RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted April 16, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2019 A bit in English on the Capricorn units https://railcolornews.com/2019/04/15/ch-rhatische-bahn-and-stadler-unveil-their-new-capricorn-train/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Madog Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 The era of locomotive pulled trains seems to rapidly coming to an end in Switzerland, as the classic electric locomotives are coming of age now. Mind you even the Ge 4/4 III is up 26 years in service now! The Ge 4/4 II started 46 years ago! With SLM being long gone, there is no source for small batches of narrow gauge locomotives available any longer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan's Goldfish Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 6 hours ago, PaulRhB said: A bit in English on the Capricorn units https://railcolornews.com/2019/04/15/ch-rhatische-bahn-and-stadler-unveil-their-new-capricorn-train/ Reading that, and looking at the couplings, I suspect these may not be compatible with hauling extra coaches in peak periods. Combine that with the new driving trailers discussed elsewhere then this may not be the beginning of the end for loco push/pull sets yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted April 16, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2019 Yes I’m not sure of the output yet but I think these are like the three unit Allegra and as powerful as the 4/4iii’s so will be hauling coaches and freight. I don’t know if there’s a split in the traction design as the four unit Allegra’s are only powered on a single car as they were only intended for commuter runs around Chur. These will replace the Davos and Engadine shuttles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brigo Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Another site in English witha short video https://railway-news.com/stadler-capricorn-train-switzerland/ They appear to have only one unit powered with the other three having low floors. Fully automatic couplers with the ability to have trains that split. I can see them being used for a train that goes from Landquart to Sagliains and then splitting with one part to Scuols and the other to St Moritz. Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brigo Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Would also overcome the current problem of passengers travelling between Scuol and St Moritz having to change at Samadan. Could now have one portion Scuol-Pontresina and another Scuol-St Moritz. Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted April 16, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2019 So it looks like they are just units for passenger work and we will see less mixed trains if they can’t pull goods stock. Much like here though they’ll lose the ability to add an extra coach in unless you’ll just see that with the Albula sets between loco and train. If the locos become mostly freight only I guess some of the shunting tractors will be surplus to requirements as they were used to hook stuff in and off passenger trains a lot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan's Goldfish Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 Just a thought; how old are the ew iv coaches now? Their lines better match all the new albula stock (and the extra driving trailers) as well as all the panorama coaches, and I'd hazard a guess that as they are younger than the majority of the loose coaching stock they are in a better condition.... yeah that's a big assumption! So with the reduction of loco hauled sets as the new units appear could we see the older albula additional coaches all replaced with ew iv coaches?... I've been doing a count up too; the ge4/4iii from observations seem to be used for albula sets, Vereina tunnel car shuttles, and a couple of the 'pendlezug' runs from landquart, Davos, to Filisur. Ge4/4ii and allegra cover most of the rest of the core passenger services (they also appear on some freight), Capricorn would look to be replacing most of those services, but a single unit doesn't have the same capacity as the current chur - disentis/munster formations, but 2 joined together would be a big capacity increase. Also, the ge4/4ii are used for glacier Express portions along the albula that aren't added to the standard hourly service. The couple of ge4/4iii freed up from Davos by the Capricorn units could replace the GEX 4/4ii, but there's still other services that could need locomotives (see new 2nd class driving trailers on the Engadine)... plus the freight that 4/4ii sometimes double head, I don't think this is the end of them. Especially when you bear in mind that there's still a couple of 4/4i in use too, maybe they will finally get to retire?! Any mention of replacement coaches for the Bernina yet or can we still get our ew i fix there for a while yet? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted April 17, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2019 The 4/4i’s are due to go when the new tunnel work finishes. The 4/4ii’s early batch will go as they come round for the next overhaul. That will leave all the 4/4iii’s, plus the extra one bought from the MOB for the Vereina tunnel, the 80’s batch of 4/4ii’s and the Ge6/6ii’s soldiering on. That is more than enough once the Capricorn take over most of the local services and replace the Be series emus too. I was just a bit surprised they went for auto couplings so can’t pull freight. I guess the St Moritz - Klosters - Chur services will remain loco hauled with wagons tacked on the back by Tmf’s to cater for that or they’ll have to run more pure freight trains? It’s all guesses but unless they see no future for goods at Zernez and Scuol they are going to need Allegra’s or locos on some services up the Engadine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan's Goldfish Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 That makes sense. The auto couplings are the bit that's surprised me too, given how much flexibility they seem to use on a daily basis it's a big change for them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted April 17, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2019 I may be cynical but it sounds like everyone else does it so must we while the RhB has always seemed to do well doing its own thing. It would be interesting to hear the staff opinions but Gion has been very quiet on these. