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Friday, 17 May 2019

1004) "Crocodile" Locomotives, Switzerland: Centenary Celebration: Swiss Mint issues a 50 Francs Commemorative Gold Coin; Coin release date 09.05.2019:

1004) "Crocodile" Locomotives, Switzerland: Centenary Celebration: Swiss Mint issues a 50 Francs Commemorative Gold Coin; Coin release date 09.05.2019:

The famous Ce 6/8 II Electric Locomotives, (nicknamed the "Crocodiles") is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2019.

The "Crocodiles" are more than just "Old Locomotives" for many people and not just for the Swiss Railway enthusiasts. They combine   Swiss cultural heritage with lively enthusiasm for a technical masterpiece which was created 100 years ago.

The powerful "Crocodiles" are among the Swiss Federal Railway's (SBB's) most durable locomotives.

In the spring of 1918, the SBB ordered ten "heavy mountain freight locomotives" from the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Factory (SLM) for use at the Gotthard. The specifications for these Electric Locomotives stipulated that they could cover the Goldau-Chiasso route twice within 28 hours with a train of 860t trailer weight. The special brief about the construction of the "Crocodiles" was the movable bearing bearing between the drive frames and the locomotive box.

For more on the recently issued Silver Coin on the Gotthard Base tunnel from the collection of my friend Jayant Biswas, please visit the following link:


Between 1919 and 1921, the Series was increased to 33 units. The demands on the Electric Freight Locomotives for the mountain route were enormous.

The Rolling stock of the "Crocodile" locomotives included:

Ce 6/8 II 14253 (year of construction - 1919)

Ce 6/8 III 14305 (1925)

Ce 6/8 III 13302 (1922)

After the "Crocodiles" at the Gotthard were replaced by the more powerful locomotives in the mid-1950s, they took over the transport of gravel trains weighing up to 1,200 tonnes in the Mittelland region. Some Locomotives have been preserved in working order by SSB as a fond memory of this old "work-horse"

SBB Historic offers special trips with the "Crocodile" , and the old Electric Locomotive can also be seen in the Swiss Museum of Transport.

The Commemorative Gold Coin:

Swissmint has honoured the 100th anniversary of the "Crocodile" locomotive with the issue of a Gold 50 Franc Commemorative Coin which is available to collectors wef 09.05.2019:

The Obverse and Reverse of the 50 Franc Gold Coin placed against a background image of a "Crocodile" locomotive plying the Gotthard tunnel route, with its three headlights turned on at full beam
The Reverse of the Gold 50 Franc Commemorative Coin shows a "Ce 6/8 II" Locomotive. The inscriptions include "1919-2019" and the name of the designer "R. Schenker"
The Obverse of the Gold 500 Franc Coin shows the name of the issuing country "CONFEDERATIO HELVETICA", year of issue "2019", Denomination of the Coin "50 FR" and the mint mark "B" of the Berne Mint

 The specifications of this Gold Coin are:

Country of issue: Switzerland; Denomination: 50 Swiss Franc; Metal Composition: .900 Fineness Gold (Ag); Weight: 11.29 grams; Diameter/Size: 25.0 mm; Mint: Berne, Mint, Switzerland; Mintage: 5,000 pieces; Designer: Raphael Schenker; Year of issue: 2019.

An enlarged frame of the "Crocodile" Locomotive as engraved on the Gold 50 Franc Coin showing the finer details of the Locomotive

A Crocodile Locomotive hauling a Freight Train through the Gotthard Base Tunnel







Some other interesting posts on Coins and Banknotes from Switzerland on this Blog:






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