Re460s/Re465s + what rolling stock - the early days

[MOB 2002]

9 hours ago, Samedan said:

And another thing, does anyone else find that old blue, green, grey and yellow coach livery absolutely vile? It didn’t seem to last too long, so maybe I’m not in a minority? 

I’m pretty sure the Swiss weren’t overly enamoured with it … the polite nickname was ‘papagei’ (parrot), but it was also apparently known as ‘clowns vomit’ livery!

 

The slightly earlier livery featuring a simple blue stripe was far easier on the eye, and seemingly lasted right to the end of EW II use with SBB.

[cornish trains jez]

On 09/09/2022 at 20:09, Frutigen said:

Based on my Arnold and Lima models, I used to think the bottom corner of the coach body was an easy way to tell them apart, but looking at my own photos, taken at Basel SBB in 2008, there’s actually a fair bit of variation there. These were all on the same train. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any further info on these variations? Maybe different series of builds.

 

[Satan's Goldfish]

And more from the mid 90s, both 460 and 465 in various passenger use. I especially like the couple of sets; baggage - RIC AB - 2x EW I B with a 460 in charge, very over powered but easily modelled.

 

 

 

[vectispete]

Hi

 

I am looking at building a close representation of Interlaken Ost but in the 1970s/1980s.

 

Whilst I have some knowledge on BOB and Brunig bahn I have no idea what standard gauge trains ran into the station.

 

I assume brown BLS locos with blue and cream coaches. Did TEE run into Interlaken Ost at this time in their blood and custard liveries?

 

Also did most trains terminate here and run round their train or did any run into Bonigen?

 

Pete

[DIW]

Hi Pete,

The standard gauge carriages were a varied assortment of liveries and shades thereof! BLS coaches were in 'standard' green before becoming beige/blue, but even the green seemed to have a 'fast-fade' element to it. Some carriages had patches of repainting, so that a mosaic of greens would appear.

International carriages (both individual and rakes of assorted lengths) would be appended to standard trains as well as running as an international set. The vast sidings available at Interlaken Ost made it a favoured termination for such international trains (such popularity extending to being the destinations for DB ICE1 sets when through international running from Berlin became possible after reunification).

Carriages I can bring to mind immediately are DB, SNCF, FS, possibly B, OBB, and CSD.

 

The BLS locos were indeed Brown, usually Re4/4 and Ae4/4, plus also Ae6/8, Ce4/4 and Ce4/6. Additionally in green was De4/5. The shunters were a variation of red/orange, depending on fading!

 

No doubt some some more folk will be along with further information.

Edited September 16, 2022 by DIW
issingm ordw

[DIW]

Some further recollections - The SBB Re4/4s in green were quite a common sight too!

Many of the BLS coaches (and some locos) were labelled for the constituent companies, so rather than BLS were labelled GBS, BN, or SEZ.

 

Here's a couple of pictures from 1979:

 

 

 

And one of the sidings from 1980:

[DavidMcKenzie]

Brilliant collection of videos and photos. Thanks to everyone who's posted. 

[Gordonwis]

16 hours ago, vectispete said:

Hi

 

I am looking at building a close representation of Interlaken Ost but in the 1970s/1980s.

 

Whilst I have some knowledge on BOB and Brunig bahn I have no idea what standard gauge trains ran into the station.

 

I assume brown BLS locos with blue and cream coaches. Did TEE run into Interlaken Ost at this time in their blood and custard liveries?

 

Also did most trains terminate here and run round their train or did any run into Bonigen?

 

Pete

 

Bonigen was overtaken by the overwhelming nodal importance of Interlaken Ost and was a bit of a backwater. AFAIK no international trains went there in the modern era. It closed to passengers in 1969

 

No TEEs terminated at Inetrlaken AFAIK

Edited September 16, 2022 by Gordonwis

[Gordonwis]

11 hours ago, DIW said:

 

12 hours ago, DIW said:

The vast sidings available at Interlaken Ost made it a favoured termination for such international trains (such popularity extending to being the destinations for DB ICE1 sets when through international running from Berlin became possible after reunification).

Carriages I can bring to mind immediately are DB, SNCF, FS, possibly B, OBB, and CSD.

 

 

 

 

I don't recall there being much if any OBB or CSD presence in Interlaken Ost and FS tended to pass by going from Brig towards Bern;  most international trains terminating at Interlaken came from the north or north west. DB and SNCF were in the vast majority

 

My 1978 timetable shows trains from Paris, Calais,  Hoek van Holland and Dortmund

[vectispete]

Thank you for the information.

 

i especially like the photo of the train on platform 5 with the Brünig Bahn train waiting in platform 4. So no TEE. Typical having just bought a Roco Re 4/4 in TEE livery. Looks like I need to acquire the same loco but in SBB livery.

 

if there are any more photos of the period or information that would help me I would love to hear from anyone.

 

can you still buy BLS coaches in HO for this period?

 

pete

 

[MOB 2002]

34 minutes ago, vectispete said:

 So no TEE. Typical having just bought a Roco Re 4/4 in TEE livery. Looks like I need to acquire the same loco but in SBB livery.

 

if there are any more photos of the period or information that would help me I would love to hear from anyone.

 

Those TEE liveried Re4/4II got around a bit … they certainly weren’t confined to TEE jobs. It’d be just as accurate at the head of any train of the period, including freight.
 

Indeed, the rather excellent bahnbilder.de site provides all the evidence you need:

 

https://www.bahnbilder.de/bild/schweiz~e-loks~re-44-ii-sbb-re-420/34255/sbb-re-44-11251---interlaken.html

 

Mark

[DGO]

Sleeper trains from SNCF certainly went to Interlaken Ost from Calais, I know as I used them many times, eventually (certainly after Eurostar) the French trains stopped going to the Bernese Oberland they may have stopped sooner than that I cannot remember exactly when, there was a route after that went from Oostende to Milan but the trains never got to Interlaken heading south at Spiez 

[Michanglais]

14 hours ago, DavidMcKenzie said:

Brilliant collection of videos and photos. Thanks to everyone who's posted. 

