#4590· MGB HGe 4/4 II
HGe 4/4 II
🇨🇭 Switzerland ·built by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works· from 1985· Swiss rack- and adhesion locomotive of Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Zentralbahn
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. ZB 101 968-6: Spoorjan· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. CH FO HGE44-105-1: GoodRJ· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. 20020708K213-07a: Markus Giger· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. CH BVZ HGE442-1: GoodRJ· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. CH BVZ HGE442-2: GoodRJ· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6. BVZ-HGe 2 Werbung Aug-2001 Brig: Markus Giger· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 7. 20000808K189-11A: Markus Giger· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 8. 20000811K189-35A: Markus Giger· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 9. 20000808K188-31: Markus Giger· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 10. Bf Oberalppass, HGe 4-4 102: Falk2· CC BY 3.0
what is it?
The HGe 4/4 II is a combined adhesion and cogwheel-equipped electric locomotive used on a number of metre gauge railways in Switzerland since 1985. An initial series of five prototypes was procured by a consortium made up of the Furka Oberalp Bahn (FO) and the SBB-CFF-FFS, which wanted them for the Brünigbahn, now known as the Zentralbahn (zb). Once the type had been proven, the members of the consortium ordered a total of 11 series production units, and the Brig-Visp-Zermatt-Bahn (BVZ) ordered another five such units.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 41 years ago, in 1985.
- 1.9 MW is about 23 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 11 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 14.8 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1985
- in service from
- 1985
- number built
- 21
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- builders
- Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works, Brown, Boveri & Cie, ABB Group
- operators
- Swiss Federal Railways, Zentralbahn, Brig–Zermatt railway line, Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn
- top speed
- 100 km/h
- power
- 1.9 MW
- gauge
- 1,000 mm metre gauge
- electric system
- SBB-CFF-FFS / zb:, 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC, FO / BVZ / MGB:, 11 kV 16.7 Hz AC
- wheel arrangement
- Bo′Bo′
- length
- 14.8 m
- weight
- 63 t
- Dutch name
- MGB HGe 4/4 II
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q468759, Wikipedia: HGe 4/4 II (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.