Bernina-Bahngesellschaft Fe 2/2 51

Bernina-Bahngesellschaft Fe 2/2 51
Rhaetian Railway Fe 2/2 51
Rhaetian Railway De 2/2 151

RhB De 2/2 151 in Poschiavo.

RhB De 2/2 151 in Poschiavo.
Manufacturer SIG, Alioth
Constructed 1909
Number built 1
Number in service 1
Fleet numbers 51 (to 1965)
151 (since 1965)
Operator Bernina-Bahngesellschaft
(to 1943)
Rhaetian Railway
(since 1943)
Line(s) served Bernina Railway
Specifications
Car length 7,150 mm (23 ft 5 in)
Width 2,500 mm (8 ft 2 in)
Maximum speed 45 km/h (28 mph)
Weight 13 tonnes (28,700 lb) (empty)
15.5 tonnes (34,200 lb) (service)
Power output 154 kW (210 hp)
Transmission Tractive effort: 24.5 kN (5,510 lbf)
Electric system(s) 750 V DC (to 1935)
1,000 V DC (since 1935)
Current collection method Overhead
UIC classification Bo′
Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in)

The Bernina-Bahngesellschaft Fe 2/2 51, later known as the Rhaetian Railway Fe 2/2 51, and reclassified in 1965 as De 4/4 151, is a metre gauge baggage railcar currently operated by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB), the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland.

The railcar has been so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system. According to that system, Fe 2/2 (to 1961) and De 2/2 (since 1962) denote a vehicle with a luggage compartment and a total of two axles, both of them drive axles.

Entry into service

In 1909, the then independent Bernina-Bahngesellschaft (BB) placed the railcar into service on the Bernina Railway. Constructed by SIG and Alioth, it was originally classified as Fe2 51.

In 1943, the railcar entered service with the Rhaetian Railway, upon that railway's takeover of the BB. The railcar has continued to operate on the Bernina Railway ever since the takeover.

Specifications

As delivered

The railcar's original timber bodywork gave it the external appearance of a goods wagon. Its electrical equipment corresponded to that of a "halved" passenger carrying railcar of class BCe 4.

Modifications

Over time, the Rhaetian Railway altered a number of the railcar's specifications:

Livery

While in service with the BB, the railcar was painted grey. After the Rhaetian Railway takeover, it was initially liveried in green and later relivered in brown. Since the early 1990s, it has carried a traffic orange livery.

Current operations

The railcar is currently used as a shunting locomotive – in the summer months mostly at Ospizio Bernina, and at other times in Poschiavo.

References

This article is based upon a translation of the German language version as at June 2012.