Center entry car (Switzerland, narrow gauge)

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Center entry coaches are passenger coaches where the entrance is in the middle of the coach . Such vehicles were mainly built for Swiss narrow-gauge railroads in the period after the Second World War until the mid-1960s. This does not take into account control cars whose design is based on the associated railcars . However, this delimitation is not always clear.

Wooden box car

Most of the wooden box wagons were two-axle vehicles with open platforms. There were also a large number of four-axle vehicles with open platforms, a few four-axle vehicles with closed platforms and just two four-axle vehicles with open end platforms and an additional open central platform. These were the two BC 4 11 and 12 of the Waldenburgerbahn from 1891. The BC 11 was converted to the CF (later BF, later BD) 11 in 1954. In doing so, he lost the open platforms at the end of the car and the open center entry was provided with doors.

Light steel and light metal wagons

SIG pre-war designs

A 1252 on April 28, 2005 as a tour car on the Chur station square

Shortly before the Second World War, center entry cars appeared on the Brünigbahn and RhB.

With the SBB- Brünigbahn it was only one car, the observation car B 4 or A 4 101. It was fully glazed on the long and short sides and the rounded roofs were transparent. The weight of the car and the entire tensile and compressive forces therefore had to be supported by the underframe , which was reinforced with a fish-belly-shaped double steel beam. The rounded plexiglass panes became yellowish and opaque over time, so that the fronts and the rounded roofs were laminated in 1947. The car is preserved in a museum.

In 1939–1940, the RhB received eight lightweight steel cars to match the four new BCe 4/4 501–504 railcars for the Flying Rhaetian . Six third class cars C 2301–2306 and two upholstered class cars AB 251–252 (after 1956 A 1251–1252) were delivered. These vehicles were the RhB's first red vehicles. A special feature was the front wall windows, which provided a view of the route when used at the end of the train. The seat divider in the third car class (now second class) was 1500 mm. The extreme lightweight construction took its toll, as the vehicles were not allowed to be used freely and were often victims of damage. After the incorporation of the Chur-Arosa-Bahn into the RhB, these light wagons were adapted for use on this steep route. In the mid-sixties, they were reinforced and correspondingly heavier, but freely usable. They received new SIG torsion bar bogies. The decommissioning of these cars began in 2006, but two are to be kept in working order together with a railcar.

SIG light metal wagons for the Brünigbahn

AB 476 on September 26, 2006 parked in Lucerne

As early as 1945, the SBB- Brünigbahn began delivering 24 light metal center entry cars, called Type I there. The types B4ü 271–272 (later A4ü 111–112), BC4ü 471–474 and C4ü 841–858 cars built by SIG Neuhausen were riveted because there was still no usable aluminum welding technology. In 1949 three more upholstered class cars followed, AB4ü 181-183, which were built by SWS Schlieren . The cars run on SIG Schelling bogies. Depending on the classification, they have a different number of windows but a uniform length over the central coupling of 16.47 m. The toilet is located in the middle of the car and is accessible from the boarding platform. The upholstered class car (B4ü and AB4ü) has a platform next to the toilet, and the wooden class (BC4ü and C4ü) has a third class four-seat group (now second class). The seat divider was 1500 mm in 3rd, 1890 mm in 2nd and 2200 mm in 1st class. The front wall doors are located directly in the passenger compartment. The cars have automatic + GF + clutches , are braked with compressed air and have a Riggenbach type brake gear. The weight, which has been reduced to 13 to 14 t, made it possible to transport four instead of three wagons per Deh 4/6 railcar over the rack sections.

In 1954 another 14 wagons of the types BC4ü 475-480 and C4ü 859-866 were delivered, which, thanks to advances in strength calculation, were 1 t lighter and are therefore designated as Type II.

This design was completed by 13 baggage cars F4ü and D 1601–1613, which were built by SIG in 1950 and 1968–1969 and, for the second delivery, their own workshop. The Berner Oberland-Bahnen also procured five such wagons D 531-535 from SIG in 1971. Finally, in 1944 and 1968, the PTT had two post wagons Z 65–66 and 67–68 built according to the same construction principles.

Many of these cars were sold to other railways from 1996 onwards and some of them were still resold, two of them to Spain (FGC). The last remaining cars on the Zentralbahn (to which the Brünigbahn now belongs) were sold to Argentina in 2009, where they are to form a second train for the " Tren a las Nubes ".

