Class RABe 501 Giruno High-Speed Rail Car Train
Prototype: Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) EC 250 electric high-speed rail car train as the class RABe 501 “Giruno”. 1 type A (Bt1) end car, 2nd class. 1 type F (B7) intermediate car, 2nd class, with handicapped entries and a pantograph. 1 type G (WR6) intermediate car, with a dining area. 1 type H (A5), 1st class, with handicapped entries and a pantograph. 1 type L (At2) end car, 1st class. Multiple system powered railcar train. Reproduction of the EC 151, with cross border train route: Frankfurt/Main – Freiburg – Basle – Zürich – Milan Central. Train number RABe 501 022, with the coat-of-arms of the Canton of Vaud. The train looks as it did around 2024.
Most Important Facts
| Article No. | 39812 |
|---|---|
| Gauge / Design type | H0 / 1:87 |
| Era | VI |
| Kind | Powered Rail Cars |
Highlights
- Factory-installed LED interior lighting.
- Cab and control desk lighting can be controlled digitally.
- Pantographs on the F and H intermediate cars can be raised and lowered as a digital function.
- World of Operation mfx+ decoder and extensive light and sound functions included.
- Cross border train route: Frankfurt/Main-Freiburg-Basle-Zürich-Milan Central.
- Train number RABe 501 022, with the coat-of-arms for the Swiss Canton Vaud/Waadt.
- Lighted train destination displays in the doors go out after the train starts.
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Product description
Model: This is a 5-part basic set. The dining car G and the two intermediate cars F and H arranged on the left and right are coupled permanently with Jakobs trucks. The train has an mfx+ digital decoder and extensive sound and light functions. It also has controlled, high-efficiency propulsion with a flywheel, centrally mounted in the dining car. All 4 axles in both Jakobs trucks on the left and right of the dining car are powered using cardan shafts. Traction tires. The cabs in the end cars have interior details. Current pickup is done from the end car at the front of the train and changes with the direction of travel. There is a guide mechanism in the Jakobs trucks. Triple headlights and dual red marker lights change over with the direction of travel, will work in conventional operation, and can be controlled digitally. The train can be switched to a white marker light (Swiss headlight / marker light code). There are additional separately controlled light functions. The train has factory-installed interior lighting. The interior lighting is supplied with power from a continuous electrical connection throughout the entire train. The cab and control desk lighting are also each controlled separately in digital operation. Maintenance-free warm white and red LEDs are used for all of the lighting. The pantographs on the F and H intermediate cars can each be raised and lowered separately as a digital function. The train is modelled true-to-scale. The minimum radius for operation is 360 mm / 14-3/16". Length of the basic set approximately 112 cm / 44-1/8".
The 39812 5-part basic set can be expanded to a prototypical 11-part powered rail car train with the 43451, 43452, and 43453 2-part add-on car sets.
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Publications
- Fall New Items 2025
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Prototype information
With a view to placing the Gotthard Base Tunnel in operation the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) announced in the spring of 2012 the delivery of powered rail car trains with a maximum speed of 250 km/h / 156 mph. Eventually in April of 2014 the Swiss firm Stadler prevailed with its concept SMILE (Schneller Mehrsystemfähiger Innovativer Leichter Expresszug / Fast Multisystem Innovative Lightweight Express Train), whereby Stadler now built a high speed train for the first time. The SBB ordered 29 eleven-part units of the new class RABe 501 for international service and adapted the designation "Giruno" (derived from the Rhaeto-Romanic "Girùn" for "Buzzard"). The trains can run under three current systems in four countries (15 kilovolts/16.7 Hertz; 25 kilovolts/50 Hertz and 3 kilovolts DC) and use the train safety systems TCS, PZB, LZB, and SCMT for this purpose. With the "Giruno" we are talking about a 202 meter / 662 foot long, single level, and articulated train that cannot be operated separately and that has Jacobs trucks. Only the end cars have normal trucks underneath their ends. Here the four Jacobs trucks are powered by three-phase asynchronous motors, whereby the power equipment is designed for redundancy with four tractive power converters. An eleven-part RABe 501 consists of four cars, 1st class, with seating for 117 in a mostly 2+1 arrangement, a dining car as well as six cars, 2nd class, with seating for 288 in a 2+2 arrangement. The dining car as well as the two adjoining cars are logically designed for use by handicapped passengers in order to conform to the requirements of the Swiss Handicapped Equal Opportunity Law. The "Giruno" has step-free entries for station platform heights of 55 cm / 21-5/8" and 76 cm / 30". Its airtight and air-conditioned passenger and engineer areas as well as the multi-function and bicycle compartments in the passenger area set a new standard for comfortable travel by rail. All the passengers have a free view of the screens for the digital information system. In addition, cell phone signal amplifiers and WLAN are available in both classes.
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Digital Functions
Control Unit Mobile Station Mobile Station 2 Central Station 1/2 Central Station 3/2*
Mobile Station 2**Headlight(s) Interior lights Electric locomotive op. sounds Warning Sound Direct control Sound of squealing brakes off Pantograph control Light Function Pantograph control Train announcement Train announcement Long distance headlights Station Announcements Conductor's Whistle Doors Closing Train announcement Horn Train announcement Train announcement Pantograph control Pantograph control Light Function1 Engineer’s cab lighting Engineer’s cab lighting Light Function 2 Light Function 3 Light function for warning light for Switzerland Light Function Light Function Train destination sign Door Warning Sound * New features of the Central Station 2 (Part No. 60213, 60214 or 60215) with the software update 4.2
** New features of the Mobile Station 2 (Part No. 60657/66955) with the Software Update 3.55
Warning
ATTENTION: not for children under 15 years
