43523 NMBS 3 express train carriages for the EuroCity "EC 90 Vauban", TpV.

NMBS 3 express train carriages for the EuroCity "EC 90 Vauban", TpV.

Prototype: 3 Belgian State Railways (SNCB/NMBS) express train passenger cars for the EuroCity train "EC 90 Vauban", with the routing Zürich-Basle-Luxembourg-Brussels. 1 type AI6 compartment car, 1st class. 2 type BI6 compartment cars, 2nd class. Eurofima design. The cars look as they did at the beginning/middle 2000 years.

The abbreviation TEE awakens memories. These three letters once stood for dignified travel – in the Trans-Europe-Express. When this era inevitably came to an end, it was IC train and also nightly connections, which enabled borderless travel. European railroad management, however, looked for a new product with very high uniform standards and eventually gave life to the EuroCity trains. Its hour of birth came on May 31, 1987. Tourists or business travelers could travel comfortably with it between major urban areas and thus reach Europe’s most beautiful cities. Not all connections were in the schedule books right from the beginning. One pair of trains did not come until a year later, the EuroCity "Vauban". It started on May 29, 1988. Its name goes back to the French Marquis de Vauban, who lived from 1633 to 1707 and was chiefly famous as a fortress architect under Louis XIV. The train’s route varied. Brussels was always the start and end point. In Switzerland the stations of Basle, Zürich or Interlaken were destinations. For several years it went via the Lötschberg line to Wallis, to Brig. For a time, Milan Central was also in the schedule. Modern Eurofima cars of the Belgian, Swiss, or Italian Railroads were always in the train’s consist. Now and then the Italians provided the dining car. What a delight it must have been to travel on such a train! Visually, the train was a delight too, whether in the classic orange or later in the well-chosen discreet colors of the Belgian State Railroad. The route from Brussels to Basle/Zürich lasted the longest.

Highlights

EuroCity 90 Vauban.

Train routing Zürich-Basle-Luxembourg-Brussels.

Model: The minimum radius for operation is 360 mm / 14-3/16". The car underbodies are specific to the type of car. The cars have Fiat type Y0270 S trucks without anti-roll shock absorbers and without magnetic rail brakes. 7319 current-conducting couplings or 72021 current-conducting close couplers, 73410/73411 interior lighting, 73406 pickup shoes, and 73407 marker lights can be installed on the cars. A decal sheet with additional train destination signs is included. Length over the buffers per car 28.2 cm / 11-1/8". DC wheelset E700580.