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61-546: The BOB is owned by the Berner Oberland-Bahnen AG , a company that also owns the 800 mm ( 2 ft  7 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) Schynige Platte Railway . Through that company it is part of the Allianz – Jungfrau Top of Europe marketing alliance, which also includes the separately owned Wengernalpbahn , Jungfraubahn , Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen–Mürren , Harderbahn , and Firstbahn . The first proposals for

122-520: A connection from the station to the town centre and Interlaken West station . The line initially runs alongside the BOB for just over 0.5 km (0.31 mi) before crossing the Lütschine river and starting its climb up the valley side. Initially it passes through forest, with a passing loop at Rotenegg at an altitude of 886 m (2,907 ft). The forest is followed by alpine pastures which offer views of

183-470: A convoy of more than one train, with each train usually comprising an electric rack locomotive and two coaches. The locomotive always operates at the lower end of the train, pushing the train up the mountain and leading it down. The line still operates one of its original steam locomotives, together with the four electric locomotives built for the line's electrification. A number of additional similar locomotives, together with matching coaches, were bought from

244-404: A half-hour timetable can be operated with only five train compositions. Since 2005, every composition has been equipped with an articulated (three-part) low-floor driving trailer as standard. Two train compositions are usually coupled together to travel to Zweilütschinen where they are then split. The front portion travels to Lauterbrunnen, the other one to Grindelwald. The motor coach (power unit)

305-417: A journey of 7.25 km (4.50 mi) and a height gain of 1,420 m (4,659 ft). The Schynige Platte alpine botanical garden , a hotel and a mountain restaurant are all located near the summit station. The Schynige Platte Railway is built to 800 mm gauge ( 2 ft  7 + 1 ⁄ 2  in gauge) and is electrified using a 1500 V DC overhead supply. It is a rack railway , using

366-426: A locomotive with 2 coaches (see above, Operations). Original coaches 1 and 5 were scrapped in 1970 and 68, number 3 rebuilt as flat car (new number 91). 46°39′24.69″N 7°54′17.87″E  /  46.6568583°N 7.9049639°E  / 46.6568583; 7.9049639 Control car (rail) A control car , cab car (North America), control trailer , or driving trailer (UK, Ireland, Australia and India)

427-515: A par with DMUs. RVR also produced DRB2 control cars for such trainsets, which a similar to control cars of the ER9 EMUs. NMBS/SNCB make extensive use of push-pull operation. Trains are powered by class 21 class 27 or class 18 electric locomotives and are operated in one direction from a driving carriage. In the Czech Republic, these control cabs were hardly used in the past. The main reason

488-498: A part of their DMU and EMU unit respectively. Iarnród Éireann operates two classes of push-pull trainsets, each with its own Control Car: All Mark 4 Control Cars have full-sized driving cabs with EMD locomotive type power and brake controls. Locomotive control is by means of an AAR system, modified by Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) to include control of train doors and operate with 201 Class locomotives. Iarnród Éireann formerly operated Mark 3 Control Cars from 1989 until 2009: In Italy,

549-548: A prototype series of 7 built in 1999). They are only compatible with the V43 2xxx series, as only they have digital remote control. With the purchase of the former East German carriage series from the DB , called "Halberstadters", 27 control cars serialed Bybdtee arrived in Hungary. Although a V43 3xxx series was introduced that has special remote control compatible to these control cars, because of

610-419: A service every hour in each direction on both its lines, the trains leaving Interlaken Ost coupled together and dividing at Zweilütschinen. From mid December to late October, additional trains give a 30-minute service frequency in the morning and afternoon. The last services are often timetabled to be operated by buses. The passenger rolling stock of the line can be divided into that in regular use and that which

671-471: A similar Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) program for EMD FP7s. They were frequently used with GP40-2Ws and GP40M-2s, which lacked HEP to power trains. They also found use with HEP-equipped GP40TCs and F40PHs, and were sometimes leased to other railroads. They were eventually retired in 1995 upon the arrival of the EMD F59PHs and subsequently scrapped, except for one F7A and one F7B, which were sold to Tri-Rail and