Shortened SIG light metal wagon for the Brig-Visp-Zermatt-Bahn

A 2063 and B 2265 parked in Brig on October 20, 2005

In the years 1955 to 1963, the BVZ also received 26 intermediate entry cars from SIG, but these were shortened compared to the version for the Brünigbahn (the end compartment was a little longer). They also received central buffers with two screw couplings, a vacuum brake and an Abt brake gear. They can be used on the entire narrow-gauge network from Zermatt to St. Moritz, with the exception of the short route from Andermatt to Göschenen (Schöllenenbahn). The cars of types B 2261–2276 (initially C4ü), AB 2161–2163 (initially BC4ü) and A 2061–2067 all have the same number of windows, but the length over buffers, 13.61, 14.71 and 15, has been adjusted .82 m. 2276 was destroyed by an avalanche in Zermatt on February 16, 1978, 2263 by escaped ballast wagons in Brig in 1996, the rest of them were in use until 2008 after modernization, after which they were gradually phased out. Three of the particularly short B-cars (2273-2275) were extended by two compartments in 1998/99. Its new length over buffers is 16,685 m. Two of these cars came to Núria , Spain in 2019 . In 2009, the Furka Mountain Line (DFB) took over the A 2066, which was the last to have the old interior, and the B 2262 (new AB 4466 and B 4262).

The BVZ also completed its fleet of vehicles with matching luggage wagons . These came from SWS between 1955 and 1968 and had SWS bogies. They also had a post office and therefore operated as DZ 2351-2354. The post office of DZ 2351 was expanded in 1979, after which it operated as D 2342.

SWS light steel wagon for the Rhaetian Railway

B 2324 parked on July 17, 2004 in Scuol

1947–1949 the SWS Schlieren delivered the RhB 20 light steel wagons C4ü 2321–2333, AB4ü 221–222 and F4ü 4204-4208, which took up the essential design features of the standard-gauge light steel wagons , in addition to the light box structure, the folding doors and the toilet with anteroom at the end of the wagon Front wall doors, unlike the SIG construction (see above), did not lead directly into the passenger compartment. In contrast to the standard gauge wagons, there were not two double entrances (C4ü) or two single entrances (AB4ü), but only one in the middle of the wagon. Only later were center entry cars built for the standard gauge. The seat divider has also been reduced from 1680 mm (standard gauge) to 1500 mm. As a result, with a length over buffers of only 17.63 m, 64 third-class seats had to be accommodated (compared to 72 of the standard-gauge wagons with a length of 22.7 m). The upholstered class cars were equipped with 1900 and 2115 mm long side aisle compartments. The wagons were delivered in a green / cream paint, which was then newly introduced for all rolling stock. The SWS bogies were not completely satisfactory and were fitted with helical spring secondary suspension and roll dampers in the 15 passenger cars by the RhB between 1975 and 1983. Two cars were equipped with control lines and flush doors for use in shuttle trains. This type of vehicle was phased out in 2006.

SWS light steel wagons for other narrow-gauge railways

La Traction, ex WSB, B 37 parked on July 15, 2006 in Pré-Petitjean.

The SWS also produced a few cars for other railways that have little in common apart from the central entry, the SWS bogies and the light steel construction:

  • 5 B 15–19 for the Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher-Bahn (LEB) in the years 1944 (17-18), 1946 (19), 1952 (16) and 1957 (15) have sliding doors and 8 compartments (64 pl. ). The length over the coupling is 15.44 m. The two newer cars were fitted with remote-controlled folding doors in 1964/68.
  • 6 B 33–38 for the Wynental and Suhrental Railway (WSB) from 1945 to 1951 had folding doors from the start. You have 3½ virtual compartments on each side of the entrance, with the seats on one side omitted in favor of an enlarged platform. This results in 48 seats with a length over the coupling of 14.6 m. The front walls are glazed. Three cars were canceled in 1980-87, three cars went to La Traction in 1993 on the Chemins de fer du Jura (CJ) network.
  • 3 B 41-43 for the Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn (BD) from 1949 had 66 seats and a toilet with a length of 18.3 m. The seats in the tapered ends of the car were quite wide for one person, but there was no room for two. There was half a compartment at each entrance. These three cars went to the Biel-Täuffelen-Ins-Bahn (BTI) in 1969 , where they continued with the same number. The first two moved to Chemin de fer Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez (NStCM) in 1978 and went into operation again as B 41-42. In 1990/91 they received the control line to the new vehicles and the numbers 341–342. The B 43 changed to what was then Oberaargau-Jura-Bahnen (OJB) now Aare Seeland mobil (ASm), where it was converted into a buffet car after a few years and on the route of the Biel-Täuffelen-Ins-Bahn (BTI) up to his Demolished in 2006 for special trips.

