Romanshorn, the meeting point for the boat trip to our AGM in Friedrichshafen, has always been a worthwhile destination for railway photographers. A brief photographic review of times gone by…
At Romanshorn, the last Ee 3/3 ‘Halbschuh’ locomotives with a single-sided front end from the first series of SBB electrical shunting locomotives were active. Here, Ee 3/3 no. 16324 is preparing an EW II luggage van for its next assignment. 31 March 1984 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
The Ae 4/7 10970 with three carriages converted at the Zurich main workshop and a new luggage van has just passed the distinctive signal bridge with semaphore signals. The open exit signal above the luggage van and the mechanical shunting signal to the right of the Ae 4/7 are particularly striking. Romanshorn, 23 March 1977 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
A little further towards Zurich we observe the Re 4/4 II 11348 with its long express train consisting of green EW I and II standard carriages. Behind the Re 4/4 II, one of the buildings of the port of Romanshorn can be seen. On the left is the mechanical signal box, which was still in full operation at the time, as evidenced by the many cable pulls at the bottom centre of the picture. Romanshorn, 31 March 1984 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
A short time later, the Ae 3/6 I 10662 reaches the port town of Romanshorn with its short passenger train. To the left of the locomotive, you can see another mechanical shunting signal and, to the right, two closed semaphores, which were probably operated by the wire pulls at the bottom right. Romanshorn, 31 March 1984 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
The Romanshorn locomotive shed, which now houses Locorama, was still fully operational in 1984. The Ae 4/7 11027, the last of the series, leaves the venerable brick building and sets off on its next assignment. Romanshorn, 31 March 1984 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
A rare guest at the Romanshorn depot was this Be 4/6 railcar no. 1603, which was used to haul its great-grandson, the NPZ prototype no. 2100. To the left of the Be 4/6 railcar, you can see the extensive Romanshorn marshalling yard, which, apart from the mechanical signals, has remained largely unchanged and now serves as a storage area for Intercity train reinforcement modules. Romanshorn, 25 June 1984 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
The rear of an NPZ railcar is a rare sight. During its transfer, we had the opportunity to photograph the NPZ prototype 2100. In the rear compartment window is an advertising sign from the manufacturer FFA Altenrhein. To the right of the NPZ are the two semaphores that are familiar from the entrance of the Ae 3/6 I. Romanshorn, 25 June 1984 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
Romanshorn is also the northern terminus of the Bodensee Toggenburg Railway (BT). Here, the suburban train ABDe 2/8 141 + 41, which we know from an earlier railway story, stands in one of the two stub tracks together with a mail car, ready for the return journey to St. Gallen. These two stub tracks are still in active use. Romanshorn, 08. September.1979 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
A regular guest (unless it was once again out of service and a De 4/4 or Ae 3/6 I had to step in) was the Jurapfeil RBe 2/4 1010, which interrupted its shuttle service between Rorschach and Rorschach Harbour at lunchtime and was used for a pair of trains to Romanshorn and back. Here it is passing its trailer car. Directly behind the railcar, you can see the former level (or should we say track-level) access to the harbour with wooden planks. When trains passed through, the crossing was blocked off with chains, for which a chain guard was specially employed. He might be visible on the left of the picture. Above the railcar and further back, you can see roof-like transverse structures. A friend who grew up in Romanshorn and whose father was a long-time stationmaster assured me that he could not remember a pedestrian bridge. Since the transverse structures can already be seen in old photos, I suspect that the transverse roofs were intended to provide rain protection for the crossing to the harbour. Does anyone know more about this? Use the comment function or send us an email! Romanshorn, 23 March 1977 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
 |
 |
Addendum: On my way to and from the AGM, I took the opportunity to check whether anything of the transverse roof was still visible in Romanshorn. And yes, despite the renovation of the track system, the roof in the station area remains unchanged. However, the one that was visible in the background has disappeared. 7 March 2025 (c) photos: Edi Meier, Bülach
The ‘Jurapfeil’ RBe 2/4 1010 with its trailer car ABDi 50 85 81-03 001-4 is ready to depart back to Rorschach. The five lightweight ABD(i) aluminium carriages were built specifically for the Rote Pfeile trains, which were too small, and were used in Rorschach, Winterthur and the Seetal region at the time. Romanshorn, 23 March 1977 photo © Edi Meier, Bülach
Comments and additions to this railway history can be sent to EG at sgeg dot ch, or use the form to our Vice President Edi Meier. Thank you for your help.
Back to railway stories.