Talk:SBB-CFF-FFS RBDe 560

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Initial article creation[edit]

I translated most of this page from the german version. There is still a little bit left to do which I will attend to shortly. --Cacetudo 00:44, 30 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Locomotive or electric multiple unit?[edit]

A question to native english speakers: Would you rather call this vehicle a locomotive or an electric multiple unit? I'd vote for the latter, but as my native language is not english, this doesn't really prove anything... --Kabelleger 08:05, 30 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Technically speaking it's not an EMU because it's not a multiple unit. The only powered part of these NPZ trainsets (RBDe 560 + Bt) is the RBDe 560. In any case, this article is not about the NPZ trainset or the driving van trailer (DVT), but about the RBDe 560. The literal translation of Triebwagen is motor car. I do think the term locomotive is also appropriate; it just happens to have room for passengers. --Cacetudo 13:29, 30 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your explanation. I was aware of the issue concerning the term multiple unit, that's what got me confused in the first place, but "locomotive" sounded kind of wrong to me. Anyway, "motor car" does not seem to be used too often? Wikipedia even links it to "automobile"... And yes by the way, thanks for your effort in translating SBB-CFF-FFS related articles. It is also a big help for me to see how it should be done, especially concerning the technical terminology. --Kabelleger 18:35, 30 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, this is a tricky translation to make correctly. Perhaps power car is better, but it still doesn't translate perfectly. There is/was a class of similar vehicles in the US that were self-powered passenger cars: the Budd RDC. Nowadays the same kind of train is called a "multiple unit". If you have a look at the Multiple unit article, in the "EMU Features" section you'll find that it's defined to be the whole trainset, including powered and unpowered vehicles. The Deutscher Triebwagen article, under Definitionen, says that a Triebwagen is a single, powered car that can be operated as a train alone or with a Steuerwagen and/or intermediate cars. Using that line of thought would lead to the reasoning that the RBe 540 is a Triebwagen and a locomotive but that the RBDe 560 is a Triebzug (EMU), and not a locomotive, because it needs a Steuerwagen to operate in push-pull mode. Therefore, I will change the type back to EMU, even though the RBDe 560 is technically capable of operating as a standalone locomotive (and, of course, does provide motive power). Triebwagen may be the best term for it anyway. Thanks for bringing this up.

I'm going to see what else I can do to translate the SBB stuff from German into English. There's not much in English right now, and a lot of stuff is available in German, and a lot of images are on the commons. I see you've done a lot yourself in English; by all means continue to do so. English ist meine muttersprache, so I can fix grammar etc. from translations very quickly (so please don't worry about being perfect). --Cacetudo 22:43, 30 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]