Hello Hamburg and fans

Interesting to see in the weekly report that you are defining the new swiss train compositions in you IT system.

The many different Rhätische Bahn train compositions can be observed on the web camera in Filisur as quite many know.

Regarding the SBB trains, I looked around in the recent very well organised Gotthard 125 jubilee week-end.

One thing is that supplemental (extra) trains run with all different kinds of intercity and regional train coaches.

But on the other hand, quite many, I believe the majority, of swiss SBB eurocity, intercity and interregio trains run with a mixture of different coaches in any one train - whether hauled by the Re 4/4 or by the Re 460.

Intercity double stock trains run with 7-9 white coaches in a row but are often reinforced with 2-5 EW IV type coaches having the EW IV type pilot coach at one front end, however always hauled by an Re 460. And the pilot coach may be any of the two logo types running, the white/green or the white/black.

Other intercities are run with a mixture of green/gray and white/black IC coaches and may also be reinforced with regional coaches, EW II, either the dark green ones with a blue stribe or the lovely charcateristic light green/blue with yellow stribe coaches (and the very big class numbers).

Only the Cisalpino Eurocity trains seem to be run with a homogeneous string of light grey cars hauled by either an E 484 in Cisalpino grey colours or by another standard SBB locomotive as the red Re 4/4.

(Of course I am here disregarding the concept trains like Golden Pass, Glacier Express and Voralpenexpress).

As extra trains in the Gotthard week-end, the ICN tilting train sets were run in double traction.

It appears to me that the SBB has completely given up on having one-type identical coach trains for the locomotive hauled passenger trains.

On the BLS trains, train sets with the NINA logo coaches are often run with various different Re 465 locos, eg. out of Lucerne, probably they are stronger and more suitable for the time table that the Re 420.

And SBB Cargo locomotives also run passenger trains.

Of course, the big advantage of the regional train coaches are that you can open the windows completely and enjoy the train ride in full

So concluding for the Miwula planning - almost anything goes in Switzerland - a one-type logo identical passenger coach train is the exception these days.

I very much look forward to see which trains with red and advertising locos you shall have running - on time - in the new Switzerland section.

And PS: do not forget the beautiful 1960ies TEE train sets now available in the market - they all came to Geneva, Bale and/or Zurich.

Best wishes

Nordexpress