Day 6 Monday - Rigi Rack Railway, Stoosbahn Funicular and a cruise on Lake Luzern

Our train, on the right, at Arth Goldau, ready to leave

The train from Zurich was very full. It was one of the Gottardo trains in two sections, the rear one being detached at Arth Goldau. There were at least a hundred school children all with scooters going up and down the platform looking for their reservation. They all got off at Arth Goldau and luckily transferred to the train to Bellinzona. 

We got out at Arth Goldau also and went to the Rigibahn station. This was the first rack railway and it is built to standard gauge, using the Riggenbach rack system. Again this two car train was full there being a school party of about twenty kids and there were also a large number of hikers some of whom detrained part way up the line. The ride up the Rigi is very pleasant passing farming areas pretty much all the way to the top but interspersed with dense forest. In all cases the hillside's are steep and many of the farms and other buildings are built into the mountain itself. There are several waterfalls. 

The sound of cow bells carried a long way

On the right is one of the new cars just put into service running from Vitznau

At the summit (Rigi Kulm) the views were clear across to several mountain ranges although there was lots of clouds below us over Lake Lucerne. There was a hawk hovering over the station area completely stationary. 

We caught a pretty empty train back down the hill to Arth Goldau. We passed several trains coming up, all of them completely full and a couple with school parties. One of the up trains had a van on a flat car on the front. There was a Rigi employee in the cab of the van presumably to act as a lookout

At Arth Goldau we transferred quickly to a train to Schwyz and found our connecting local bus in the station forecourt. The Swiss certainly make things easy for strangers. The bus took us to the base of the Stoosbahn. Our Swiss travel passes gave us free travel on this funicular (as well as on the Rigi). The Stoosbahn has only been open for a short while and it builds itself as the steepest funicular in the world. This must be true if it were any steeper it would be billed as an elevator. There are four compartments to each car the compartments being cylindrical and they revolve so that the floor is always level regardless of the angle at which the car is moving. This can be a little disconcerting until one realizes what is happening and one can then start to enjoy the spectacular views. Part of this is through tunnel and of course there is a passing loop in the center. The top is very much like a building site or somewhere in process of reconstruction. It will be worth visiting in a few years time when much of the concrete and cement mixers and works have been completed.

We purchased Magnums to celebrate our visit to the Stoos but quickly took the next car down and were able to catch a bus within about ten minutes getting us back into town in good time.

There was a delay in departure of our bus at Stoos while a lady speaking Russian or Polish argued with the driver and then paid her fare with a CHF200 note.

After spending a little time at Schwyz which was not good for train watching because of the construction going on in the station area, we went on to Brunnen which would have been good for train watching had there been a few trains. Having seen a couple of freight trains we walked through the town and took a lake steamer over to Luzern. 

This is a relaxing way to travel although on this occasion the boat was crowded even in first class. Even so the couple of hours passed peacefully, watching the shore scenery and enjoying the hustle and bustle of the several locations where we called. 

At Luzern we caught a train back to Zurich. It was a sixteen car train of long cars. The walk up to the second car from the front took seven or eight minutes. At least we didn't have so far to walk when we arrived.

In the station we found the Re 460 which had been specially decorated to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the first timetabled train.

Click here to see all pictures taken on the Stoosbahn

https://www.flickr.com/photos/colinchurcher/albums/72177720301684669

Click here to see all pictures taken on the Rigibahn

https://www.flickr.com/photos/colinchurcher/albums/72177720301684574