Swiss Express (type of train)

The Swiss Express train category of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) was introduced on May 22, 1975 together with the opening of the Heitersberg line and existed until 1982. The category replaced the earlier city express trains . The Swiss Express was the parade train of the SBB, it served the most important traffic axis of the SBB, the route Geneva - Lausanne - Bern - Zurich - St. Gallen (- Rorschach ).

composition

Re 4/4 ^II Swiss Express near Winterthur

Re 4/4 ^II Swiss Express at Oron VD

The fixed train compositions consisted of 14 air-conditioned standard coaches III . A special feature of the Swiss Express was that the trains were not only composed the same every time, but that the vehicles were always arranged in the same direction.

The compositions were covered with the eight Re 4/4 ^II prepared for this purpose , which have only one pantograph . These included two of the six prototypes, 11103 and 11106, and six other locomotives from the subsequent construction lot (11108, 11109, 11112, 11113, 11133, 11141). In order to prevent the pantographs of the two locomotives from being too close to each other in the event of a double traction (which was rare in practice), the locomotives were always turned so that the pantograph was on the Zurich side. Since the first-class cars also always ran on the Zurich side, the result is the following composition:

In the direction of Zurich: Locomotive Re 4/4 "- AD - 5 A - WR - 7 B. The cars had the numbers 1 to 14, in the direction of Geneva or St. Gallen the other way around. The orientation of the dining car (the pantograph always pointed Zurich) was chosen in such a way that first-class travelers did not have to cross the narrow side aisle next to the kitchen on the way to the dining room. Five compositions were required for the timetable operation, the sixth composition and a few additional cars served as a reserve the following B car equipped with tables and served as a WR compartment.

The cars and locomotives were painted in orange and stone gray and equipped with the automatic UIC coupling . The pressure-tight passage from car to car was supported by the coupling. The aluminum boxes of the cars are slightly angled because a tilting mechanism was originally provided, which then did not work. The trains run according to train series R (higher speed in curves), also today on the BLS network. The AD wagons with side aisles are an unusual design for the SBB. They originally had six compartments. Since the luggage compartment was much too small for the time, three A-compartments were converted into a luggage compartment, and another became an office for the train staff.

history

With the introduction of the regular timetable in 1982, the name Swiss Express was given up and replaced by the InterCity . The Re 4/4 ^II locomotives were then equipped with conventional screw couplings. The six end cars AD (first class with luggage compartment) also received a screw coupling at the end without a transition, and another A was converted into the seventh AD. Seven second-class cars were converted into control cars with the Vst IIId multiple control, and they also received a screw coupling at the end of the driver's cab. The dining cars were given screw couplings on both sides, normal rubber bead transitions and a red / stone gray paint. They were used in intercity trains together with standard car IV until December 2003, after which WR III was canceled.

With the use of shuttle trains , the time-consuming locomotive change at end stations and in terminal stations such as Zurich HB is no longer necessary. The former Swiss Express replaced the previously fir-green express trains between Lucerne and Zurich Airport, which had previously been run with DZt and RBe 4/4 railcars . Trains from Geneva – Lausanne – Bern – Lucerne were also run.

Special locomotives no longer had to be kept for these trains, the orange / stone gray trains only rarely ran with locomotives of the same color, green and later red Re 4/4 ^II were used. Some of the eight Re 4/4 ^II were painted in the traffic or fire red usual for the SBB on the occasion of revisions.

In 2004 the orange-colored train compositions including some green Re 4/4 ^II locomotives were sold to the BLS Lötschbergbahn . There they were given the new BLS corporate colors (lime green / blue / gray) under the name “EW III”. The locomotives were also given the colors of the BLS and are designated as Re 420.5 . The sets now run as BLS Regio-Express trains from Bern to Langnau and Lucerne, to Neuchâtel and as reinforcement trains via Kandersteg to Brig, with the BLS-Re 465 being used in addition to the purchased Re 420.

IC2000 and InterCity tilting trains now run on the original main route of the Swiss Express .

The expression Swiss Express is still in use, which is what the Swiss Post makes use of, which has been offering its express mail under the name Swiss Express since around 2001 . In addition, the new long-distance train from SBB has this addition in its name.