Marklin 1 55818 Electric Locomotive Ae 8/14 11851 SBB Ep.II Summer 2026 New Item

Prototype: Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) class Ae 8/14 electric locomotive, road number 11851, in a fir green basic paint scheme from era IV as it looked in operation around 1932. The locomotive operated in this condition until 1938. Era II.

Gotthard Giants We are in Switzerland in the early 1920s, a time when the consequences of armed conflicts had left their mark on Europe. However, it marked the dawn of a new era, including for the railroads in the Swiss Confederation. The country’s most important transit line – which runs through the wild Gotthard region – had been equipped with catenary wires since 1920, a situation that called for new locomotives. And thus were born the legendary Crocodiles, a new breed of loco that eclipsed everything that had gone before. The Gotthard Railway, the “queen of the Alpine railroads,“ could now be overcome much more easily with these legendary reptiles, three of which were initially procured. The unique route of this majestic mountain railroad, with its helical tunnels and mighty bridges, has lost none of its fascination to this day. Nevertheless, even the Crocodiles cowered slightly when confronted with the challenges it posed, although the locos were subsequently optimized. Since train loads had become heavier and heavier, cumbersome multiple traction working, which was anything but efficient, was the order of the day for express and freight trains. It was time to consider alternatives with regard to traction. Numerous studies indicated that it should be possible to overcome the problem with double locomotives. However, several years passed before the prototypes ordered by the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) in 1929 saw the light of day. They were also intended for use on passenger services and were therefore required to reach speeds of up to 100 km/h / 62 mph on flatter routes. With this in mind, the renowned locomotive manufacturer SLM in Winterthur produced two technically different versions: The first of these, the class Ae 8/14 double locomotive, road number 11801, was built in 1931, followed by road number 11851 in 1932. Since eight of the total of 14 axles were drive axles, the locos were appropriately named “8/14”. Whereas road number 11801 used a Buchli drive, like the proven class Ae 4/7 loco, road number 11851 was equipped with the SLM universal drive. Apart from the characteristic Buchli drive, there were few external differences between the two machines. The goal was to find the best possible form of propulsion that would form the basis for series procurement. The two giants immediately set about conquering the Gotthard – a test that they passed with flying colors. The SBB was delighted with these two monster machines, which tipped the scales at 240 and 246 metric tons / 264 and 271 short tons respectively and were an impressive sight. Modifications made to road number 11851 in 1961 gave the machine a completely new appearance. Since the class Ae 6/6 loco had begun its triumphant advance in the 1950s, a decision was taken to adapt the angular face of the green Gotthard giant to resemble that of a class Ae 6/6. The result appealed to some but not to others, but ultimately, there is no accounting for taste. According to those in the know, the machine allegedly covered exactly 5,326,971 kilometers / 3,310,025 miles before it rolled onto the siding in December 1976 and was scrapped soon afterwards. In 1939, the class Ae 8/14, road number 11852, became the third loco to join the group. It was first unveiled at the Swiss National Exhibition, which led to its nickname “LandiLok”. Its gently streamlined design gave it a rather elegant appearance, and it officially entered service on September 1, 1940. With a top speed of 110 km/h / 68 mph, it raised the output benchmark to an impressive 8,160 kW, a figure that was unsurpassed in Switzerland for many years until Stadler produced an even more powerful machine with the Euro 9000. Unfortunately, it was the only one of its siblings to be involved in no less than two accidents. While the first one was relatively minor, the second involved a full-blown inferno in the machine room of locomotive half II and ended its career. After being externally restored to its original condition, it spent several years as an exhibit at the Swiss Museum of Transport. Since 2024, it has been back at home, safely stored in what was once its home depot in Erstfeld at the foot of the Gotthard ramp. These magnificent masterpieces of the model-making art will keep the history of the legendary class Ae 8/14 alive forever and will allow their proud owners to immerse themselves in the glorious era of these giants.