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted May 1, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 1, 2019 One of the guys posted this Japanese promo for the Glacier Express over on NGRM, the photography is stunning! http://clippings.switzerlandtourism.ch/TYO/2019/190210_NHKBS8K.mp4 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan's Goldfish Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 That footage is stunning. Doesn't matter that I can't understand a word being said! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 57 minutes ago, Satan's Goldfish said: ...I can't understand a word being said! No different to Swiss German then! I caught two Japanese phrases "St Moritz" then "Landwasser" 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Dont know if everyone knows about this, but this useful passenger train consists site: https://www.vagonweb.cz/ now has coverage of RhB train formations. Obviously only passenger ones, but that includes the mixed trains. I suspect in reality the freight content will vary a lot compared to the plan, but it's interesting as a "style guide" nonetheless, plus a handy way of seeing if it's LHCS or unit based. Examples: https://www.vagonweb.cz/razeni/vlak.php?zeme=RhB&cislo=4109&nazev=&rok=2019 https://www.vagonweb.cz/razeni/vlak.php?zeme=RhB&kategorie=R&cislo=4307&nazev=&rok=2019 https://www.vagonweb.cz/razeni/vlak.php?zeme=RhB&kategorie=RE&cislo=4011&nazev=&rok=2019 If you find a vehicle type you like, click on the little icon below it and it'll show all the trains that use that vehicle type... (Enjoy!) 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted June 7, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 7, 2019 Nice find there Martyn, many thanks 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted July 7, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) From Glenn on the RhB forum: First Ge4/4ii has been withdrawn. 628 S-Chanf sustained damage after hitting a rock in May and has been deemed too expensive to repair. The Capricorn units were due to replace the early, (1973 built 611-620), 4/4/ii’s so it will be interesting to see if one gets a reprieve with 628 going. And project Landwasser with a historic depot at Survara and shuttle trains to Filisur and Davos. https://www.projekt-landwasserviadukt.ch/DE/attraktionsraum.html Edited July 7, 2019 by PaulRhB 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Noticed a couple of the 4/4i have shown up over the past couple of weeks on the Filisur webcam, so at least in the short term the fleet must still be pretty busy! The first Capricorn unit has recently arrived for testing... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted July 8, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 8, 2019 The 4/4i’s are due to go with the completion of the Albula tunnel, they’ve been retained for construction trains but once the Capricorn’s are in service those sorts of duties will cascade to the 4/4ii’s displaced by them. It was noted elsewhere that they rolled out 3112 in April but 3111 is the first to arrive on the RhB so I wonder if 3112 still is a dynamic test unit at the factory? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 They've been escaping from tunnel works though to do other stuff though, which is nice - I think they are booked power for this (shame we're not there over a weekend!) - https://trainspo.com/photo/102192/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted July 8, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 8, 2019 Yes the RhB just uses power wherever It’s the cascade of the other locos coinciding with the Albula tunnel works intended end that will spell the end though according to the original source. They’ve been used a lot on the construction traffic and there’s even been a proposal to rebuild one back to original condition but I’m not sure if that’s wishful thinking Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan's Goldfish Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Yup, saw a 4/4i on freight between Landquart and Chur when we were there last year, but the previous trip had had them both working the tunnel trains. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted July 8, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) I suspect the dates they retire are actually likely to be around their next due major overhaul than just one day, much like what was announced for the 4/4ii’s. It’s an interesting comparison to my first visit in the early 80’s as to how many services are loco hauled once the Capricorn’s are in service. When I was first there half the Engadine services were railcars and the Arosa was still DC railcars. So I suspect the balance will tip only slightly to railcars compared to the 80’s. There was a loco ‘surge’ in the mid 90’s as the 4/4iii’s came in and then the 4/4ii’s took over the Arosa initially, when it went AC. So we gained 13 4/4iii’s from 93-99 , (incl the MOB one currently on the way), and will lose 4 4/4i’s and 10 4/4ii’s. So overall we will have had about 25 years of more loco hauled and revert back to the 80’s balance It seems the main difference being the Albula will have more railcar services than the 80’s while Davos and the Engadine have more push pull loco services than then? Edited July 8, 2019 by PaulRhB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted October 13, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 13, 2019 New website http://rhbstations.co.za/ 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted October 18, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 18, 2019 628 goes to pieces after hitting a rock and bending its frame. https://www.rhb.ch/de/blog/der-letzte-weg-der-lokomotive-628 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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