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SBB Einheitswagen IV

After two long years of work, they are finally here, the SBB Einheitswagen IV

History:
After the first series of Einheitswagen III carriages failed to prove themselves reliable in regular service, SBB decided at the end of the 1970s to develop a new carriage, the Einheitswagen IV. Unlike its predecessor, the EW IV was to be less experimental. The decision was made to use a classic steel construction and a carriage body design derived from the Eurofima and French Corail coaches.

Over the next 10 years, SBB received almost 500 coaches in various sub-variants. Slightly different seats and tables were installed in later orders, and in second class, the smoking compartment was reduced by one row of seats. Dining cars were also added, with four classic dining cars being added in 1983. As in previous carriage types, these dining cars had an entrance and a proper kitchen. Shortly after these carriages were delivered, SBB decided to revise the dining car concept, and three years later, 19 additional ‘catering dining cars’ were delivered, without an entrance and with a kitchen designed for pre-prepared meals. Two of these carriages were also equipped for use in Germany and Austria.

Over the years, the coaches were also modified several times. For example, some first-class coaches were equipped with a telephone booth on a trial basis, which operated via the Natel B network. The first major conversions were carried out on the four prototype dining cars. They were equipped for international traffic and are now operated by ‘Le Buffet Suisse’. The dining room was reduced in size to make way for a bar.

At the beginning of the 2000s, SBB began refurbishing the 20-year-old coaches. The interior was given a Feng Shui-inspired colour scheme and the coaches were repainted in the same colours as the newly delivered ICN multiple -units. However, the exterior design of the ICN was modified based on a test coach, and the yellow and turquoise colours of the ICN were replaced by a uniform red. In a separate conversion programme, work began on converting the regular passenger coaches for 200 km/h and operation on the new Rohtrist Mattstetten line. As part of this conversion programme, the drop toilets were replaced with a closed system and new luggage racks were installed. From the mid-2000s onwards, however, money became tight and the refit programme was halted. Over the next 10 years, the remaining coaches were simply repainted and equipped for push-pull trains. As a result, there is now a large mix of new and old interiors and two separate fleets for 200 and 160 km/h. Thirty-five carriages were also newly equipped as service end carriages for push-pull trains. These carriages were fitted with a luggage compartment on the locomotive side and a small compartment for the conductor.

After Le Buffet Suisse and its successor Mitropa Suisse went bankrupt within a very short time, SBB decided to decommission the four prototype dining cars. To replace the four oddballs, the regular dining cars were also approved for international service. From 2013, the remaining 18 dining cars were also refitted and all equipped uniformly for push-pull trains travelling at 200 km/h and journeys abroad.

From the mid-2010s onwards, many carriages were equipped with digital displays in the interior and, in some cases, exterior displays as well.

In 2019, there was a tragic accident in which a conductor was caught in the door during departure and dragged along. In response to this fatal accident, SBB began redesigning the problematic doors, and from 2022 onwards, the doors were converted to electric motors. At the same time, the old door levers were replaced with buttons. In some cases, completely new doors were installed. At the same time, work began on refurbishing and repainting the carriages for another 15 years of service. The carriages now have completely red doors and a pure black window band to meet the necessary contrast guidelines of the Disability Discrimination Act (BehiG).

As the coaches are now only used in reinforcement modules or newly formed hybrid compositions with IC2020 coaches, the number of coaches in service has been significantly reduced. Many coaches with corrosion damage were taken out of service and scrapped. These included all 35 AS service coaches, which were no longer needed with the end of pure EW IV push-pull services and were subject to particularly heavy wear and tear due to their permanent position as the first coach. The fleet of dining coaches was also significantly reduced, but a handful of dining coaches are being modernised for use on the EC Transalpin service.

Content

Options:

• Selection of avaiable versions
• Display of bicycles in the bicycle parking spaces (needs Fahrradständer und Mountainbike by Maverick2002)
• Disable start/end year

A big thank you to:

• UG, who built the vanilla modell which served as a starting point
  
• Maverick2002, who made the bikes for the cargo
  
• nightfury34, for the screenshots