Friends of Cologne Railway
The Freundeskreis Eisenbahn Köln e. V. (FEK) was founded on December 3, 1955 in Cologne as an association of friends of the railway . Original Rheingold wagons built in 1928/29 and the 1960s have been kept ready for operation since 1970 . A library and a small museum about the history of the Rheingold train in the clubhouse in Cologne-Nippes round off the club life. The FEK is a member of the Association of German Museum and Touristic Railways (VDMT) and the Federal Association of German Railway Friends (BDEF).
In 1970, the FEK was able to acquire four former Rheingold cars from the Deutsche Bundesbahn , which, however, had converted the cars into normal 1st class express train cars or company cars. The FEK restored the exterior of these cars in the original beige / violet colors with golden decorative stripes and raised inscriptions and Reichsbahn eagles in 2300 working hours. A reconstruction of the car interior could not be carried out for reasons of cost. The cars are used across Europe. The association does not have its own locomotives. Train locomotives are not only the classic locomotives of the 01 or 18 series , but also - in addition to the well-known locomotives of European railway administrations - other locomotives, e.g. B. the electric locomotive of the Extertalbahn or the steam locomotive series 89 . In addition to these Rheingold wagons, the association also acquired former TEE wagons, which are easier to maintain and can be used better internationally.
The stock of spare parts, such as the provision of wheelsets and brake blocks, is increasingly causing the club to face problems.
literature
- Friedhelm Ernst: Rheingold luxury train through 6 decades. Alba publications Alf Teloeken GmbH & co KG, Düsseldorf, 5th revised edition 2003
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Eberhard Krumm Heuer: 90 years Rheingold: The German version of the Orient Express. In: www.welt.de. June 3, 2018, accessed June 3, 2018 .