Red Arrow (Swiss train)

The Red Arrow (German: Roter Pfeil, French: Flèche rouge, Italian: Freccia rossa) is a class of 12 disparate but similar railcars built in the 1930s by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). As built there was a mixture of single and double units, and of diesel and electrically propelled units. They were originally intended for traffic on lines with a low volume of traffic, following the global economic crisis of 1928.[1]

Churchill Pfeil at Zürich Hbf in 2014
Red Arrow 1001 at Baden in 2021

In their original role, the Red Arrows were the victim of their own success, being unable to cope with the increased loadings they brought. Replaced by locomotive hauled trains on their original routes, the SBB capitalised on their popularity by using them on charter and other special services. Later Red Arrows were built specifically for this service.[2]

The most notable Red Arrow is the Churchill Pfeil, a double unit once used by Winston Churchill and still operated on charter services by SBB Historic. Three of the single unit railcars also still exist, with one on display in the Swiss Museum of Transport at Lucerne, one operated by SBB Historic and one operated by the Oensingen-Balsthal Railway.[2]

Class members
Original number Final number Year Notes
RCm 2/4 101 RBe 2/4 1008 1935 Single unit diesel railcar, rebuilt to electric propulsion in 1951-3. Scrapped in 1964.
RCm 2/4 102 RBe 2/4 1009 1935 Single unit diesel railcar, rebuilt to electric propulsion in 1951-3. Scrapped in 1964.
CLe 2/4 201 RAe 2/4 1001 1935 Single unit electric railcar. After being seriously damaged in a fatal collision in 1952, the car was lengthened by 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in) and upgraded to first class seating for use on charter trains. Still in service with SBB Historic.[1]
CLe 2/4 202 RBe 2/4 1006 1935 Single unit electric railcar. Scrapped in 1967.[1]
CLe 2/4 203 RBe 2/4 1003 1936 Single unit electric railcar. Taken out of service in 1968. Preserved in non-operational condition at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.[1]
CLe 2/4 204 RBe 2/4 1004 1936 Single unit electric railcar. Scrapped in 1968.[1]
CLe 2/4 205 RBe 2/4 1005 1936 Single unit electric railcar. Scrapped in 1966.[1]
CLe 2/4 206 RAe 2/4 1002 1936 Single unit electric railcar. Lengthened by 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in) and upgraded to first class seating for use on charter trains in 1953. Scrapped in 1984.[1]
CLe 2/4 207 RBe 2/4 1007 1938 Single unit electric railcar. Still in service with the Oensingen-Balsthal Railway.[1]
RAe 4/8 301 RAe 4/8 1021 1939 Double unit electric railcar, built with first class seating for charter service and displayed at the Swiss National Exhibition of 1939. Now known as Churchill Pfeil and still in service with SBB Historic.[2]
RAe 4/8 661 RAe 4/8 1022 1953 Double unit electric railcar, built with first class seating for charter service but without the distinctive front end of the other Red Arrows. Scrapped in 1977.
RAe 4/8 662 RAe 4/8 1023 1953 Double unit electric railcar, built with first class seating for charter service but without the distinctive front end of the other Red Arrows. Scrapped in 1985.

Churchill Pfeil
The SBB RAe 4/8 Red Arrow crossing the Feuerthalen Rhine bridge in April 2018

Whilst based on the design of the earlier single car Red Arrows, the double Red Arrow Re 4/8 301 was built exclusively for use on charter trains, and is capable of speeds up to 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph). It was presented at the Swiss National Exhibition of 1939 to showcase Swiss workmanship.[2][3]

In 1946, Winston Churchill made a visit to Switzerland, and 301 was provided for his use in visiting various Swiss cities including Bern and Zürich. It was on this visit, at the University of Zürich, that he made his famous speech advocating the creation of a United States of Europe. As a result of this visit, 301 became known as the Churchill Pfeil, or Churchill Arrow.[2][3][4][5]

In 1979, the Churchill Pfeil was badly damaged in a fire, after which it was sold. In 1996 the train was repaired and put into service by the Mittelthurgau Railway. In 2002, and after the Mittelthurgau Railway had gone in bankruptcy, the train returned to the SBB. In 2004, the unit was completely overhauled and put back into service as a charter vehicle.[2][4]

See also
Red Arrow 1022, sometime after 1963

References
  1. "Switzerland: Switzerland: CLe 2/4". TrainDepot.org. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  2. "Switzerland: RAe 4/8 1021". TrainDepot.org. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  3. "80 years of the Red Arrow "Churchill"". Swiss Federal Railways. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021.
  4. "Der Churchill-Pfeil". swr.online (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  5. "Winston Churchill, speech delivered at the University of Zurich". Council of Europe. 19 September 1946. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
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