What the future holds for us, what moves us
RTE 49,910 Maintenance of historic vehicles
The technology in historic vehicles is less and less familiar to today's experts. After preliminary work in committees of historic vehicle owners, the Association of Public Transport (VöV) and important VöV members were persuaded to write an RTE (Rules for Railway Technology) together with members of HECH.
The technical know-how of (Swiss) railroad experts is recorded in an RTE. An RTE is practice-oriented and defines / describes the applicable state of the art. The work could be started at the end of 2021. The first reading (review / proofreading by those affected in Switzerland) was started on December 21, 2023; responses to RTE@voev.ch are expected by February 17, 2024.
Experts wanted
The necessary professionals are becoming fewer and fewer. Leisure habits have changed. Many capable interested parties want to join in from time to time, but do not want to make a permanent commitment.
Train protection
Today's rail traffic is many times denser than it used to be. The safety systems are becoming increasingly complex. The monitoring of a train journey is becoming ever more closely meshed. The necessary equipment and precautions are not available on historic vehicles and in many cases cannot be retrofitted. Historic vehicles often run at lower speeds. Historic traffic on main roads is difficult, historic traffic is being squeezed out. Some of the authorities would rather see us actively operating in operational islands, away from the main routes.
Maintenance costs a lot of money
The maintenance of historic vehicles is cost-intensive. Generating the necessary financial resources is very challenging. Historic rail vehicles are cultural assets and deserve public funding and support. The positioning as a cultural asset should also help to facilitate public support.