Les locomotives Ae 3/6 I

All Swiss rail enthusiasts are familiar with SBB's famous Ae 3/6 I, equipped with the Buchli transmission. Built by SLM between 1920 and 1929 for the mechanical part, they received their electrical equipment from BBC, MFO and SAAS, depending on the order. Over the years, a number of improvements were made, notably increasing power output from 1450 to 1600 kW. Differences also existed in the electrical equipment: some series had a manual main switch, while others used a servomotor for engagement and a relay for disengagement. Thanks to their excellent running qualities, maximum speed was raised in 1929 from 90 to 100 km/h, then, for the most powerful machines (from 10637 onwards), to 110 km/h after modification of the carrying bogie. Initially painted brown, they adopted the green SBB livery between 1930 and 1956. They were phased out of service between 1974 and 1994.