Ae 3/5 # 10217 from Olten made a visit at the Huttwil steam days this weekend and pulled some extra trains. From the SBB Historic Website: The Ae 3/5 # 10217 from the Ae 3/5 # 10201-10226 series (26 locomotives): In 1920, the SBB ordered the first six of these short and comparatively light Ae 3/5s. The Ateliers de Sécheron S.A. SAAS supplied the electrical equipment, the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works SLM the mechanical part.
SAAS installed the rodless Westinghouse single-wheel drives, for which SAAS had acquired a license for Switzerland from the American Westinghouse Electric Corporation. SAAS also used the same drive for the Be 4/7 and the Ae 3/6 III, which were already under construction.
The very short design of this locomotive type resulted in uneven running, especially at higher speeds. It also showed unfavorable behavior in tight curves. The originally required maximum speed of 90 km/h for express trains was therefore only rarely used at first and use on lines with tight curves was avoided as far as possible. However, as the electrification of the rail network progressed, more and more new areas of use opened up on the Central Plateau. In 1957, all Westinghouse-powered locomotives were brought together at the Bern depot.
Some Ae 3/5s (Nos. 10218-10226) were prepared for car trains on the Gotthard and Simplon, where they ran car trains from 1964. Their service on the Gotthard ended in 1980 with the opening of the road tunnel.
The remaining Ae 3/5s were used for a wide variety of purposes until 1983, when the robust Ae 3/5s, which were unpopular with crews due to their poor running characteristics, were all taken out of service. Only the Ae 3/5 10217 still exists and is operational based in Olten, maintained and operated by association "Team 10439".
