They originally had a claret livery, which was an exception at that time (most other SBB-CFF-FFS vehicles had the same green livery). They got the nickname "Golden Coast Express" ("Goldküstenexpress"), due to their service on the Golden Coast (which is the northern waterside of the lake of Zurich, known for its high land prices, thus attracting mainly wealthy levels of the population).
For the introduction of more frequent service (every half an hour) on the "Golden Coast Line" ("Goldküstenlinie") Zürich–Meilen–Rapperswil, 20 electric multiple units RABDe 12/12 were put into service in 1967 to be able to maintain the tight schedule with the frequent stops. They consist of two second class end cars and a first class car with mail compartment in between.