 

I'd just like to second David's appreciation for the vids and pics posted in this thread - a wealth of information and lots of modelling inspiration!

 

[Samedan]

Wow! I wish I’d seen IO during the 70s and 80s with my current mind-set. The variety looks wonderful. My first visit to Interlaken was in the early 90s. We were on a Eurocamp driving holiday with our young kids and my brother in law’s family. We camped in Lauterbrunnen for a week before moving on to Austria. 
That trip did a lot to awaken my interest in Swiss railways but there wasn’t really an opportunity to do a lot of deliberate train spotting. But I remember playing crazy golf beside the line between West and Ost and being constantly distracted by the trains trundling past. The smart blue and white coaches really caught my eye. And we also visited the O gauge model railway which used to be located near West station in those days. 
if only my wife had realised then what was taking place in my mind and how much time and money it would entail in the ensuing 30 years! 😊

[Gordonwis]

On 17/09/2022 at 07:55, vectispete said:

Thank you for the information.

 

 So no TEE. Typical having just bought a Roco Re 4/4 in TEE livery. Looks like I need to acquire the same loco but in SBB livery.

 

 

 

No TEE services, but TEE liveried locos reached Interlaken - just as they reached everywhere else!

 

Here is my photo of 11253 awaiting next turn, circa 1992

 

 

Edited September 20, 2022 by Gordonwis

[Gordonwis]

And here is another of my shots of a TEE Re4/4II not on a TEE. 11250 on a motley selection of stock at Lausanne, also circa 1992

 

Remember that the number of TEE train workings in any one day on Swiss territory was small. Therefore the number of available TEE liveried locos was disproportionate. 

 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2022 by Gordonwis

[vectispete]

Thanks to everyone who have chipped in with either words of wisdom or photos - most helpful.

 

My Roco TEE livery Re 4/4 II is no. 11251 which is actually included within these photos (via link) so that really helps.

 

I have ordered some BLS green coaches off ebay so soon shall have a train to match the photos. Just need some further track down to emulate the 4 standard gauge lines within the 'top' end of Interlaken Ost.

 

Pete

[Gordonwis]

14 hours ago, vectispete said:

Thanks to everyone who have chipped in with either words of wisdom or photos - most helpful.

 

My Roco TEE livery Re 4/4 II is no. 11251 which is actually included within these photos (via link) so that really helps.

 

I have ordered some BLS green coaches off ebay so soon shall have a train to match the photos. Just need some further track down to emulate the 4 standard gauge lines within the 'top' end of Interlaken Ost.

 

Pete

 

 

You may be interested to know the following:

 

11251

Delivered November 1972

Repainted out of TEE into standard red January 1994

Became 420 251 February 2017

Currenrly carrying the Swiss railway 175 vinyls

 

[vectispete]

That is interesting

 

The Roco version has a date on the side of 1972 so must be in it's factory new state. I assume this number was amended every time it paid a visit to the Werkstatt as my various loco and coach stock currently carrying some very differing dates (until I get some comparable transfers to change them to my era.

[Gordonwis]

On 22/09/2022 at 08:15, vectispete said:

That is interesting

 

The Roco version has a date on the side of 1972 so must be in it's factory new state. I assume this number was amended every time it paid a visit to the Werkstatt as my various loco and coach stock currently carrying some very differing dates (until I get some comparable transfers to change them to my era.

 

Yes indeed. The first workshop visit for 11251 after 1972 was at Yverdon 22.10.75

 

 

.

[vectispete]

Gordonwis - do you happen to know whether I could run SBB CFF green coaches into Interlaken Ost for a period c1978? All photos of the period that I have seen so far have all had BLS (or variant) coaches.

 

If so, would it have been all types of SBB coaches?

 

Pete

[Gordonwis]

16 hours ago, vectispete said:

Gordonwis - do you happen to know whether I could run SBB CFF green coaches into Interlaken Ost for a period c1978? All photos of the period that I have seen so far have all had BLS (or variant) coaches.

 

If so, would it have been all types of SBB coaches?

 

Pete

 

I've seen pictures circa 1990. I can't think back to 1978 as to what I would have seen then, only locos would have been noted. I can't imagine that there weren't at least some trains with green SBB stock

[DIW]

I waited to see if Gordonwis had anything to report before jumping in.

There certainly was green SBB stock running in to Interlaken at that time. Also, the BLS (and associated companies) were running coaches in green; Gordonwis would probably know when the change to beige and blue commenced.

This picture is from 1979, and shows Ae4/4 252 pulling a green carriage, but the owning company of the carriage can't be seen.

 

 

If you are after ANY green SBB coaches in Interlaken Ost, then of course the Bruenig is your friend. This picture is also 1979:

 

 

Finally, this picture from 1980 at Spiez gives various BLS companies stock in green:

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Dave

[DIW]

A bit more rummaging, and I've found this 1982 image of Marktgasse in Interlaken with the Ost-West railway line in the distance. I've cropped the picture and zoomed in so that the carriage can be seen more clearly:

[vectispete]

Hi Dave

 

just the era I am looking to portray. Excellent views and thank you for sharing them.

 

i was given the date of BLS coach livery changing to blue and white as 1976 so for my chosen period I can have both livery options. .

 

i love the varying companies and colours I can model. 

 

Keep these photos coming, they are wonderful to look at and reminisce; cars, fashion, life in general.

 

Pete