"Rheingold" Express Train Passenger Car Set.

The legendary Nibelungen treasure was the inspiration for one of the most famous luxury trains in Europe. The first "Rheingold" undertook is first cross-border run on May 15, 1928 over the 662 kilometer / 414 miles route from Amsterdam/ Hook of Holland to Basle. It was pulled by a Bavarian S 3/6 Pacific locomotive. The design for the cream/violet painted salon cars was based on the famous American Pullman cars and offered luxurious open seating accommodations with or without a galley. Two cars...

The legendary Nibelungen treasure was the inspiration for one of the most famous luxury trains in Europe. The first "Rheingold" undertook is first cross-border run on May 15, 1928 over the 662 kilometer / 414 miles route from Amsterdam/ Hook of Holland to Basle. It was pulled by a Bavarian S 3/6 Pacific locomotive. The design for the cream/violet painted salon cars was based on the famous American Pullman cars and offered luxurious open seating accommodations with or without a galley. Two cars were always served from one galley. The arrangement of the interior spaces came from designs of famous artists and architects. These cars were also technically the newest that the railroad could offer at that time. At 23.5 meters / 77 feet 1-3/16 inches they exceeded the length of all the German passenger cars built up that time. The 26 cars eventually built each weighed 50 to 57.2 metric tons, clearly more than normal express train passenger cars. The trucks for these cars were a special design. There were also three baggage cars, all in violet and 19.68 meters / 64 feet 6-7/8 inches long. The train had accommodations in first and second class. In the fall of 1939 the "Rheingold" disappeared from the schedules. The German Federal Railroad brought back the tradition in 1951. For three decades this train was the figurehead of the German Federal Railroad. With the beginning of the summer schedule in 1987 the "Rheingold" disappeared from German.