On the third of June 2003, RAe TEE II # 1053 was presented to the media, after refurbishment in the BLS workshop in Bönigen near Interlaken, changed from the "Grey mouse" to the original appearance. The photo was taken between Thurnen and Burgistein-Wattenwil in the Guerbe valley, were this trains never run regularly (line Bern-Belp-Thun). The four very comfortable and 160 km per hour fast RAe TEE II # 1051 to # 1054 were built by SIG, MFO and BBC in 1961 and were really pioneer work in the early sixtees. They were supplemented in 1965 with a sixth car and in 1967 there was built a fifth trainset # 1055, also with six cars. From the change of timetable on July 1th, 1961, the new RAe TEE II run the TEE GOTTARDO between Zurich and Milan, the CISALPIN between Milan and Paris and the TICINO between Milan and Zurich. From 1974 CISALPIN changed to a loco hauled train and TICINO was discontinued, the RAe run instead as EDELWEISS and IRIS between Zurich and Brussels. In 1988, the 5 trainsets were converted to Eurocity with first and second class and lost the elegant red / cream livery (new in two tone grey, called "grey mouse"). Since 2003, the RAe # 1053 is back in the original painting, running for SBB Historic and based at Olten.
