Virtual Railfan Tour of Switzerland - Friday - Waldenburgerbahn
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The Waldenburgerbahn runs from Liestal, on the mainline just south of Basel to Waldenburg. It has the unusual gauge 750 mm gauge which is not used elsewhere in Switzerland on a regular railway operation. The trains run on 1500V DC. The line is now part of the Basel regional transport system and the seven trains, built between 1985 and 1993 are nearing the end of their useful life. It would be uneconomic to buy brand new equipment for this gauge and so the decision has been taken to change the gauge to meter, improve the trackage to allow more frequent operation and provide new trains, presumably similar to those used in Basel. This work is due to be completed in 2023 so let us enjoy the old 750 gauge system.
Trains start from a stub end platform in Liestal with a cross platform transfer. On the left can be seen the work already in hand to expand the Liestal station.
This video contains a complete cab ride over the entire line, It also contains a useful map.
Note at the start out of Liestal we are overtaken by a Hupac train of trucks complete with a sleeping car for the drivers. Note also the spring switches at the crossing places with the train forcing the blades over as it passes through.
Approaching Talhaus from Liestal
Until recently 0-6-0T steam locomotive #5 of 1902 was used on infrequent excursions over the line. With the imminent change of gauge this will be impossible in future so the locomotive has been retired in this purpose-built building at Talhaus. Unfortunately it is impossible to take photos through the glass.
Waldenburgerbahn locomotive #6 of 1912 is housed in the Transport Museum near Luzern
Approaching Talhaus from the Waldenburg direction.
For most of its length the line is a roadside tramway although there are some sections of reserved right of way. Oberdorf is a good place to stop as it is possible to get lunch and sit at a table in the window to observe the passing trains.
Waldenburg
Waldenburg is where the shops and storage are located
At Waldenburg we have two options. We can take the Post Bus over to Balsthal where we can catch the standard gauge Oesingen -Balsthal Bahn to the main line network at Oesingen
The other option is to return to Liestal. This video runs in the opposite direction to the one above. As we run into Liestal there is a long freight train on the adjacent track.
Zurich Hauptbahnhof Paul has prepared some extensive notes and photos of the Zurich Hauptbahnhof. This will be in several parts. The busiest station in Switzerland is Zurich Hauptbahnhof (Zurich HB) which is used primarily by the SBB. It has 26 tracks serving almost 3000 trains daily and it is one of the busiest stations in the world. It was built in the 1870s and is a main shopping destination as well as a transport hub. There are three levels for platforms and the "Shopville" shopping plaza. The river Sihl river passes right through the station with platforms passing above and below the river. This shows the general layout of the station with the surrounding tram tracks shown in purple Tracks 3 to 18 are terminal tracks located at ground level, served by two side platforms and seven island platforms. These are used by long-distance trains from throughout Switzerland, and by international trains. Tracks 21 and 22 are underground terminal tracks, served by a single island
Flytoget at Oslo Central I caught a Flytoget express train to Oslo airport. These run every ten minutes throughout the day. Every other one stops at Lillestrom which was convenient as Paul joined me there, (he was staying at a nearby Lillestrom hotel). This is a high speed train which runs from the airport to Oslo Central station in 20 minutes. The trains are frequently crowded. This is an excellent service. Compare this to the "service" OC Transpo will be providing to Ottawa airport. A diesel train a couple of stops to the Trillium line, change to another diesel train to Bayview, then change to the electric Confederation line to get downtown. Tourists are going to love this with their large cases. We took a KLM flight to Amsterdam where we changed to a KLM flight to Montreal and finally the KLM bus to Ottawa. We had anticipated some problems in Amsterdam with a relatively short transfer but everything worked out to the minute. The cabin crew on the flight from Oslo were g
The weather here is atrocious cool and wet with heavy rain at times. I bought a 24 hour local transport pass at the tourist office. This allows me to travel around for 24 hours. I first had a look at the Central Station. The older units make quite a bit of noise Some cars are for people who need to buy a ticket. I then started to ride a few trams. Routes 12 and 19 seemed the most promising. I started with the 19 route and rode it out to the end at Majorstuen and then back through town but the trams were not running beyond Oslo Hospital because of track work. I then decided to sample route 12 which I rode out to Majorstuen and then back all the way to Kjelsas. This is a delightful ride. It runs close to the water then along major parks as well as climbing quite high at Kjelsas which gives good views over the city. At Majorstuen route 12 trams become route 11 and vice versa. Route at at Central Station route 12 at Majorstuen Route 11 at Kjelsas My day went well although the weather was a
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