Due to the rolling process during their production, sheet steel coils are susceptible to moisture. In the 1970s, seeking to protect such coils from corrosion during transport to processing industries, the rail vehicle industry developed a special type of flatcar with three nested sliding hoods - the Shis 708, which was also known as the Shimmns 708 from 1987 onwards. To allow easy loading of the coils, the hoods can be opened as required, exposing the five loading troughs embedded in the vehicle frame. The Federal Railway placed orders for over 2,500 units of Shis/Shimmns 708 in two major batches. The actual number of vehicles of this design is significantly higher due to additional orders from other state railways and leasing companies. As the hoods became increasingly maintenance-intensive with age, DB AG replaced them with sliding tarpaulins on 1,000 carriages and reclassified these vehicles as the Shimmns-ttu 772 from 2002 onwards. However, private operators continue to utilise some vehicles in their original condition.
