Eilzugwagen

The Eilzugwagen was a type of railway passenger coach (US: passenger car) specially developed for German semi-fast (or fast stopping) trains, known as Eilzüge. These coaches were first built in the 1930s and continued to be produced until the 1950s. Today all coaches of this type have been retired. A number still run on museum railways.

Eilzüge first ran in Germany in 1907. These were express trains (Schnellzüge), that did not switch to hauling the new through coaches, but stayed with the conventional, eight-wheeled compartment coaches common at that time. Not until the end of the 1920s did the Deutsche Reichsbahn consider developing special wagons as eight-wheeled open coaches for the semi-fast train class.

Following the construction of trials coaches in 1928 and 1929, the full production of 150 Eilzugwagen began in 1930; 2nd and 2nd/3rd class variants being turned out. The full designation of these coaches was B4i-30 (later Ayse 604) and BC4i-30 (later Abyse 617). Other, 3rd class only, coaches entered service as C4i-30 (later Bye 655). They were classified as Type (Verwendungsgruppe) E 30.

These coaches were of rivetted construction in accordance with the standards of the time. They had an open 3rd class section with a centre aisle and 2+3 seating arrangement, and four 2nd class compartments each with six seats. As on express coaches, the entrances were inset, but the roof was of basket arch design at the coach ends, as on the Class 28 Rheingold Express coaches. The entrances at the ends of each coach had double doors for 3rd class and a single swing door for 2nd class. By each of the entrance ways was a toilet with a wash basin. The windows were 800 mm wide in 3rd class and one metre wide in 2nd class.

The coaches had Görlitz Type II (light) bogies. The gangways were open and only secured with folding lattice gates (Scherengitter), so there was no protection from the elements.

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