Virtual Railfan Tour of Switzerland - Tuesday - Trip Up The Jungfraujoch

Today we have a blog prepared by a special guest Martin Cobb.

Our destination today is the Jungfrau, or more precisely the Jungfraujoch. This railway station is within the mountain between the peaks of the Monch and Jungfrau mountains and at 9,500 feet it is the highest railway station in Europe.

As with our journey to Grindelwald last week, we begin the trip from Interlaken and initially follow the same route up the valley until the routes diverge and, while the valley to the left leads to Grindelwald, we branch off to the right and continue to Lauterbrunnen.

Both the trains from Interlaken are operated by the Berner Oberland Bahn (BOB). Reaching Lauterbrunnen we have to change trains to the Wengeralpbahn (WAB) before continuing on to Kleine Scheidegg where another train change is needed; this time to the Jungfraubahn (JB). While it would be highly desirable to have a continuous operation on this route, different track gauges and rolling stock do not allow this to occur.

BOB is metre gauge on 1500 V DC using the Von Roll rack system 

JB is metre gauge on 1125V 50 hz three phase using the Strub rack (double overhead wires)

WAB is 800mm gauge on 1500V DC using the Riggenbach rack system

Lauterbrunnen is situated in a U shaped valley carved out over the centuries by glaciers and, with waterfalls cascading down the towering mountains on both sides, the scenery is dramatic. Here we see the WAB train beginning its run down the valley.

After a few minutes it completely reverses direction and starts to climb up the side of the valley towards the interim station stop at Wengen

Arriving in Kleine Scheidegg we finally catch a glimpse of our destination – the small “bump” between the towering peaks of the Monch (on the left) and the Jungfrau (on the right).

Kleine Scheidegg

Jungfraujoch train seen from Kleine Scheidegg about to enter the tunnel

This last stage of the journey quickly goes into a tunnel and the rest of the trip continues in darkness until a brief stop at the Eigerwand station. Here everyone gets off, walks down a short tunnel to see the view from the north face of the Eiger.

The thick glass that covers this vantage point does not obscure the vista that stretches away in the distance.

Finally we reach the Jungfraujoch and this is the Sphynx observatory that sits above the station and is reached by an elevator inside the mountain. The views from the deck above the restaurant and the balcony surrounding the building permit views in every direction, including the peaks of the Monch and Jungfrau on either side.

This is the Aletsch glacier, which at 13.5 miles long is the longest in Switzerland. A tunnel leading off from the station itself allows access to the outside terrain and walks up to a lodge/restaurant situated some thousand feet or so further up.

For the trip back to Interlaken you have the option of travelling back to Kleine Scheidegg and then taking a different train across the plateau and eventually down into Grindelwald. As the platform sign shows, the track on the left is the arriving route from Kleine Scheidegg and that to the right is the departing line for Interlaken.

Another option to be considered on your return trip is to walk part of the route. This is easily undertaken as there are a number of intermediate stations back to Interlaken where you can get off and back on again depending upon your stamina. Walking and hiking are very popular activities in Switzerland and as a consequence, the routes are well marked. Directions identify the time it takes to walk to the next section rather than the distance involved. At times the routes seem to be going through someone’s property

 

…or you are just feel you are lost in the woods. However, it always works out well and you return to civilization in one piece.

Many thanks indeed for this Martin. Glad we returned to civilization in one piece.