Gauge: 1 Era: III+IV Prototype: German Federal Railroad (DB) express train passenger cars painted and lettered for the TEE. 1 type Avüm 111 compartment car with a rounded roof, 1 type Avüm 111 compartment car with a perpendicular roof, 1 type ADüm vista dome car with 8 dome windows. Model: These TEE "Rheingold" cars look as they did around 1967. The roof shapes, side walls, underbodies, and skirting are specific to the type of car. The trucks are Minden-Deutz designs with brake shoes, magnetic rail brakes, and separately applied generators. The vista dome car (type ADüm) has 8 roof windows. The car roofs can be removed from the cars. These four-axle express train passenger cars are not available separately. All of the cars have detailed interiors and built-in interior lighting. The cars have guide mechanisms for the couplers in order to provide close-coupled car spacing. The cars are ready for installation of reproduction prototype couplers. Minimum radius for operation 1,020 mm / 40-3/16". Total length over the buffers 225.0 cm / 88-9/16". Highlights: Highly detailed construction. Prototypical train composition. Class E 03 locomotive goes well with these cars. Other cars available to add to these cars. The TEE "Rheingold". After the Rheingold long distance express was upgraded to the Trans Europe Express, the comfortable, 26.4 meter / 86 foot 7-3/8 inch long cars developed by the DB on the basis of the UIC-X cars starting in 1962 were repainted in the TEE colors. They continued in use on the classic Rheingold route. This deluxe train still consisted exclusively of cars with 1st class seating. The additional cars delivered from 1965 on also had air conditioning and could be identified externally by their perpendicular roof ends. The generous seating offered passengers almost unlimited comfort. In addition to the exquisite culinary delights offered in the dining car, the vista dome car was of course also very popular with passengers. This car with the higher position of its seats offered a panorama view of the scenic beauty on the middle Rhine Valley and made the long travel time seem shorter. The train attracted attention in many places and was pulled by class 112 (E 10.12) locomotives. Starting in 1972, the German Federal Railroad made use of its flagship as motive power for the TEE Rheingold: the class 103. On the SBB lines in Switzerland, where the train's routing went to Geneva for a time, an Re 4/4 I in TEE colors pulled this deluxe train. A lounge car and a club car purchased for the side train running between Munich and Mannheim starting in 1983 added to the repertoire of TEE cars. However, the demand for a purely 1st class train sank increasingly. In 1987, the TEE Rheingold finally bowed out from the German Federal Railroad for good with the introduction of the EuroCity trains. Charlie's tip: The class E 03 electric locomotive, item no. 55104, is an excellent complement to the Rheingold cars. Two additional Rheingold cars are available under item no. 58049.
