Here is my best stab at clarifying the present and future RhB situation.
Hope to help anyone thinking of visiting for the first time ‘before it’s too late’ as 2018/9 could see a lot of change
All the usual disclaimers apply for anything I have forgotten to include, and comments on loco diagramming are based on the basic weekday in order to try and keep this summary as concise as possible.
Background
The RhB is essentially made up of three networks, the core main lines known as Stammnetz , the Bernina line and the Arosa line. Stammnetz is the core network - the ‘original RhB’ if you like and is a/c electrified. The Bernina Bahn and Chur - Arosa Bahn were separate undertakings until the mid 1940s when they became part of the RhB. Both were dc electrified and the Bernina remains dc to this day (Arosa was converted to ac in 1997)
What will change soon:
1) New Alvra driving trailers: Six vehicles to be added to the 6-car Alvra sets. There has been a long drawn out delivery and testing phase for these so they are still not yet in passenger service, although I have seen them on test throughout this year. Three are officially now on the service books. Likely to be introduced (though not confirmed) at start of 2018 timetable in Dec 2017. It is not yet known if this will spell the end of 641 class on the Albula.
2) 611 - 620 (see below) dating from 1973 are apparently slated for early withdrawal.
3) 13 Universalsteuerwagen (universal driving trailers) on order from Stadler. This will almost certainly spell the end for the remaining pure loco hauled services (see below)
What might not change!:
The tagging on of random coaches still happens despite the introduction of Alvra sets, with odd one or two panoramic coaches regularly added to both old and new coach sets in Spring and Autumn when fewer pure Glacier Expresses run.
The old blue dining cars and freight wagons will still be attachable even to full Alvra sets with driving trailers as the new driving trailers have normal couplings
In the meantime…
Loco haulage:
Five ‘long distance’ services currently have mainly loco hauled trains, all other services are generally EMU (ie Arosa and Bernina) except in exceptional circumstances. Loco hauled currently operated as follows, starting of course with the pure loco hauled:
Disentis - Chur - Landquart - Scuol Tarasp: pure loco hauled with 611 class (Ge4/4II) and mixed sets of assorted EW types, very traditional, photogenic and interesting.
Chur - Albula - St Moritz: three diagrams pure loco hauled 641 class and mixed EW stock. The standard formation this summer has been 4 second class, 1 shorty baggage, 2 first class, all normally EWI or EWII.
three diagrams Allegra unit plus Alvra set
St Moritz - Landquart via Vereina Tunnel/Klosters: pure loco hauled. 611 class plus EW stock. Introduced a few years ago to make the most of the Vereina route, these are fun trains - usually 4 EWI/II coaches.
Pontresina - Zernez - Scuol Tarasp: push pull EW sets with 611 class, basic set of usually 5 coaches (1 1st, 2 2nd, 1 centre entrance bicycle coach, 1 BDt)
Landquart - Davos - Filisur: majority push pull EW sets with 611 or 641 class, plus extra coaches tagged on. Most trains are booked 641 but 2 - 3 diagrams each day have consistently been 611 this summer. Davos - Filisur sees the basic set of usually 4 coaches (1 1st, 2 2nd 1 BDt), loco hauls out of Davos, pushes out of Filisur. These sets are ideal for photographing on the Wiesen viaduct. Between Davos and Landquart the loco often ends up in the middle of the train.
Stock details and definitions/decodes for those who would like to read on!
Locos are of four main types:
Main passenger Locos are the Ge4/4II and Ge4/4III loks
611 class (23 Bo-Bo locos) aka Ge4/4II; 611 - 620 entered service in 1973 and 621 - 633 in 1984/5
641 class (11 Bo-Bo locos) aka Ge4/4III; 641 - 649 entered service 1993/4, 650 - 652 entered service 1999 to provide extra locos needed for the new Vereina Tunnel
rare but occasionally turn up on passenger as stand in for booked loco
601 class (1947 - 53); four remaining BoBo locos 602, 603, 605, 610: brought back from the brink of extinction when RhB realised it would need locos to serve the new Albula tunnel construction
701 class (7 Bo-Bo-Bo locos) aka Ge6/6II. Work the freight trains across the Stammnetz.
Hauled coaching stock
main fleet consists of:
MkI - MkIV standard coaches EWI, EWII, EWIII, EWIV (EW= Einheitswagen);
A few surviving centre entrance light steel coaches mainly converted into bicycle carrying coaches;
10 or so various dining and pullman cars mainly dating from the early 1930s
Alvra 6-car articulated sets;
11 BDt aka 2nd/baggage driving trailers of two types;
a batch of shorty baggage vans;
Glacier Express panoramic cars;
Bernina Express panoramic cars
.
