The word ''Rheinpfeil'' was used to name a number of
express train
An express train is a type of passenger train that makes a small number of stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, allowing faster service than Local train, local trains that stop at most or all of the s ...
s that ran in Germany between the 1950s and 1991. For much of that period, a train carrying the name ''Rheinpfeil'' also linked Germany with at least one neighbouring country.
''Rheinpfeil'' is a German word meaning "Rhine arrow", and alludes to the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
valley, which always formed part of the route of the train carrying that name.
During its time as a
Trans Europe Express
The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), was an international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network compri ...
(TEE), the ''Rheinpfeils formation (
consist
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...
) included a
"vista-dome car",
["Table 19: Rheinpfeil (Rhine Arrow)", '' Cooks Continental Timetable'' (February 1967 edition), p. 63; also p. 61. London: Thomas Cook & Son, Ltd.] a rarity on European railways. Seating in the dome car was unreserved.
As Eurocity, nr 8/9, conveyed two through DB 2 class carriages Hannover-Koln-Basel-Bern-Lotschberg Bergstrecke-Brig-Milano Porta Garibaldi-Florence-Rome, in summer 1990/1991, conveyed in EXP 324/5 Rome-Milan-Brig-Basel
Route
The core of the ''Rheinpfeils route was the
West Rhine Railway
The West Rhine railway (German: ''Linke Rheinstrecke'', literally 'left (bank of the) Rhine route') is a famously picturesque, double-track electrified railway line running for 185 km from Cologne via Bonn, Koblenz, and Bingen to Mainz. It i ...
, a section of line through the Rhine valley:
*
Köln Hbf
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
–
Bonn Hbf –
Koblenz Hbf
Koblenz Hauptbahnhof is a railway station in the city of Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the focal point of rail transport in the Rhine-Moselle-Lahn area. It is a through station in southern Koblenz built below Fort G ...
–
Mainz Hbf
Mainz Hauptbahnhof ("Mainz main station", formerly known as ''Centralbahnhof Mainz''von Meyer, Arthur (1891). ''Geschichte und Geographie der deutschen Eisenbahnen von ihrer Entstehung bis auf die Gegenwart'', W. Baensch, p. 1131) is a railway st ...
The train continued southeast via
Frankfurt Hbf
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof, also called Frankfurt Central Station and Frankfurt Main Station, is the busiest railway station in the German state of Hesse. Because of its location near the middle of Germany and usage as a transport hub for lo ...
and
Wurzburg Hbf to Munich until its route was changed in 1979 to run via
Mannheim Hbf
Mannheim Hauptbahnhof ( German for ''Mannheim central station'') is a railway station in Mannheim in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is the second largest traffic hub in southwestern Germany after Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, with 658 trai ...
and
Karlsruhe Hbf
Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof is a railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as a Category 1 station, as it is a major hub where several railways connect.
History
Old station
When the Baden Mainline was built betwee ...
towards Switzerland.
However, the northern and southern termini of the train, varied a great deal over the years.
See also
*
History of rail transport in the Netherlands
*
History of rail transport in Germany
:''This article is part of the history of rail transport by country series''
The history of rail transport in Germany can be traced back to the 16th century. The earliest form of railways, wagonways, were developed in Germany in the 16th century. ...
*
History of rail transport in Switzerland
:''This article is part of the history of rail transport by country series.''
The construction and operation of Swiss railways during the 19th century was carried out by private railways. The first internal line was a 16 km line opened from Z ...
*
List of named passenger trains of Europe
This article contains lists of named passenger trains in Europe, listed by country. Listing by country does eliminate some EuroCity services from the list, but they are listed on the relevant EuroCity page for daytime trains and the EuroNight ...
References
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
{{EuroCity trains
EuroCity
Named passenger trains of Germany
Named passenger trains of Switzerland
Trans Europ Express
Railway services introduced in 1952
Railway services discontinued in 1991