Furka–Oberalp-Bahn Ge 4/4 III

The Furka Oberalp Bahn Ge 4/4 III, later known as the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn Ge 4/4 III, was a two-member class of metre gauge electric locomotives operated until 2002 by the Furka Oberalp Bahn (FO), and until 2023 by its successor, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, between the Cantons of Valais and Uri in southern Switzerland.

History The Furka Oberalp Bahn (FO) acquired these Bo′Bo′ locomotives in 1979 for the purpose of hauling car shuttle trains through the then forthcoming Furka Base Tunnel.

Between the delivery of these locomotives and the completion of the Furka Base Tunnel, both members of the class were leased to the Rhaetian Railway, where they entered service hauling express trains on the Albula Railway. Since the opening of the Base Tunnel in 1982, they have been used exclusively on car shuttle trains between Oberwald and Realp.

On , the locomotives became the property of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB), following a merger between the FO and the Brig-Visp-Zermatt railway (BVZ).

Technical details The two locomotives represented a further development of the Ge 4/4 II class of the Rhaetian Railway. They were therefore classified as Ge 4/4 III under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system, even though the FO had not previously operated Ge 4/4 type locomotives. According to the Swiss classification system, Ge 4/4 III denotes a third series of narrow gauge electric adhesion locomotives with four axles, all of which are drive axles.

The Ge 4/4 IIIs developed , had a top speed of , and operated at 11 kV 16.7 Hz AC under catenary. They were the only mainline locomotives of the MGB not fitted with cogwheels for rack railway operations.

List of locomotives List of Ge 4/4 III locomotives of the Matterhorn Gotthard BahnTraffic number Name Commissioning Status 81 Wallis 27.02.1980 Scrapped in December 2023 82 Uri 27.02.1980 Scrapped in November 2017

Gallery

Furka–Oberalp-Bahn Ge 4/4 III

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