Class RABe 501 Giruno High-Speed Rail Car Train

Prototype

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) EC 250 electric high-speed rail car train as the class RABe 501 “Giruno”. 1 type A (Bt1) end car, 2nd class. 1 type F (B7) intermediate car, 2nd class, with handicapped entries and a pantograph. 1 type G (WR6) intermediate car, with a dining area. 1 type H (A5), 1st class, with handicapped entries and a pantograph. 1 type L (At2) end car, 1st class. Multiple system powered railcar train. Reproduction of the EC 151, with cross border train route: Frankfurt/Main – Freiburg – Basle – ­Zürich – Milan Central. Train number RABe 501 022, with the coat-of-arms of the Canton of Vaud. The train looks as it did around 2024.

Highlights

• Factory-installed LED interior lighting.
• Cab and control desk lighting can be controlled digitally.
• Pantographs on the F and H intermediate cars can be raised and lowered as a digital function.
• World of Operation mfx+ decoder and extensive light and sound functions included.
• Cross border train route: Frankfurt/Main-Freiburg-Basle-Zürich-Milan Central.
• Train number RABe 501 022, with the coat-of-arms for the Swiss Canton Vaud/Waadt.
• Lighted train destination displays in the doors go out after the train starts.

Model

This is a 5-part basic set. The dining car G and the two intermediate cars F and H arranged on the left and right are coupled permanently with Jakobs trucks. The train has an mfx+ digital decoder and extensive sound and light functions. It also has controlled, high-efficiency propulsion with a flywheel, centrally mounted in the dining car. All 4 axles in both Jakobs trucks on the left and right of the dining car are powered using cardan shafts. Traction tires. The cabs in the end cars have interior details. Current pickup is done from the end car at the front of the train and changes with the direction of travel. There is a guide mechanism in the Jakobs trucks. Triple headlights and dual red marker lights change over with the direction of travel, will work in conventional operation, and can be controlled digitally. The train can be switched to a white marker light (Swiss headlight / marker light code). There are additional separately controlled light functions. The train has factory-installed interior lighting. The interior lighting is supplied with power from a continuous electrical connection throughout the entire train. The cab and control desk lighting are also each controlled separately in digital operation. Maintenance-free warm white and red LEDs are used for all of the lighting. The pantographs on the F and H intermediate cars can each be raised and lowered separately as a digital function. The train is modelled true-to-scale. The minimum radius for operation is 360 mm / 14-3/16″. Length of the basic set approximately 112 cm / 44-1/8″.

The 39812 5-part basic set can be expanded to a prototypical 11-part powered rail car train with the 43451, 43452, and 43453 2-part add-on car sets.