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732-590: Is a mountain railway in the Bernese Highlands area of Switzerland , which connects the town of Wilderswil , near Interlaken , with the famous wildflower gardens of the Schynige Platte . An impressively and varied natural landscape unfolds on the journey, including forests, Alpine pastures and views of the Bernese Oberland. Towards the top of the line, there are also views of the imposing peaks of

793-541: Is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or two driver compartments with all the controls and gauges required to remotely operate the locomotive, including exterior locomotive equipment such as horns , bells, ploughs, and lights. They also have communications and safety systems such as GSM-R or European Train Control System (ETCS). Control cars enable push-pull operation when located on

854-463: Is always positioned on the uphill side, a driving trailer (coach with a driver's cab) being positioned on the downhill side, to avoid any running round manoeuvres at the terminus stations. Like all Swiss railways the BOB operates to a clock – face timetable offering connections from the main line at Interlaken and, at its upper terminals, to the Wengernalpbahn . Throughout the year the BOB offers

915-497: Is becoming rare due to the conversion of the sets to EMUs and the discontinued use of control cars on intercity direct services. The use of a "virtual EMU " concept for some short-distance trains in the north of the country is where train sets are formed of a driving carriage, two or three intermediate carriages and a class 1700 electric locomotive. These train sets are diagrammed as if they were all EMUs resulting in formations with two locomotives, often at intermediate positions in

976-418: Is dismantled after the last train of the year, and reinstated before the first train of the next year can run. The process of removal or replacement normally takes a team of six employees a day to complete, and employs the line's one remaining steam locomotive. The line provides some 15 return services per day, with services every 40 minutes and a journey time of 52 minutes. Any given service may be operated by

1037-420: Is historic in nature. Present day passenger stock is painted in striking a blue/yellow livery. That in regular use can be divided as follows: Historical stock includes the following items, which still carry the former brown/cream livery for coaches and all-over brown for guards/parcels vehicles. Goods stock is a varied collection, much of which would not be out of place in a museum. The earliest wagon shown on

1098-567: Is manufactured by Bombardier. They are to be upgraded for ERTMS , starting 2019. The first German attempts to use control cars (German: Steuerwagen ) and remote control-equipped steam locomotives were before World War II by the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DRB). The driver's control instructions were transmitted from the control car to the locomotive by a Chadburn-type machine telegraph (similar to engine order telegraphs on ships ). The order had to be immediately acknowledged and implemented by

1159-528: The 2005 Glendale train crash , in which a Metrolink collided with a Jeep Grand Cherokee at a level crossing in California. The train was traveling with its cab car in the front, and the train jackknifed. Eleven people were killed in the accident, and about 180 were injured. Ten years later, in early 2015, another collision occurred in Oxnard, California , involving one of Metrolink's improved " Rotem " cab cars at

1220-595: The Bernese Oberland including the town of Interlaken bracketed by Lake Thun and Lake Brienz . Another passing loop is located at Breitlauenen station , the line's only intermediate station at an altitude of 1,542 m (5,059 ft). In the final stretch of the ascent, views open up of the glistening giants of the Eiger , Mönch and Jungfrau mountains to the south. The line terminates at Schynige Platte station at an altitude of 1,987 m (6,520 ft), after

1281-594: The Eiger , Mönch and Jungfrau . The line opened, using steam traction, in May 1893, and was electrified in 1914. The line is owned by the Berner Oberland-Bahnen AG , a company that also owns the Berner Oberland-Bahn . Through that company it is part of the Allianz - Jungfrau Top of Europe marketing alliance, which also includes the separately owned Wengernalpbahn , Jungfraubahn , Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen–Mürren , Harderbahn , and Firstbahn . The key milestones in

