Red Arrow (Swiss train)

The Red Arrow (German: Roter Pfeil, French: Flèche rouge, Italian: Freccia rossa) is a class of 12 disparate but similar railcars built in the 1930s by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). As built there was a mixture of single and double units, and of diesel and electrically propelled units. They were originally intended for traffic on lines with a low volume of traffic, following the global economic crisis of 1928.

In their original role, the Red Arrows were the victim of their own success, being unable to cope with the increased loadings they brought. Replaced by locomotive hauled trains on their original routes, the SBB capitalised on their popularity by using them on charter and other special services. Later Red Arrows were built specifically for this service.

The most notable Red Arrow is the Churchill Pfeil, a double unit once used by Winston Churchill and still operated on charter services by SBB Historic. Three of the single unit railcars also still exist, with one on display in the Swiss Museum of Transport at Lucerne, one operated by SBB Historic and one operated by the Oensingen-Balsthal-Bahn.

Churchill Pfeil
Whilst based on the design of the earlier single car Red Arrows, the double Red Arrow Re 4/8 301 was built exclusively for use on charter trains, and is capable of speeds up to 150 km/h. It was presented at the Swiss National Exhibition 1939 to showcase Swiss workmanship.

In 1946, Winston Churchill made a visit to Switzerland, and 301 was provided for his use in visiting various Swiss cities including Bern and Zürich. It was on this visit, at the University of Zürich, that he made his famous speech advocating the creation of a United States of Europe. As a result of this visit, 301 became known as the Churchill Pfeil, or Churchill Arrow.

In 1979, the Churchill Pfeil was badly damaged in a fire, after which it was sold. In 1996 the train was repaired and put into service by the Mittelthurgau Railway. In 2002, and after the Mittelthurgau Railway had gone into bankruptcy, the train returned to the SBB. In 2004, the unit was completely overhauled and put back into service as a charter vehicle.