Freundeskreis Eisenbahn Köln

The founding members came together on 3 December 1955 as a group of people sharing their passion for the railway. A pivotal moment arrived in 1970, when the association acquired four former Rheingold carriages from the Deutsche Bundesbahn. By then the railway had converted these once-luxurious cars into ordinary first-class express carriages or excursion coaches — so their historic character had to be restored from scratch.

The members put in around 2,300 hours of work to return the four carriages to their original outward appearance: the distinctive beige-and-violet livery with golden pinstripes, along with raised lettering and the Reichsbahn eagle. A reconstruction of the interiors had to be foregone for cost reasons. Later, further vehicles joined the fleet — carriages from the 1962 Rheingold as well as additional TEE cars that are easier to maintain and more flexible for international use, including one of the panorama coaches. The restored carriages still travel across Europe today. Sourcing spare parts, however, increasingly challenges the association, for instance when it comes to wheelsets or brake shoes.

The FEK couples a wide range of motive power to its historic carriages. These include the classic steam locomotives of classes 01 and 18, but also less common examples such as the older electric locomotives of the Extertalbahn or a class 89 steam engine. Well-known machines from European railway administrations are added to the mix, keeping the make-up of the trains varied.

Alongside the library, the clubhouse in Cologne-Nippes houses a small museum telling the story of the Rheingold train. Since the FEK is a volunteer-run association rather than a permanently open public museum, a visit is most likely possible in connection with the association's activities and special events.