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1342-469: The Grindelwald section. Steam traction on the line came to an end in 1914, the line becoming electrified at 1500 V d.c., overhead supply, on 17 March of that year, although steam locomotives have been used since that date on special services. Several changes were made during the 1950s and 1960s, the two most important being in 1957, the construction of an airfield at Interlaken causing the realignment of

1403-569: The Ontario Northland Railway , respectively. MARC had a former F7 unit, #7100, also converted into an APCU, or All-Purpose Control Unit, which occasionally substituted for a cab car. It was rebuilt with a HEP generator, newer cab controls, and fitted with a Nathan Airchime K5LA . It was used up until the late 2000s, and was donated to the B&;O Railroad Museum in 2010. Amtrak developed their Non-powered Control Unit (NPCU) by removing

1464-494: The Riga Machine-Building Plant (RVR) are used. After the decommissioning of power cars, some of them were converted into control cars by replacing the engine room with a passenger compartment, and at the other end of a train, one unit of 2M62 or 2M62U diesel locomotives started to use instead of another DR1 power car. Later, the control cars of DRB1 trains began to be produced by RVR initially for push-pull trains on

1525-480: The Riggenbach rack with a maximum gradient of 25% (1 in 4). The line's depot and workshops are located adjacent to Wilderswil station . The line is timetabled to only operate in summer months, from the beginning of June to the middle of October. As the upper section of the route, between Breitlauenen and the summit, is subject to heavy winter snowfall and occasional avalanches, the overhead catenary on this section

1586-459: The Wengernalpbahn but had (until the recent delivery of additional train sets) often returned to this line to help in winter sports traffic. The line uses, or has used, the following locomotives: Steam locomotive ( 0-4-2RT ). Used in the seasonal installation or removal of the catenary on the upper section of the line. Also operates a small number of public trains and is available for charter trains. now (2014) painted dark grey Operated

1647-538: The " np " in their identification number and usually also have a dedicated compartment for bicycle and luggage transportation. There also are specific EMU / DMU non-motorized units control cars, which (in Trenitalia ) are classified as Le / Ln XXX with no significant difference between them and motorized units except the lack of traction motors. The use of cab cars (Dutch: stuurstandrijtuig) in The Netherlands by NS

1708-779: The 1920s; they first appeared in the United States in the 1960s. Control cars communicate with the locomotive via cables that are jumped between cars. North America and Ireland use a standard AAR 27-wire multiple unit cable, while other countries use cables with up to 61 wires. A more recent method is to control the train through a Time-Division Multiplexed (TDM) connection, which usually works with two protected wires. In North America, cab cars are used primarily for commuter rail and, less frequently, for longer distance trains. There are both single and bilevel models; styling ranges from blunt ends to newer, more aerodynamic, streamlined cabs. They may be very similar to regular coaches, to

1769-857: The 1970s, which enabled full remote commanding from control cars. Today push-pull trains are very common, and different kinds of control cars are employed: These types allow full remote control of any Italian locomotive supplied with standard 78-wire cable, except for UIC Z1, which are used on IC services and are only able to command class E.402 locomotives, and MDVC Diesel-specific version, usable only with class D.445 Diesel locomotives. The same driving commands are used for both rheostatic and electronic locomotives, but their meanings change. Vivalto type control cars, at this time, can only remote command Class E.464 and Class E.632 locomotives, because of software issues, though are able to command other locomotive types. Vivalto cars can also use TCN remote control cable. Driving cars can be recognized because of

1830-516: The 406 resembles an operational F40PH externally and initially retained its original number. But as of 2024, it was renumbered to 90406 to avoid duplicate numbering with the ALC-42s. In 2017, NCDOT started a Cab Control Unit (CCU) program using ex-GO F59PHs . These are used on the Piedmont . In 2023, Amtrak began testing a former HHP-8 locomotive as a cab car with the aim of supplementing or replacing

1891-420: The BOB stock list dates from 1888 and was rebuilt by the BOB in 1990. The collection of goods stock totals over 30 assorted wagons, most pre-First World War, many built by SIG and much rebuilt by the BOB over the years. More recently a few additions have been made, most of which are second-hand from CFF/SBB/FFS. The line is home to a snowplough (Series Xrot e) with was built in 1954 by SIG/BBC and rebuilt in 1990 at

