From
1957, the SBB built freight train escort cars of the Db type. The cars were
colloquially known as Sputniks by the staff. The cars rolled at the end of the
train and were manned by staff whose job it was to control and observe the
freight train during the journey. The cars were made from old passenger cars.
They had a double bench seat from 3rd class cars, a gas heater and a toilet
cabin. As the car did not have a water tank, the toilet had to be flushed with a
bucket of water. In addition to the SBB, the BLS and SOB also had identical
Sputniks. In the 1980s, escort of freight trains was gradually reduced and their
use ended in the early 1990s.
Later
on, the Sputniks were also used for other purposes, such as as coupling cars for
the SBB EW III, which had a central buffer coupling, or for individual areas of
the construction service.
The TSC
AddOn has four versions. An SBB version in green and an SBB version "aged". The
package also includes an SOB and a BLS version.