Furka Oberalp Bahn Ge 4/4 III Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn Ge 4/4 III
Ge 4/4 III 81 in Realp
Type and origin Power type Electric Builder SLM and BBC Build date 1979 Total produced 2
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC Bo′Bo′ Gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) Length 12,900 mm (42 ft 4 in) Width 2,684 mm (8 ft 10 in) Loco weight 50 tonnes (110,200 lb) Electric system/s 11 kV 16.7 Hz Current pickup(s) Overhead Traction motors Four (type 6 FRO 4338)
Performance figures Maximum speed 90 km/h (56 mph) Power output 1,700 kW (2,280 hp) Tractive effort 101.5 kN (22,820 lbf)
Career Operators Furka Oberalp Bahn Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn Numbers 81, 82 Locale Valais and Uri, Switzerland First run 1980 Disposition Both still in service

The Furka Oberalp Bahn Ge 4/4 ^III, now known as the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn Ge 4/4 ^III, is a two member class of metre gauge electric locomotives operated until 2002 by the Furka Oberalp Bahn (FO), and since then by its successor, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, between the Cantons of Valais and Uri in southern Switzerland.

History

The Furka Oberalp Bahn (FO) acquired these Bo′Bo′ locomotives in 1979 for the purpose of hauling car shuttle trains through the then forthcoming Furka Base Tunnel.

Between the delivery of these locomotives and the completion of the Furka Base Tunnel, both members of the class were leased to the Rhaetian Railway, where they entered service hauling express trains on the Albula Railway. Since the opening of the Base Tunnel in 1982, they have been used exclusively on car shuttle trains between Oberwald and Realp.

On 1 January 2003 (2003-01-01), the locomotives became the property of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB), following a merger between the FO and the Brig-Visp-Zermatt railway (BVZ).

Technical details

The two locomotives represent a further development of the Ge 4/4 ^II class of the Rhaetian Railway. They are therefore classified as Ge 4/4 ^III under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system, even though the FO had not previously operated Ge 4/4 type locomotives. According to the Swiss classification system, Ge 4/4 ^III denotes a third series of narrow gauge electric adhesion locomotives with four axles, all of which are drive axles.

The Ge 4/4 ^IIIs develop 1,700 kilowatts (2,300 hp), have a top speed of 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph), and operate at 11 kV 16.7 Hz AC under catenary. They are the only mainline locomotives of the MGB not fitted with cogwheels for rack railway operations.

List of locomotives

Gallery

• 
  No 82 in MGB livery
• 
  No 82 and car shuttle train
• 
  No 81 in MGB livery

See also

• Furka Pass
• Oberalp Pass
• History of rail transport in Switzerland
• Rail transport in Switzerland

References

• Finke, Wolfgang; Schweers, Hans (1999). Die Fahrzeuge der Furka-Oberalp-Bahn 1913-1999 : Brig-Furka-Disentis, Schöllenenbahn, Furka-Oberalp-Bahn (in German). Aachen, Germany: Schweers + Wall. ISBN 3-89494-111-1.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MGB Ge 4/4.

• Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn

This article is based upon a translation of the German-language version as at July 2010.