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1952-587: The BOB workshops. Several items of rolling stock have been sold (transferred) to metre gauge preserved railways. Items shown in the above list are taken from official BOB listings, last issue September 2004, and have been updated by personal observations made during September 2007 (plus visit to Grindelwald in December 2019). [REDACTED] Media related to Berner Oberland-Bahn at Wikimedia Commons Schynige Platte Railway The Schynige Platte Railway ( German : Schynige Platte-Bahn , SPB )

2013-483: The Berner Oberland-Bahn, made in 1873, showed a line from Interlaken (at that time Aarmühle) to Zweilütschinen with later options to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald with starting point at Bönigen. Four years later an 80 years concession was obtained for construction and operation of the line and the company, Berner Oberland-Bahnen AG was founded on 2 November 1888 and construction started the following year. In 1897

2074-668: The Halberstadters' rare use as branch line carriages, they are rarely used as effective control cars, and are more frequently seen as a regular carriage because of their bicycle storage space. There are more carriages that are technically separate control cars, like the Bdx series that were part of the (now deleted from rolling stock) MDmot DMU series, or the Bmxt series that is part of the BDVmot and BVhmot EMU series, but they are considered and treated as

2135-709: The M41 series), and the BDt 300 series being capable of travelling with electric V43 series engines. These carriages were built by the MÁV Dunakeszi Main Workshop between 1962 and 1972. Most of the BDt 100 series, with lack of function after the Bzmot series overtook the shrinking number of unelectrified branch lines, were converted to BDt 400 series by the Dunakeszi Main Workshop, now led by Bombardier , in 2005 (after

2196-403: The automatic firebox controllers. This indirect control was judged as impractical and unsafe, because, although the driver controlled the brake directly, the danger existed that in an emergency the locomotive would continue supplying "push" power for some time and possibly derail the train. Attempts to use electric locomotives (beginning with a converted E 04 class model) were more promising, as

2257-504: The company obtained a concession to construct a 54.7 km line from Lauterbrunnen to Visp , with stations at Stechelberg , Steinberg , Oberborn , and Blatten . It would have involved the construction of a 4,650 m tunnel at 2,200 m elevation under the Breithorn mountain. At Visp it would have had a connection with the Simplon line. Estimated at 15 million Swiss francs, finance

2318-644: The company started a rebuilding program for 12 coaches. On old underframes, brought to a unified length of 10.695 m (35.09 ft) over buffers, Ramseyer+Jenzer built a new steel body in the old compartment style. These coaches carry the numbers 41–52 (41–42 sit on the original underframes number 2 and 4, the others on underframes ex-WAB). Of the original stock numbers 6–8 (1894, 1924, 1929) with open compartments and 21–22 (1929, 1931) fully closed compartment coaches were kept and complemented with numbers 3 (open, 1893), 23 and 24 (closed, 1898, 1901) ex-WAB (last WAB numbers 3, 22, 24). This allows to build 10 consists of

2379-457: The control car in the lead at up to 250 km/h (160 mph) on the recently built high-speed lines . Control cars in Hungary are present since the 1960s. The first type of control cars used by MÁV , that is still used on low traffic branch lines was the BDt (then called BDat) series, with the BDt 100 series being capable of travelling with diesel (and formerly with steam) engines (most notably

2440-446: The end of a train opposite its locomotive by allowing the train to reverse direction at a terminus without moving the locomotive or turning the train around. Control cars can carry passengers, baggage, and mail, and may, when used together with diesel locomotives, contain an engine-generator set to provide head-end power (HEP). They can also be used with a power car or a railcar . European railways have used control cars since

2501-420: The engine driver could control the locomotive directly. World War II interrupted the test program, despite good successes. Only after the war would control car operation be slowly accepted, when locomotives and suitably equipped cars became available. The length of train consists in push-pull operations was originally limited to 10 cars for reasons of guidance dynamics. A speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph)

