Great info, Mike. This is a valuable reference for Swiss train enthusiasts.

One question - Are there any problems involved in mixing different manufacturers coaches? I'm thinking in terms of roof heights and colour variations here, not so much about couplings.

Thanks,

Ray

I thought an Re 6/6 or a double headed Re 4/4 II can sometimes be used for this consist?

Thanks for posting the list, Mike.
I desperately need more EW II and EW IV coaches.

SUPER helpful! Especially since I have a lot of these models :)

I have not had any problems with mixing most brands of coaches. For example, I have a few trains that mix Roco EWII and EWIV, Lima EWI, Hag EWI and Liliput Lightsteel coaches. I have also used the new Maerklin lightsteel coaches.

I have also combined Roco, LSM, RailTop, ACME, Heris and other coaches without problem. I was disappointed to see that the Tillig/Sachsenmodelle DB Era V ICE livery coaches had the wrong height of the red stripe. That is really visible.

Tim: The Re 6/6s came into service starting in 1972. By 1975, it was common to see Gotthard trains being pulled by these loks as well. I have several Hag and Roco models, and they pull trains like my DB IC and FS Intercity Trains or a non-pendelzug set of EWIV coaches.
The double headed Re 4/4II consist is more something that I have seen on more recent trips, so with a Cisalpino or modern EC consist.

Guus: The SBB leases a few Re 421 from SBB Cargo to pull the EC trains from Zuerich to Lindau and back. The reason for this is that the trains travel from St Margrethen to Lindau over OBB and DB tracks, requiring the German pantographs. The SBB no longer has it's own loks with this equipment. I guess that you could model an earlier version (with IC and blue beige coaches) if you have the Hag model of the Re 4/4II 11196, which was at the time equipped with a DB slider.

Jacques: Sorry, I forgot to mention the 'Sputnik' for the freight train with the Crocodile. I do have one of the Roco ones that I use with the 26730 Set. AFAIR (1971) the Sputnik used to be inserted into the train about 2/3 of the way back. This allowed the staff to see the middle and end of the train. I noted this because it was not in the back like in North American freight trains. As electronic control became more common, these cars did end up later being used at the end of the train, as the electronic 'train end' equipment could be permanently mounted in these cars. Having the car at the end of the train also meant that it was easier to uncouple than having to take the whole train apart.
You may also wish to remember that even in the earliest days, international freight travel on the Gotthard was largely composed of German, Italian and other European cars travelling north to south and back. Trains within Switzerland would have seen a greater number of Swiss cars with a foreign car inserted here and there.

Another interesting source of information (for me) was the book "Die Gotthardbahn" by Marti & Trueb. AFAIK FKM modeltrains still has a copy for sale. There are editions from 1969, 1972, 1976 and 1984, so you can see how train consists have changed over the years. The books can be found on ebay (.com and .de) from time to time.

Make sure that you check out LS Models for info on the new production of SBB UIC-X Coaches, including restaurant and baggage coaches.

Regards

Mike C

Thanks Mike,
Very useful.

Roger

That coach has the generator aboard, which powers aircon/heating and lighting on the train. It seems to have been a peculiarly French thing, the later Grand Confort stock also had one and there was at least one design of standalone one. I would guess that it was intended to avoid any problems with different power availabilities from locos that might be encountered while crossing borders.

LS Models have definitely released it, it would have been part of one of the coach packs as it's essential for any train of this stock.

Another nice collection, Lutz.