The Blue Angel (in Dutch: Blauwe Engel) was the name given to the Plan X class DE-1 and DE-2 diesel railcars formerly used by Nederlandse Spoorwegen.

There have been rumours that the name has a connection to the German movie Der blaue Engel, but this has never been confirmed.

Mechanically related to the class is the single-car DE-20, nicknamed The Camel (in Dutch: De Kameel), an inspection vehicle built in 1954, later rented out as an excursion train.

The sets are equipped with Scharfenberg couplers, and up to three units can be coupled together for multiple working.

In the 1960s, the units were repainted into red livery that was then standard for all diesel trainsets owned by Nederlandse Spoorwegen.

The refurbished units were delivered in the standard Nederlandse Spoorwegen yellow livery.

Due to significant differences in the conversion, prototype refurbished unit 161 was removed from service in 1984, and scrapped in 1988.

The first trainsets entered service in 1953 on the Arnhem -- Winterswijk, Gouda -- Alphen aan den Rijn, and Leeuwarden -- Sneek routes.

Electrification between Gouda and Alphen aan den Rijn in 1956 resulted in the removal of these units from that route.

For a short time in the 1960s, the units were in service between Alkmaar and Hoorn, and from 1970 until the electrification of the line between Geldermalsen and Tiel in 1978, the units ran through services between Utrecht, Geldermalsen, Arnhem, and Nijmegen; after electrification, this route was cut back to Tiel.

The refurbished DE-2 units were mainly used on unelectrified routes around Zwolle and Zutphen, and between Arnhem and Tiel.

The service was cut back to Heerlen—Aachen in May 1992, before finally being replaced in August 1998 by the new DM 90 stock.