1 July 1993

The New Glacier Express

First class Furka Oberalp panorama car - Date/photographer unknown.
 

First class Brig-Visp-Zermatt Bahn panorama car - Date/photographer unknown.
 

Zermatt Switzerland - Low clouds and chilly rain met the representatives of the press as they assembled at Zermatt station on the morning of 12 May 1993. The ocaasion was a demonstration run of the latest version of the famed Glacier Express, a first-class only train which from 23 May runs as train 902 08:54 Zermatt - St. Moritz and train 905 10:00 St. Moritz - Zermatt. Both trains have a restaurant car between St. Moritz and Brig, and are principally formed of panoramic coaches, although we are assured that at least one conventional first-class car will always be provided for the benefit of photographers and others who enjoy leaning out of the window. From the outside, the train presents a total mixture of body styles and liveries, but this is less important than the internal comforts.

In 1990 the Furka-Oberalp and Brig-Visp-Zermatt railways placed a joint order for the bodies of 14 panorama coaches with the Italian firm of Preda. The bogies were provided by SIG of Neuhausen, and indeed the bodies contain many Swiss parts. The Alusuisse aluminium body extrusions, the electrical equipment and air-conditioning are by ABB, and the windows by Verres Industriels SA. The overall design concept, however, is very much Italian, from the famous firm of Pininfarina. The design parameters were as follows:

• A high level of comfort for the eight-hour journey between Zermatt and St Moritz;
   
  
• Maximum window area to give the best view of the alpine scenery;
   
  
• New and attractive appearance;
   
  
• Provision for parties with at-seat refreshment service;
   
  
• Passengers to travel with their luggage.

The resulting coaches (10 for the FO and 4 for the BVZ) catch the eye immediately thanks to their angular styling and large window area, 14 percent greater than the traditional first-class car. They are equipped for 90 km/h running, and have full air-conditioning, a first for a metre-gauge coach, thanks to the weight saved by the light alloy structure. The sandwich construction of the floor and roof, as well as weight saving, also helps with sound insulation. The FO coaches have the added feature of an environmentally-friendly closed toilet system. Each group of four 1st-class seats has a large table, and plenty of space for luggage. The purchase price of each vehicle is 1.5 million Swiss Francs.

Klaus Eckert.