Express Railcar. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) class RBe 2/4 "Red Arrow". Same paint scheme and details as the original on display at the Swiss Transportation Museum in Lucerne. 2 axles powered. 4 traction tires. Illuminated triple headlight. Inset windows. Interior details. Metal body and frame. Length over buffers 25.7 cm (10").
There were a total of ten lightweight express railcars with the nickname "Red Arrows" in Switzerland. Nine of them were built in the 1930's to fill gaps in the Swiss Federal Railways' schedules caused by lack of equipment. Two were initially diesel railcars. The tenth was a "Double Arrow" built from two railcars in 1939 as a salon railcar for state visitors. In tests it reached speeds of up to 150 km/h (93.75 mph).
The concept of individual railcars was intended to cover express feeder service with one man crews. Due to insufficient seating, it did not work out, even when the cars were equipped with standard couplers and buffers for trailing cars. The SBB rebuilt the diesel railcars for electric operation in the 1950's.
Excursion trips remained the principal assignment for the Red Arrows and in 1964 the last of their type disappeared from scheduled service. The RBe 2/4 1003, prototype of the Märklin model, was retired in January of 1968 and now stands in the Transportation Museum in Lucerne.
