'The
William Tell Express' was one of the options for this day and it seemed
to majority of passengers came along. We were in for a great day out in
Switzerland, a country where it seems you can't go wrong !
'The
William Tell Express'
Friday May 30 2003
|
'The
William Tell Express' was one of the options for this day and it seemed
to majority of passengers came along. We were in for a great day out in
Switzerland, a country where it seems you can't go wrong ! |
Our instructions for the day were to be at Mulhouse station by 08:30 to catch train number RE96203, the 08:42, service from Mulhouse to the Swiss border town of Basle (Bale in French). The organisers were a bit thin on the ground at the specified time so en masse we made our way to the appropriate platform to wait for the train. Eventually the organisers arrived but Mike Hedderly left it until the last few seconds to get on to the platform and the train. We thought he was going to miss it !
Train RE96203 ran punctually to Basle with just one stop en route at Sainte Louis. As seems common these days when entering Switzerland the border formalities (Switzerland not being part of the EU) were almost nonexistent. We now had some time to wait until train 1667, the 09:52 that was heading to Chaisso but would take us as far at Lucerne. Good use was made of this time to get some Swiss Francs and have a look at the station frontage, the trams and the activity at the station. Being a major station in Switzerland there always seemed to be something coming or going. This is a real railway not ruined by rationalisation and cost cutting in the name of efficiency.
The entrance to Basle SBB station with a tram approaching the tram station which is behind the camera. May 30 2003
A lengthy French bound freight train, hauled by 20207, approaches Basle station from the huge yards to the east. May 30 2003
Train 1667 set off punctually from Basle for the picturesque run via the new line to Olten and on to Lucerne. The trip took very slightly longer than scheduled, but not enough to warrant a national incident. From the station at Lucerne it was a short walk across to the paddle steamer Stadt Lucerne for the 11:20 trip over Lake Lucerne to Vitznau, home of the Vitznau Rigi Bahn. This lovely steam ship naturally departed on time !
Sunny, and warm, Lucerne seen from the steam ship Stadt Luzern prior to departure for Verkehrshaus-Lido, Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock, Weggis and Vitznau. May 30 2003
This view of Lucerne shows a bit more of the town including the wooden Kapellbrücke (Chapel bridge) which dates from 1333. On the hill above the town is the Hotel Château Gütsch which has its own funicular railway for access, and it's not the only hotel in Lucerne to have one ! May 30 2003
This is a view of the eastern side of Lucerne with more expensive hotels and the Abbey Court church. May 30 2003
These pictures were taken from the top deck of the ship which turned out to be the first class section. When the conductor came around it was agreed those of us that wanted to stay up on this deck could pay a supplement. As there were quite a few of us we sat tight and waited to be charged. However this never happened ! This was not to be the first bit of Swiss first class travel we got at second class prices.
A longer distance view back in to Lucerne. May 30 2003
The lake is not surprisingly a popular destination for those enjoying water sports. With weather and scenery like this it is not hard to see why ! May 30 2003
As we headed further out in to the lake Mount Pilatus came in to full view. Pilatus is the home of the world's steepest rack railway which has a maximum gradient of 1 in 2 ! May 30 2003
Rigi Kulm, our destination for the day, is the lefthand mountain. It stands 6000 feet high. May 30 2003
Almost at Vitznau the view down the lake takes in the some of the many mountains that make up the Swiss Alps. May 30 2003
The above map shows the routes up the Rigi by rail and cable car along with some of the ferry routes. Click here or on the map to open to larger version in a new window (260Kb).
Arrival at Vitznau was punctual and gave a good view of steam locomotive for the day No. 16 coming off shed ready to propel our specially charter train up the mountain. Due to restricted space Vitznau station stands at almost 90° to the depot. To allow stock between the two a large electrically operated turntable is in use.
As we arrived at Vitznau locomotive number 16 was being readied to propel our two coach train to Rigi Kulm. May 30 2003
No.16 had two vehicles to push up the mountain, the leading vehicle dating from the early days of the other railway to Rigi Kulm, the Arth Rigi Bahn. The Vitznau Rigi Bahn and Arth Rigi Bahn merged to form one company in 1992, the Rigi Bahnen. The Vitznau Rigi Bahn was the first rack railway to open in Switzerland back in 1871 to Staffelhöhe and finally to Rigi Kulm in 1873. Opening of the the line was inspired by the already operating Mount Washington Cog Railway in the USA. It is, I believe, unique to Swiss mountain railways in that it is laid to standard gauge. The line uses the Riggenbach rack system.
Our special train depart punctually from Vitznau at 12:40, with an arrival at Rigi Kulm summit scheduled for 14:05. This is clearly a much longer journey than the 30 minutes offered by the electrics. They can run considerably faster than the two remaining steam locomotives (the other being No.17.) However to fit our train in between the regular trains did mean several extended pathing stops. The first of these was at Freibergen.
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During
the stop at Freibergen a hammer was taken to a sticking clack valve. May
30 2003 |
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The
fantastic view from Freibergen looking towards Vitznau, which is hidden.
The views were only to get better ! May 30 2003 |
The stop at Freibergen was arranged to allow a service to the summit to overtake. On the left the overtaking service heads up hill. On the right is an older electric that had run up the grade in front of us but was now to return to Vitznau. May 30 2003
From Freibergen to Rigi Kaltbad the line is double track with uphill trains operating on the lefthand line. On arrival at Rigi Kaltbad it was time for another pathing stop which gave time to admire the views and the locomotive.
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An
extended stop for a crossing was made at Rigi Kaltbad allowing a look
around to be had. This was the view down over Lake Lucerne. May 30 2003
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Vitznau Rigi Bahn No.16 during the pathing stop at Rigi Kaltbad. May 30 2003
The business side of rack tank No.16 seen at Rigi Kaltbad. May 30 2003
Vitznau Rigi Bahn No.16 during the stop at Rigi Kaltbad. A narrow gauge line used to run off from here across the mountain. The metre gauge Rigi Scheidegg Bahn ran for 6.7km route between 1874 to 1931. May 30 2003
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This
line uses the Riggenbach type rack. This is what one of the points looks
like at Rigi Kaltbad. May 30 2003 |
At Rigi Kaltbad a downhill train, coming down the single track section from Staffel, passed us before we headed on up the line. It was on this section that the views really opened out and, on occasions, the line got extremely close to the edge (as all rack railways have to !)