Elegant 4-4-0 steamlocomotive Eb 2/4 # 35 of SBB Historic, based in Balsthal and operated by the team from there, is on the way from Luterbach to Olten, between Wangen an der Aare and Niederbipp, with a short charter train. The cars are the red dining/parlor car WR # 413 and the blue parlor car As # 412 of the Oensingen-Balsthal-Bahn. The steamlocomotive Eb 2/4 was built by Emil Kessler in Esslingen/Germany in 1891 as type "A 2" in a series of 10 (# 33 to 42) for the Jura-Simplon Railway, so the locomotive is 125 years old now! It was used for light and fast passenger trains between Lausanne and Geneva till 1903. Then it ran for the SBB as Eb 2/4 # 5469 in the western part of Switzerland till 1947. Operational again for the association Eurovapor from 1973 to 1981 after a revision in Offenburg/Germany. Then historic locomotive in Basel till 1996, with rare journeys. Several years out of order till it was rebuilt by the skilled steam group from Balsthal and operational again since 10 years now (2006 to 2016) from the base in Balsthal with the original # 35. The 49 metric ton locomotive has about 550 HP and a maximum velocity of 75 km/h.
