Read all about it! Stadler publishes its history
Stadler has taken its 80th anniversary as an opportunity to publish a new book about its history – which also represents a piece of Swiss railway history in general. The entertaining book, “Stadler – Von Bussnang in die Welt” (Stadler – from Bussnang to the world) with its stories about Stadler is a valuable complement to the publication “Stadler – Von der Stollenlokomotive zum Doppelstockzug” (Stadler – from the mining locomotive to the double-decker train) by author Theo Weiss, which was published in 2010 and is now out of print.
Switzerland’s railway industry was once world-leading. Today it is again. Impressive names such as SLM or Sécheron, SIG or MFO are long gone, but with Stadler, another name has now moved into the consciousness of the railway world. During the Second World War, Ernst Stadler founded an engineering company that established itself as a small niche player in the Swiss railway market before going on to write a unique chapter in Swiss industrial history from 1989 onwards. In this richly illustrated book of almost 300 pages, author Philipp Landmark does not claim to provide a complete account of the entire Stadler history. Instead, he uses individual stories to illustrate a series of essential developments that, taken together, have made Stadler what it is today. This makes the new book the ideal complement to the publication “Stadler – Von der Stollenlokomotive zum Doppelstockzug”, which came out in 2010. Author Theo Weiss took a more technical and chronological approach to his volume, which is now out of print.
The decisive turn of events in 1989 is of course not neglected in the new book: Peter Spuhler, who was just 30 years old at the time, acquired the company and its then 18 employees; soon Stadler had developed the articulated railcar (GTW), its first own train. It became a bestseller and Stadler’s rapid expansion began. The small train manufacturer in the tranquil Thurgau town of Bussnang has long since become a globally active company with a bestseller in the form of the FLIRT model, which can be configured as a regional or as an Intercity train. And a company that offers a comprehensive portfolio of vehicles ranging from metros and trams for urban centres to high-speed trains and powerful mainline locomotives. Nevertheless, the tailor-made approach remains deeply anchored in Stadler’s consciousness: if the vehicle required by the customer does not yet exist, it is developed.
The new book is now available in the webshop at stadlerrail.shop for 55 CHF.