All of these vehicles, like the other vehicles on these railways, have front wall doors for official purposes, but no bellows.

SIG lightweight steel wagon for the Rhaetian Railway

AB 1515 converted into a shuttle train car parked in Scuol on July 17, 2004

1956–1957, shortly after the third class was abolished, the RhB received another 13 lightweight steel cars, the AB4ü 1513-1518 and the B4ü 2334–2340. This time the wagons came from SIG Neuhausen and had a lot in common with the light metal wagons of the same provenance: wing doors, toilet at the central entrance, front wall doors directly in the passenger compartment, the same seat divider. However, the cars were 18.26 m long, ran on SIG torsion bar bogies (System Frei) and had light upholstery in 2nd class from the start. Each three cars received additional direct current heating for use in Arosa. Two cars (1517–1518) had a brake gear for use as far as Brig for a while. The cars were converted into control cars (BDt 1731), shuttle train cars, bicycle cars and shortened cars (BD 2477-2478) for the Bernina line. They received hinged doors that were flush with the exterior. In 2003, however, the first car was scrapped due to rust damage.

Railcar trailers in Germany, France and Italy

In Germany, two center-entry cars (TA 1 and 3) were built in 1954 on the Härtsfeldbahn of the WN on four-axle underframes of wooden box wagons built in 1901.

In a similar way, the Chemins de fer de Provence 1949–53 provided four cars (A521–24) with a light metal box with a central entrance (new AT1 – AT4, today XR 1341–44).

In 1946, the Chemins de fer de la Camargue received four light metal center entry cars (B41-44) from Décauville, which weighed only 7.5 t but offered 80 seats. Until the permanent cessation of passenger traffic in 1957, these cars drove behind the AC luggage railcars (V1 – V13) from 1932.

Center entry wagons of various types are used as presentation wagons on the Chamonix – Montenvers and Tramway du Mont-Blanc (St-Gervais – Glacier de Bionnassay) cog railways, some of them also built by Décauville.

In 1986, the SSIF put a new metal car body with a center entry on the underframe of the A4 201 saloon car from 1923.

Low-floor car

With the most recent development towards low-floor wagons, the center entry has become topical again, because at the end of the wagon or above the bogies, entry at ground level cannot be implemented or it would require high barriers.

See also

literature

  • 100 years of the Waldenburgerbahn, 1880–1980. Ed. Waldenburgerbahn, Waldenburg, 1980, no ISBN
  • Hans Waldburger and Martin Senn: The Brünigbahn, SBB on a narrow track. Minirex, Lucerne, 2nd edition, 1988, ISBN 3-907014-01-4 .
  • Théo Stolz and Dieter Schopfer: Brig-Visp-Zermatt, history and rolling stock. Self-published by Minirex, 1983, ISBN 3-907976-00-2 .
  • Claude Jeanmaire: The Rhaetian Railway (main network). Archive No. 19, Verlag Eisenbahn, Villigen AG, 1973, ISBN 3-85649-019-1 .
  • Hans Tribolet and Roman Moosbrugger: Fitness program for middle-entry passenger cars of the BVZ Zermatt-Bahn. In: Swiss Railway Review , 4/1998, Minirex, Lucerne.
  • SBB passenger and baggage carriages. Edited by the SBB General Secretariat. Bern, various years from 1975.
  • Michel Grandguillaume et al .: Voies étroites de la campagne vaudoise. BVA, Lausanne 1986, ISBN 2-88125-004-1 .
  • Wolfgang Finke, Hans Schweers: The vehicles of the Rhaetian Railway 1889-1996 . Volume 1: Passenger cars, dining cars, luggage and mail cars. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 1996, ISBN 3-89494-103-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rolling stock of the Furka mountain line steam train, passenger cars
  2. ↑ Seidel Kurt: Bridge to the Härtsfeld. Self-published, 1962, pages 143 and 166. Second supplemented edition 1979, Dumjahn, ISBN 3-921426-12-X
  3. ^ Ricaud Jean, Royer Joël: Regards sur les chemins de fer secondaires français. Editions du cabri, 2002, ISBN 2-914603-02-9 , page 20
  4. ↑ Domengie Henri: Les petits trains de jadis, Sud-Est de la France. Editions du Cabri, 1985, ISBN 2-903310-34-3 , page 221
  5. ^ Albé Alessandro: The train from Locarno to Domodossola (Centovalli train and Vigezzina). Nuova Edizioni Trelingue, Viganello 1988, p. 154.