Belgium: WL P 4501 - 4580

UIC / EVN numbering: 51 66 06-50

Railway companies: CIWL - The International Sleeping-Car and European Great Expresses Company

Display technical details

In service:

from 1955

Era:

III

Built by:

Gauge:

Standard gauge (1'435 mm)

Length over buffers (mm):

24'000 mm

Width (mm):

2'865 mm

Height (mm | over lowered pantograph):

4'253 mm

Service weight (t):

43 t

Bogies:

Schlieren N2

Wheel diameter (x'xxx,xx | mm | new / worn):

960 mm

Display registration numbers

1955

The 80x units from this series, designed by M. Albert Pillepich (CIWL Chief Engineer at the time, the cars are designated as type P in his honour), are built under licence from Budd (Philadelphia, USA) between 1954 and 1956, as following:
- units 4501 - 4525 are built by Nivelles metallurgical workshops;
- units 4526 - 4550 are built by Carel Fouché establishments;
- units 4551 - 4565 are built by Ansaldo Transports;
- units 4566 - 4580 are built by FIAT.

The bodywork is built entirely of stainless steel, which gave them a peculiar look (although quite common in North America, corrugated stainless steel passenger cars are comparatively rare in Europe). They are equipped with heating and ventilation but there is no air conditioning. There are two toilets in the corridor. Access doors are installed only at one end of the car.

Sources: https://ec64.pagesperso-orange.fr/CIWL.htm

1971

By 1971, CIWL rolling stock becomes aged and outdated and the renovation and replacement needed is beyond the company's available financial ressources. Thus they give up operating their own coaches (although they continue to provide the staff and other services like laundry) and these are sold or rented to national railway companies in France, Italy, Switzerland, Western Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Spain. At the same time, an international sleeping car pool named TEN (Trans Euro Night) is founded and it takes over and manages many of the sleeping cars.

The 80x units from this series are divided as follows:
- units 4501 - 4520 are transferred to National Network of Spanish Railways - Renfe where they continue to be registered as WL P 4501 - 4520;
- units 4521 - 4551 and 4567 - 4574 are transferred to the French National Railway Company - SNCF where they are registered WL P 75-41 711 - 749;
- units 4552 - 4566 are transferred to the Italian State Railways - FS where they are registered WL P 75-41 750 - 764;
- units 4575 - 4580 are transferred to the French National Railway Company - SNCF to be used for the TEN pool parc and are registered WL P 75-40 701 - 706.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compagnie_Internationale_des_Wagons-Lits

Latest update on the 24th of July 2021 at 21:55

Contributor(s): Tudor C.

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