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#3895· RhB Gem 4/4

Rhaetian Railway Gem 4/4

🇨🇭 Switzerland ·built by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works· from 1966· class of 2 Swiss electro-diesel locomotives

⚡ electric locomotive bi-mode ✓ in service
5 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. RhB Gem 802: Spoorjan· CC BY-SA 3.0
  2. 2. 2-Kraftlokomotive Gem 4-4 Nr. 801 der RhB in Poschiavo (2026): JoachimKohler-HB· CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. 3. RhB ABe 4-4 & Gem 4-4 in Poschiavo GR (2026): JoachimKohler-HB· CC BY-SA 4.0
  4. 4. RhB Gem 4-4 Nr. 801 und RhB ABe 4-4 Nr. 54 in Poschiavo (2026): JoachimKohler-HB· CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. 5. RhB Regio nach Tirano mit Gem 4-4: Kabelleger / David Gubler ( http://www.bahnbilder.ch )· CC BY-SA 3.0
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Rhaetian Railway Gem 4/4, photo 1 of 5
1/5 Spoorjan· CC BY-SA 3.0

what is it?

The Rhaetian Railway Gem 4/4 is a two member class of metre gauge Bo′Bo′ electro-diesel locomotives operated since 1968 by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB), which is the main railway network in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The class is so named under the Swiss locomotive and railcar classification system. According to that system, Gem 4/4 denotes a narrow gauge electro-diesel engined adhesion locomotive with a total of four axles, all of which are drive axles.

who runs it

Rhaetian Railway

base stats

  • speed 65 km/htop speed
  • power 780 kWpower output
  • weight 50 tin working order
  • built 2made in total

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 60 years ago, in 1966.
  • 780 kW is about 9 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
  • Weighs about as much as 8 African elephants (~6 t each).
  • 13.5 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Still in service after 60 years.

electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.

spec sheet

built
1966
in service from
1966
status
in service
number built
2
kind
Electro-diesel
traction
bi-mode
origin
🇨🇭 Switzerland
builders
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works, Schweizerische Wagons- und Aufzügefabrik AG Schlieren-Zürich, Brown, Boveri & Cie, Oerlikon Works
operators
Rhaetian Railway
top speed
65 km/h
power
780 kW
gauge
1,000 mm metre gauge
electric system
1,000 V DC Overhead
wheel arrangement
Bo′Bo′
length
13.5 m
weight
50 t
Dutch name
RhB Gem 4/4

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q670213, Wikipedia: Rhaetian Railway Gem 4/4 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.

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