The Chinese corporation Huawei has ordered 14 diesel-electric double railcars from StadlerRail for its huge campus in Dongguan (north of Hongkong), which has over 8 kilometers of standard gauge track where CRRC built vehicles modeled on the Jungfrau Railway are already in operation. They are to be modeled on the ABe 4/4 51-56 (Tw III) of the Rhaetian Railway, Bernina line, and the company apparently wants to bring "Swissness" to its campus......
The first double railcar (211a/b) has been on the Etzwilen-Singen museum railway line since yesterday, making test runs between Hemishofen and Ramsen. The vehicle does not have an interior yet, it is supposed to become a "VIP" vehicle, whose interior will be made in China. 3 other trains will be "VIP", another 10 will not have panorama windows, but normal windows and the interior will be installed in Switzerland. The maximum velocity is 60 km/h. One of the cars is powered by an underfloor diesel engine, the Swiss designation is Bm 4/8 # 211a/b.
It takes quite a bit of imagination to describe this vehicle as similar to the ABe 4/4s of the Bernina line. The new train is standing in Hemishofen station, on the former SBB line Etzwilen-Singen (Hohentwiel), which was never electrified..
