RENFE Talgo III RD TEE Set, "Catalan Talgo". ARNOLD HN4510

RENFE Talgo III RD TEE Set, "Catalan Talgo", in original livery (red/silver).

Full composition consisting of eight cars.

Historical review of RENFE's "Catalan Talgo"

The Talgo III units were the first bi-directional ones, thanks to a modification of the guidance system. The Talgo III carried the weight of RENFE's high-quality long-distance services for more than 30 years. This train was equipped with individual air conditioning and heating units for each car, in addition to the technical improvement that the composition was completely independent of the locomotive and was, for the first time, 'reversible' and 'separable'.

In 1968, Talgo took advantage of its unique independent wheel architecture to build variable-gauge trains: the Talgo III RD (Rodadura Desplazable / Shiftable Rolling).

It was the first train capable of running on tracks of different gauges without changing axles and without losing long periods of time in adapting to the new gauge. This was achieved simply by passing through a fully mechanical installation where the wheel-retaining locks are released, the wheel is pushed to the new track gauge, and the locks are put back in place. This train, unlike the Talgo III, is completely independent of the locomotive except for the guidance of the first bogie. This independence was achieved by converting the end cars into generator vans, which provide the necessary power for the entire composition.

The first application of the Talgo III RD was for the Catalan - Talgo, which covered the Barcelona-Geneva route and allowed, for the first time, to exit through the northern Spanish border without the need to change trains or change the wheelsets of the cars. The Catalan - Talgo was one of the trains chosen for the select TEE Trans Europe Express club, which linked the main European capitals. In its early days and while serving the TEE club, this train did not have second-class seating, with the entire train being made up of first-class seats. The Talgo III RD was the first Talgo train to feature sleeping berths.