Appenzeller Bahnen as around 1935
AB is the abbreviation for Appenzeller Bahnen. The plural form is justified, because since 1 January 1988 no fewer than 4 original railways have been united in one company. The Appenzellerbahn AB, formed in 1947 from the merger of the old Appenzellerbahn AB Gossau – Herisau – Appenzell and the Säntisbahn SB (since 1938 the Elektrische Bahn Appenzell – Weissbad – Wasserauen AWW) and the St. Gallen – Gais – Appenzell-Bahn SGA, formed in 1947 from the merger of the Appenzeller Strassenbahn ASt and the Altstätten – Gais-Bahn AG. Today, the AB still has an extensive park of nostalgic vehicles from the various founding railways, which really invite you to take a photo tour. This began with a trip in the AB’s diesel railcar BCFm 2/4 56 from 1929, which was purchased to supplement the steam locomotives and frequently ran trains on the neighbouring SB until 1949, which is why our special train carried two cars – the C 13 and C 14 – from the Säntis Railway. In Wasserauen we had the opportunity to admire the CFe 3/3 2 from 1911 of the former AG, which was recently restored on a private basis. Back in Appenzell, we changed to the historic SGA train with the BCFeh 4/4 5 with three two-axle units, which took us to Gais to the main workshop of the AB. At the end of the day, we travelled from Gais to Altstätten and back via Gais to St.Gallen in a catered historic passenger coach with timetable trains, where our journey ended.
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