Article of the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung from 18.1.2017

ICE seat in the parlor
BY OLIVER MÜLLER-LOREY
From Halle, Deutsche Bahn sells disused furniture to private individuals. The city hall should become the center for all of Germany.

HALLE / MZ - As big as the local TV may be - the real feeling of being in the cinema does not come up in the living room until the spectator sits in the appropriate seating. Hallenser can now get from a mighty unusual "furniture dealer" dignified leather seats including armrest, center tray and adjustable back part: At the Deutsche Bahn. The separates after 18 years namely of all sorts of used furniture such as seats from IC and ICE trains and offers them on the Internet for sale to anyone. Not only two-seater leather, but also solo seats made of fabric, sitting areas and three-way combinations in modern shades of blue and antiquated pink shades.

Halleers do not even have to drive far for many pieces or hire a transport company. Because many seats, watches, luggage trolleys and emergency brakes - yes, even those are sold - store in the city hall. "Halle will be our center for the whole of Germany in the future, and if we can meet our customers' wishes, then we will send them out to the whole world," says Holger Auferkamp, ​​spokesman for Deutsche Bahn in Leipzig. Halle is conveniently located, making it an attractive location for distribution and delivery.

That the disused furniture on the Internet is offered for sale, is due to a modernization wave in DB trains. "The device will be completely replaced, for example, in a re-design, because a new generation is installed in the vehicle," explains Auferkamp. How many kilometers you have under your belt or how many passengers - and dodgers - have already sat on them, that can not be found out. All that is certain is that the supply will not break until 2020, because until then, the train is modernizing its trains. In the future, says Auferkamp, ​​there will also be tables, station clocks and container boxes for the seats sold from Halle.

The question remains: What is the cost of train fun? A three-way combination from the ICE is available for 356.94 euros - but only from the second class. Who wants leather seats from the first class, must pay more: 440.24 euros. Cheaper because there is a luggage rack for 130.84 euros or a folding table for 95.14 euros. The oversized station clock is available for 237.94 euros. She weighs 30 kilos. Also buffers of wagons (photo left) are offered as a fancy seat opportunity.

Buyers, however, should pay attention to imponderability. Since the seats were bolted to the wall in the train, they only have one foot. For an extra charge is a second to have, so that nothing stands in the way of an original ICE seat in the living room.

All articles can be found on the net at www.dbresale.com
Curious sale

And who buys old ICE seats? "Just as there are fans in the aircraft sector, so there are fans around the world of railways," says Auferkamp. The majority of customers are private individuals, but also companies that would install seating in their foyer.