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2562-454: The engineer's control stand left intact. Locomotives converted included Alco FA-1s and FA-2s , EMD F7s , and one F9 . One FA was further converted into a power car for the C1 bi-level cars in 1991. The railroad has since switched to classic cab cars with a DE30AC / DM30AC locomotive on some trains. Longer trains require two engines, one on each end. Until the 1980s, Ontario 's GO Transit had

2623-509: The existing ex-Metroliner cab cars until the Airo fleet arrives. In 2024, Amtrak started converting their GE P42DC locomotives into Non-Powered Control Units, starting with Amtrak P42DC #184, which is now Amtrak P42C #9700. There are many examples of this type of vehicle in operation in Europe . In Belarus, as part of push-pull trains, control and intermediate cars from DR1 DMUs manufactured by

2684-565: The first electric service on the Schynige Platte line; a trial run in October 1913. Has been refurbished and carries a colour scheme representative of that period. Originally WAB 56 Originally WAB 58 Originally WAB 59 Originally WAB 60 Originally WAB 61, also on the SPB as number 21 between 1970 and 1981, rebuilt 1992 Originally WAB 62, rebuilt 1989 Originally WAB 63, rebuilt 1996 In 1992,

2745-409: The first push-pull trains began to run after World War II. At the time there were no systems to actually remote command the rear locomotive , so an engineer had to take place in it and command traction, following instructions (via an apposite intercom) given by the other driver, who remained in the front car, commanding brakes and sighting signals. This lasted until the adoption of the 78-wire cable in

2806-461: The front and the sides of the units. Three NPCUs are designated for use on Amtrak California services. They are painted in a paint scheme similar to the old with blue-and-teal striped livery used by Caltrain between 1985 and 1997. In 2011, Amtrak F40PH 406 was converted to an NPCU to enable push-pull operation of Amtrak's 40th-anniversary exhibit train; in addition a HEP generator was installed to supply auxiliary electricity. Unlike other NPCUs,

2867-523: The front of the train hitting a truck at a crossing. The truck driver left his vehicle before the impact, but the collision resulted in multiple car derailments and further cars jackknifing causing widespread injury. From the 1970s until 1999, the Long Island Rail Road used a number of older locomotives converted to "power packs". The original prime movers were replaced with 600 horsepower (450 kW) engines/generators solely for supplying HEP with

2928-447: The history of the line are: The Schynige Platte Railway commences from Wilderswil station at an altitude of 584 m (1,916 ft), where it connects with the 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge line of the Berner Oberland-Bahn (BOB), which operates to Interlaken Ost , Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald . Wilderswil is within the built-up area around Interlaken , and buses also provide

2989-591: The line between Wilderswil and Interlaken Ost , but to no detriment and, with a need for servicing and construction facilities on the line a new depot was opened at Zweilütschinen in 1968. Since that time there has been a need for track capacity to be increased and in 1991 the Wilderswil to Gsteigwiler section was substantially improved. This was followed by the doubling of the Gsteigwiler to Zweilütschinen 4 years later. A bottleneck between Wilderswil and Zweilütschinen

3050-416: The older electric locomotives still survive and are used for special trains. The centre of operations is Zweilütschinen with the depot headquarters and the modern main workshops. From the introduction of the 1999 timetable, the newly constructed 2.5 km section of dual track between Gsteigwiler and Zweilütschinen allows trains to pass without one having to wait in a loop, off the main line. This means that

3111-415: The point of including a gangway between cars so that they could be used in the middle of a passenger train like a regular coach if necessary. The Chicago and North Western Railway had 42 control cabs built by Pullman-Standard in 1960, which eliminated the need for its trains or locomotives to be turned around. It was an outgrowth of multiple-unit operation that was already common on diesel locomotives of

