In the early 1950s, a decision was made to import a significant number of diesel trains for local railways, to operate on routes with fewer passengers. After research, it was decided to purchase the VT-95 series K-1 DMK Uerdingen model. The first 10 sets (00-09), painted in red, arrived in 1955 and successfully underwent trial runs on domestic tracks (the original Šinobuses came with long trailers 000-001 and 006-009, while those with short trailers came as 002-005; all were housed in ZTO Sarajevo). This led to the decision to acquire a license for their production, aiming to achieve an acceptable price for replacing steam locomotives on a larger scale and ensuring stability in their maintenance. Production was taken over by the Goša factory in Smederevska Palanka, which delivered the first 20 sets in 1959, also painted in red, starting from number 10. After this initial series, the color was changed to silver, as we know it today.

In addition to Goša, the Šinobuses were also manufactured by the Đuro Đaković factory and some other factories involved in wagon production.

The Šinobus wasn’t just used on flat terrain, as one might think; it was also suitable for routes with steeper gradients.

The official name of this railway vehicle was DMK series 812 – Silver Arrow. Shortly after its introduction to railway traffic, it earned the nickname “Rabbit” (zec) because it was much faster than the old steam locomotives. However, over time, it became known among passengers as “Šinobus” due to its original origin and the German name for this type of railway vehicle, “Schienenbus” – Ferrobús (Spanish), Rälsbuss (Swedish), Sínbusz (Hungarian), etc.

The first two sets were nicknamed “Šinobus-pedalaš”. This refers to the Šinobus’ from 000 to 040, with the first 10 being originally German (so-called pre-series), while the rest were produced under license at the Goša factory. These vehicles are much simpler in design compared to those marked with numbers above 040. They have a gas pedal (hence the nickname “pedalaš”), no remote control, different suspension, simpler electrical systems (allowing for fuse connection as needed), no synchronized brakes (only pneumatic and manual, mechanical brakes located to the right of the gas pedal), and some other simpler features in terms of installations and the interior of the vehicle itself (ventilation is on the roof, no glass protection behind the driver’s seat). Therefore, if such a Šinobus was included in the set, remote control was not possible, so each set had to be driven separately, and drivers communicated with sound signals using a speaker with a single button and a small speaker placed on the control panel next to the gearbox.

Later, in the early 1990s, due to its age, it acquired negative nicknames, especially from younger passengers, such as “Tin Can” and “Sardine Can”.