Hope to help anyone thinking of visiting for the first time ‘before it’s too late’ as 2018/9 could see a lot of change
All the usual disclaimers apply for anything I have forgotten to include, and comments on loco diagramming are based on the basic weekday in order to try and keep this summary as concise as possible.
Background
The RhB is essentially made up of three networks, the core main lines known as Stammnetz , the Bernina line and the Arosa line. Stammnetz is the core network - the ‘original RhB’ if you like and is a/c electrified. The Bernina Bahn and Chur - Arosa Bahn were separate undertakings until the mid 1940s when they became part of the RhB. Both were dc electrified and the Bernina remains dc to this day (Arosa was converted to ac in 1997)
What will change soon:
1) New Alvra driving trailers: Six vehicles to be added to the 6-car Alvra sets. There has been a long drawn out delivery and testing phase for these so they are still not yet in passenger service, although I have seen them on test throughout this year. Three are officially now on the service books. Likely to be introduced (though not confirmed) at start of 2018 timetable in Dec 2017. It is not yet known if this will spell the end of 641 class on the Albula.
2) 611 - 620 (see below) dating from 1973 are apparently slated for early withdrawal.
3) 13 Universalsteuerwagen (universal driving trailers) on order from Stadler. This will almost certainly spell the end for the remaining pure loco hauled services (see below)
What might not change!:
The tagging on of random coaches still happens despite the introduction of Alvra sets, with odd one or two panoramic coaches regularly added to both old and new coach sets in Spring and Autumn when fewer pure Glacier Expresses run.
The old blue dining cars and freight wagons will still be attachable even to full Alvra sets with driving trailers as the new driving trailers have normal couplings
In the meantime…
Loco haulage:
Five ‘long distance’ services currently have mainly loco hauled trains, all other services are generally EMU (ie Arosa and Bernina) except in exceptional circumstances. Loco hauled currently operated as follows, starting of course with the pure loco hauled:
Disentis - Chur - Landquart - Scuol Tarasp: pure loco hauled with 611 class (Ge4/4II) and mixed sets of assorted EW types, very traditional, photogenic and interesting.
Chur - Albula - St Moritz: three diagrams pure loco hauled 641 class and mixed EW stock. The standard formation this summer has been 4 second class, 1 shorty baggage, 2 first class, all normally EWI or EWII.
three diagrams Allegra unit plus Alvra set
St Moritz - Landquart via Vereina Tunnel/Klosters: pure loco hauled. 611 class plus EW stock. Introduced a few years ago to make the most of the Vereina route, these are fun trains - usually 4 EWI/II coaches.
Pontresina - Zernez - Scuol Tarasp: push pull EW sets with 611 class, basic set of usually 5 coaches (1 1st, 2 2nd, 1 centre entrance bicycle coach, 1 BDt)
Landquart - Davos - Filisur: majority push pull EW sets with 611 or 641 class, plus extra coaches tagged on. Most trains are booked 641 but 2 - 3 diagrams each day have consistently been 611 this summer. Davos - Filisur sees the basic set of usually 4 coaches (1 1st, 2 2nd 1 BDt), loco hauls out of Davos, pushes out of Filisur. These sets are ideal for photographing on the Wiesen viaduct. Between Davos and Landquart the loco often ends up in the middle of the train.
Stock details and definitions/decodes for those who would like to read on!
Locos are of four main types:
Main passenger Locos are the Ge4/4II and Ge4/4III loks
611 class (23 Bo-Bo locos) aka Ge4/4II; 611 - 620 entered service in 1973 and 621 - 633 in 1984/5
641 class (11 Bo-Bo locos) aka Ge4/4III; 641 - 649 entered service 1993/4, 650 - 652 entered service 1999 to provide extra locos needed for the new Vereina Tunnel
rare but occasionally turn up on passenger as stand in for booked loco
601 class (1947 - 53); four remaining BoBo locos 602, 603, 605, 610: brought back from the brink of extinction when RhB realised it would need locos to serve the new Albula tunnel construction
701 class (7 Bo-Bo-Bo locos) aka Ge6/6II. Work the freight trains across the Stammnetz.
Hauled coaching stock
main fleet consists of:
MkI - MkIV standard coaches EWI, EWII, EWIII, EWIV (EW= Einheitswagen);
A few surviving centre entrance light steel coaches mainly converted into bicycle carrying coaches;
10 or so various dining and pullman cars mainly dating from the early 1930s
Alvra 6-car articulated sets;
11 BDt aka 2nd/baggage driving trailers of two types;
a batch of shorty baggage vans;
Glacier Express panoramic cars;
Bernina Express panoramic cars
.
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