in advance
Transfer runs	down to luck	short-notice community reports
Regular timetable	none	the class has left regular service

How to actually find dates for heritage railways and special trains is covered in the guide to heritage railways and special trains.

From prestige locomotive to museum piece

The path this class has taken is typical of premium vehicles in railway service – and it explains why you now only see it on set dates.

At the start there was a particular ambition: the Bundesbahn’s fastest and most comfortable trains were to get a locomotive to match. Higher top speed, more elaborate design, its own livery – all of that was part of an overall image, not just a technical requirement.

Over time the surroundings shifted. Newer classes took over top-tier duty, these locomotives moved into less prominent workings and eventually ended up in reserve and special duties. At the end of this path stands the move into museum stock: a vehicle that once carried prestige becomes an exhibit itself.

For spotters this means two things. First, the yardstick changes: it’s not the number of sightings that counts, but the single, well-documented encounter. Second, the research shifts – from the timetable to the event calendar, from real-time information to a society’s announcement.

Photo tips for the Bügelfalte

The front shape is the subject – and it calls for a particular angle.

• Work from a slight angle in front. An angle of roughly 20 to 40 degrees shows the fold in the front end most clearly. Head-on, it almost disappears.
• Look for side light. The edge lives off the shadow it casts. Flat morning or evening light draws it out; midday sun flattens it.
• Use the special train as context. On museum runs, the historic carriage set is part of the story – a shot including the rear of the train tells more than a pure locomotive portrait. The basics are covered in the guide to good train photography.
• Capture the markings too. Historical lettering is part of the sighting and is often later the only way to date it.

Tracks, operational railway land and depots are off limits. They’re private property, entering them is forbidden and dangerous – even on museum grounds, whatever the operator sets as its rules applies.

Common mix-ups

Its closest relative is the Class 115 (E10), which also emerged from the E 10 family. In regional service, the Class 111 later took on the role – four axles like the 113, but younger and proportioned differently.

Verdict

The Class 113 is a vehicle you recognise by a single feature and understand through its number. The Bügelfalte sets the fast variant apart from the boxy base version; the numbering history from E 10.12 through 112 to 113 shows how flexibly the German class scheme handles assignments. Today you’ll only meet it where societies and museums show it.