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3172-481: The prime mover, main alternator , and traction motors from surplus EMD F40PH locomotives. The control stand was left in place, as were equipment allowing horn , bell, and headlight operation. A floor and roll-up side-doors were then installed to allow for baggage service, leading to the nickname "cab-baggage cars" or " cabbages ". Six NPCUs rebuilt for Cascades service in the Pacific Northwest do not have

3233-570: The roll-up side doors, because the Talgo sets on which they operate have a baggage car as part of the trainset, though #90230, #90250, and #90251 were later fitted with these doors. #90250 was originally painted in the Cascades scheme, but was later repainted into Phase V livery. Four NPCUs, #90213, #90214, #90220 and #90224 are exclusively used on the Downeaster . These units have Downeaster logos applied to

3294-527: The steep sections of both arms of the line. On 7 August 2003 two trains collided head-on on a single track section between Zweilütschinen and Wilderswil, 1 person was killed and 64 injured. The regular train coming down from Zweilütschinen had passed a red signal at the end of the double track section and collided with an extra train near Gsteigwiler. Automatic train stop system ZSI-127 had already been in place but not yet in use, awaiting final completion and approval. Since 1949 railcars have predominated. Some of

3355-690: The time. The Canadian transit agency Exo uses control cars on all its trains. Amtrak also has a number of ex-Budd Metroliner cab cars , which are used primarily for push pull services on the Keystone Service and Amtrak Hartford Line . The Long Island Rail Road uses cab cars on its C3 double deck coaches. During the mid-1990s, as push-pull operations became more common in the United States, cab-cars came under criticism for providing less protection to engine crews during level crossing accidents. This has been addressed by providing additional reinforcing in cab cars. This criticism became stronger after

3416-511: The train. Most of the train sets have been converted into double-decker EMUs called DDZ . In Poland, the term used is "wagon sterowniczy", which literally means "control carriage". Koleje Mazowieckie use driving trailers on their regional services. The first batch of double-decker driving trailers and cars, the Twindexx Bombardier Double-deck Coaches , was delivered in 2008. The second batch, PESA -made Sundecks,

3477-458: Was also imposed, rising to 140 km/h (87 mph) in 1980. This was not an operational hindrance, as push-pull trains were generally initially used in six-car commuter trains. Only since the mid-1990s have long-distance trains, which can have up to 14 cars and travel at speeds of 200 km/h (120 mph), been operated with control cars. A special circumstance is the ICE 2 , which may operate with

3538-482: Was concerns about the greater tendency of trainsets that do not have a traction unit at the head of the train to derail . Earlier legislation considered such a train to be sunk and for this reason the speed of such a train was limited to 30 km/h (19 mph). The VR fleet includes 12 cab cars (Finnish: ohjausvaunu ), classified as Edo. The Corail fleet includes 28 voitures-pilote , classified as B Dux. The Danish ABs were acquired in 2002. The control car

3599-687: Was delivered at the end of 2015. In 2011, the state-owned Slovakian railway operator ZSSK introduced a JNR-based passenger train operator; a push-pull operation train series manufactured by Škoda Transportation , including Class 381 electric 109E locomotives and even Class 263 alternating-current locomotives, provides the vehicles utilised by the company. The Class 951 system train coaches remain introduced at Bratislava hlavná stanica , which these generally operate in conjunction with commuter rail and regional rail . There has only been one type of control car in service in Sweden. Only three examples of

3660-408: Was eased when, in 1999, a 2.5 km. double track section was opened between those places meaning that trains could run through without the need to use the passing loop and, as necessary, awaiting the train in the opposite direction. The BOB has a total length of 23.608 km and is a mixed rack and adhesion railway with four rack and pinion sections, using the Riggenbach rack system , two each on

3721-428: Was not forthcoming and by 1906 the plans were abandoned. By 1 July 1890 the 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge line, was opened, using steam traction. On 18 August 1902 a disastrous fire destroyed the station buildings and goods shed at Grindelwald and these were later rebuilt, surviving to the present day. On 7 October 1908 a new station was added to the system, that at Schwendi on

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