Overview | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Service type | Fernzug (F) (1952–1953) (1958–1965) Trans Europ Express (TEE) (1965–1971) InterCity (IC) (1971–1987) EuroCity (EC) (1987–1991) | ||||
Status | Replaced by an ICE | ||||
Locale | Netherlands Germany Switzerland | ||||
First service | 18 May 1952 | ||||
Last service | 2 June 1991 | ||||
Former operator(s) | Deutsche Bundesbahn / Deutsche Bahn (DB) SBB-CFF-FFS | ||||
Route | |||||
Termini | Hook of Holland / Dortmund Hbf / Hannover Hbf / Hamburg-Altona München Hbf / Basel SBB / Zürich HB / Chur | ||||
Service frequency | Daily | ||||
Technical | |||||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||
Electrification | 15 kV AC, 16.7 Hz (Germany, Switzerland) | ||||
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The word Rheinpfeil was used to name a number of express trains that ran in Germany between the 1950s and 1991. For much of that period, a train carrying the name Rheinpfeil also linked Germany with at least one neighbouring country.
Rheinpfeil is a German word meaning "Rhine arrow", and alludes to the Rhine valley, which always formed part of the route of the train carrying that name.
During its time as a first-class-only Trans Europe Express (TEE), the Rheinpfeil's formation (consist) included a "vista-dome car", [1] a rarity on European railways. Seating in the dome car was unreserved. [1]
The Rheinpfeil operated as a TEE for the last time on 25 September 1971, then becoming a two-class InterCity train. [2] Its dome cars were transferred to the TEE Erasmus in 1973. [2]
With the summer 1987 timetable change, on 31 May, Rheinpfeil became EuroCity train number 8/9, running Hannover–Cologne–Basel–Chur. [3] The train carried two through DB second-class carriages Hannover to Rome, conveyed south of Basel by an ordinary express train, running via Bern and the Lötschberg railway line. [3] [2]
The core of the Rheinpfeil's route was the West Rhine Railway, a 185 km (115 mi) section of line through the Rhine valley:
The train continued southeast via Frankfurt Hbf and Wurzburg Hbf to Munich until its route was changed in 1979 to run via Mannheim Hbf and Karlsruhe Hbf towards Switzerland. However, the northern and southern termini of the train, varied a great deal over the years.
The Rheingold ('Rhinegold') was a named train that operated between Hook of Holland, near Rotterdam, and Geneva, Switzerland, a distance of 1,067 kilometres (663 mi), until 1987. Another section of the train started in Amsterdam and was coupled to the Hoek cars in Utrecht. The Rheingold ran along the Rhine River via Arnhem, Netherlands, and Cologne, Germany, using special luxury coaches. It was named after Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold opera, which romanticized the Rhine. From 1965 until the train's discontinuation in 1987, the Rheingold was a first-class-only Trans Europ Express (TEE) train.
The RAe TEE II, later known as RABe EC, is a type of high-speed electric multiple unit trainset of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS), which was used from the 1960s until the 1980s on several Trans Europ Express services. After conversion from first-class-only to two-class configuration, the trainsets continued in use on EuroCity or other services until 1999.
The Bavaria was an express train that linked München Hbf in Munich, Germany, with Zürich HB in Zurich, Switzerland. Introduced in the 1950s, it ran through to Geneva until 1969, when it was cut back to Zurich. The train was named on the basis that Bavaria is the Latin equivalent to the German word Bayern, the official name of the federal state of Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital. It was operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn / Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS). The route also included a single stop in Austria, at Bregenz. The 24 km (15 mi) section between Lindau, Germany, and St. Margrethen, Switzerland, is located mostly in Austria, but Swiss locomotives hauled the train over this section, most of which is part of the Vorarlberg line of Austrian Federal Railways.
The Arbalète was an express train that linked Paris-Est in Paris, France, with Zürich HB in Zurich, Switzerland. Introduced in 1957, it was operated by the SNCF and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS).
The Iris was an express train that linked Brussels Midi/Zuid in Brussels, Belgium, with Chur station in Chur, Switzerland.
The Helvetia was an express train that, for most of its existence, linked Hamburg-Altona station in Hamburg, Germany, with Zürich HB in Zurich, Switzerland. Introduced in 1952, it was operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn / Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS). The train's name, Helvetia, is the Latin word for "Switzerland".
The Goethe was an express train that, for most of its existence, linked Paris-Est in Paris, France, with Frankfurt Hbf in Frankfurt, Germany. Introduced in 1970, it was operated by the SNCF and the Deutsche Bundesbahn / Deutsche Bahn (DB).
The Edelweiss was an international express train. For most of its existence, it linked the Netherlands with Switzerland, via Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Introduced in 1928, it was named after a mountain flower, the Edelweiss, which is associated with alpinism and the Alps, and regarded as a symbol of Switzerland.
Le Mistral, or the Mistral, was an express train between Paris and Nice in France. Introduced in 1950, it was operated by SNCF, and was regarded as the company's flagship train.
The Albert Schweitzer was a short-lived express train that linked Dortmund Hbf in Dortmund, Germany, with Strasbourg-Ville in Strasbourg, France. Introduced in 1980, it was operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) and the SNCF.
The Prinz Eugen was an express train that linked northern Germany with Wien Westbf in Vienna, Austria. Introduced in 1971, it was operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn / Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).
The Roland was an express train that ran in Germany. For part of its existence, it was also an international train. Introduced in 1939, suspended during World War II, and reintroduced in 1952, it was operated in Germany by the Deutsche Reichsbahn Gesellschaft (DRG), the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) and the Deutsche Bahn (DB), respectively.
The Étoile du Nord was an international express train. It linked Paris Nord in Paris, France, with Brussels, Belgium, and, for most of its existence, also with Amsterdam CS in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its name meant literally "Star of the North", and alluded not only to its route heading north from Paris, but also to one of its original operators, the Chemin de Fer du Nord.
The word Mediolanum has been used to name three distinct international express trains that have run to and from Milano Centrale in Milan, Italy since 1957. The focus of these trains on the city now known as Milan reflects the fact that Mediolanum is the Latin word for ancient Milan.
Kléber was an express train that linked Strasbourg and Paris, France, between 1971 and 1988. It was a first-class-only Trans Europ Express (TEE) operated by the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français (SNCF).
The Étendard was an express train that linked Paris and Bordeaux in France. Introduced in 1968, it was operated by the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français (SNCF), and was initially a Rapide.
The Jules Verne was an express train that linked Paris and Nantes in France. Operated by the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français (SNCF), it was the last new Trans Europ Express (TEE) to be introduced, in 1980.
Le Rhodanien, or the Rhodanien, was an express train with its southern terminus in Marseilles, France. Operated by the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français (SNCF), it was named using the French language adjective derived from the Rhone river; the name alludes, amongst other things, to the river, its valley, and the dialect of the Franco-Provençal language that is spoken there.
The Erasmus was an express train that linked The Hague, the Dutch seat of government, with Munich in Germany. The train was named for the Dutch Renaissance humanist Desiderius Erasmus.
The Colosseum was an express train initially linking Rome and Milan, later Frankfurt am Main. The train was named after the Amphitheatrum Flavium, renowned as the Colosseum.
Media related to Rheinpfeil at Wikimedia Commons