Piko Hobby model and the real thing entering Austria via Passau (March 2004)

DBAG currently (January 2005) have one Taurus locomotive in this livery:

Numbered in the series 182 001-025, the locos were delivered to DB between 26 July 2001 (182 001-9) and 20 Dec 2001 (182 025-9). As delivered, all locos were finished in verkerhsrot with grey roof panels and solebars, and with two blocks of white across the nose on either end. DB logos were placed between the blocks of white, and centrally on the sides. The number was applied centrally under the DB logo in all four positions.

182 009-1 In 2003 DB Cargo joined forces with Deutsche Post and DHL (the Global Parcel Delivery division of Deutsche Poste) to start a new high-speed (160 km/h) parcels service between the main German cities - "PIC" - Parcel InterCity. As a promotion of the service, 182 009-1 taken out of service on 9 Aug 2003 and rebranded, with full-side yellow panels containing the DHL logo to the left of the door, and an advert - "more power with parcel intercity" to the right of the door. Whilst this was being applied, DB Cargo changed its' trading name to Railion, and this name was applied to the side of the engine at the end of the advert, with the Railion logo replaced the DB logo on the noses. The Railion logo, white writing with a blue sqaure below one letter, is different on class 182's, since the blue square is applied under the last letter, rather than the first letter seen on other classes.

The loco was outshopped on 1 Sept 2003, although the service did not start for another 3 months.

Subsequently, all the other class 182 locos were rebranded with the Railion logo, on the sides as well as on the noses. The opportunity was taken to change the shape of the white nose stripes, which had been applied to a curved surface, and gave the impression of a "sad face". All the locos are nominally allocated to Nurnberg Rangierbahnhof.

182 016-6 was badly damaged in a shunting acident in the yard attached to the BASF factory in Ludwigshafen on 16 Oct 2003, and was not repaired and returned to traffic until 05 May 2004.

Railion run regular services between northern Germany and Italy, using class 182 locos through Austria to the Italian border. They are also used on some "rolling highway" - RoLA services on the same route, and on routes to Salzburg, Wels, Passau and Wien.