Rhein–Main (train)

Last updated
Rhein–Main
Overview
Service type Fern D-Zug (D)
(1953–1957)
Trans Europ Express (TEE)
(1957–1973)
Status Discontinued
Locale Netherlands
Germany
First service 28 May 1953 (1953-05-28)
Last service 27 May 1972 (1972-05-27) [1]
SuccessorTEE Van Beethoven
Former operator(s) Deutsche Bundesbahn
Route
Start Frankfurt am Main
End Dortmund / Amsterdam
Distance travelled 482 km
Service frequency Daily
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification 1500 V DC (Netherlands)
15 kV 16,7 Hz (Germany)
Route map
TEE Rhein-Main (red) and TEE Saphir (blue) in the TEE network of 1957 TEE Rhein-Main 1957.svg
TEE Rhein–Main (red) and TEE Saphir (blue) in the TEE network of 1957

The Rhein–Main was an express train that linked Frankfurt am Main with Dortmund in Germany and later with Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The train was named after the two rivers, the Rhine and the Main, that join west of Frankfurt. [2] For most of its life, it was a Trans Europ Express (TEE).

Express train a train which travels fast and makes few stops

Express trains are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping locally. In some cases, trains run express where there is overlapping local train service available, and run local at the tail ends of the line, where there is no supplemental local service. During overnight hours, or other times where it is practical, express trains may become local, but still running to where an express train would terminate.

Dortmund Place in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Dortmund is, with a population of 586,600 (2017), the third largest city of Germany's most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and Germany's eighth largest city. It is the largest city of the Ruhr, Germany's largest urban area with some 5.1 million (2011) inhabitants, as well as the largest city of Westphalia. On the Emscher and Ruhr rivers, it lies in the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region and is considered the administrative, commercial and cultural centre of the eastern Ruhr.

Germany Federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, and the Alps, Lake Constance and the High Rhine to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.

Contents

F-Zug

The Rhein–Main was launched in May 1953 as train number F 31 northbound and F 32 southbound. [3] The service was operated by Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railways) with Class VT 08  (de ) diesel multiple units.

Deutsche Bundesbahn state railway of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949–1993)

The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remained the state railway of West Germany until after German reunification, when it was merged with the former East German Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) to form Deutsche Bahn AG, which came into existence on 1 January 1994.

Diesel multiple unit Diesel-powered railcar designed to be used in formations of 2 or more cars

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–electric (DEMU), diesel–mechanical (DMMU) or diesel–hydraulic (DHMU).

Trans Europ Express

On 2 June 1957, the Rhein–Main was one of the initial TEE services. The rolling stock was given TEE signage on front but the use of VT 08 continued for a few months, because the German TEE trainsets planned for it were not available for the Rhein–Main until 1 December 1957. [4] With the start of the TEE network the northern terminus was changed from Dortmund to Amsterdam, and the Cologne – Dortmund portion of the Rhein–Main became part of the TEE Saphir . [3] During the summer of 1958 and the winter of 1958–59 the Rhein–Main and Saphir ran coupled between Frankfurt and Cologne after the Saphir's eastern terminus was changed from Dortmund to Frankfurt. After 31 May 1959, the Saphir, using the east bank of the Rhine, and the Rhein–Main using the west bank of the Rhine calling at the West-German capital Bonn, ran as separate trains again. [5]

Trans Europ Express former international first-class railway service in western and central Europe

The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), is a former international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network comprised 45 trains, connecting 130 different cities, from Spain in the west to Austria in the east, and from Denmark to Southern Italy.

DB Class VT 11.5 diesel multiple unit

The trainsets of Class VT 11.5 were diesel multiple units built by Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) in 1957 and used for Trans Europ Express (TEE) services. Perceived as flagships of the DB rolling stock, they carried first-class seating only. When the UIC numbering scheme became effective on 1 January 1968, the power heads of the trainsets were renamed to Class 601 whilst the middle cars became Class 901 according to the DB locomotive classification. They were used for TEE service from 1957 until 1972 and thereafter on German InterCity services.

Amsterdam Capital city of the Netherlands and municipality

Amsterdam is the capital city and most populous municipality of the Netherlands. Its status as the capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands, although it is not the seat of the government, which is The Hague. Amsterdam has a population of 854,047 within the city proper, 1,357,675 in the urban area and 2,410,960 in the metropolitan area. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country but is not its capital, which is Haarlem. The Amsterdam metropolitan area comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, which has a population of approximately 8.1 million.

On 28 May 1967, the Oberhausen–Arnhem railway electrification works were completed and Rhein–Main's rolling stock was replaced by electric-locomotive-hauled trains. [6] Because of poor loading figures on the evening service between Bonn and Frankfurt the southbound service was shortened to Bonn on 26 September 1971. [4] The northbound route continued to start in Frankfurt. On 28 May 1972, the service was renamed TEE Van Beethoven . [1]

Oberhausen–Arnhem railway railway line

The Oberhausen–Arnhem railway is a two-track, electrified main line railway running close to the lower Rhine from Oberhausen via Wesel, Emmerich and the German-Dutch border to Arnhem and forms part of the line between the Ruhr and Amsterdam. The line was opened by the Cologne-Minden Railway Company in 1856 and is one of the oldest lines in Germany.

Railway electrification system electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply

A railway electrification system supplies electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply. Electric railways use electric locomotives to haul passengers or freight in separate cars or electric multiple units, passenger cars with their own motors. Electricity is typically generated in large and relatively efficient generating stations, transmitted to the railway network and distributed to the trains. Some electric railways have their own dedicated generating stations and transmission lines but most purchase power from an electric utility. The railway usually provides its own distribution lines, switches and transformers.

Electric locomotive locomotive powered by electricity

An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Summer services, 1972" (changes taking effect). Cooks Continental Timetable (May 1–27, 1972 edition), p. 466. London: Thomas Cook Publishing.
  2. ↑ La Légende des TEE, p. 184.
  3. 1 2 TEE Züge in Deutschland, p. 79.
  4. 1 2 Das grosse TEE Buch, p. 74
  5. ↑ La Légende des TEE, p. 185.
  6. ↑ La Légende des TEE, p. 186.

Works cited

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