Day 9 Thursday - The Furka Oberalp Steam Railway
Today we had reservations on the Furka Oberalp Steam Railway. We had to leave Zurich early on a train to Arth Goldau and change for Goshenon in the Gotthard (passing the famous church at Wassen three times). We then changed to the narrow gauge Matterhorn Gotthard Railway (MGB) rack line up to Andermat and on to Realp. We found the steam railway base a short walk away from the station. They have a number of steam rack locomotives, the one used on our train was number 9 which had been abandoned in the jungle in Vietnam.
The train consisted of four carriages. We started out on time but the crew were having trouble keeping steam on the locomotive because of the poor coal they were forced to use and we stopped for a blow up a couple of times before reaching the first stop. Progress was very slow and the organization seemed a little loose bearing in mind they knew before they started that the engine was not up to the task. The delays were an excuse to get out, wander around and socialize.
We finally reached the Furka station, about halfway, where we were surprised to learn that there was a stop of about half an hour for snacks and drinks. The counter staff were very slow indeed and I had not finished my sandwich before we were hustled back on to the train.
We were then told that a diesel would replace the steam engine because of the danger of fires. I am not surprised as the coal was very poor. It looked like dust that had been compressed into briquettes the size and shape of a hen's egg. The movement of the engine shook the coal all over the cab floor and a plank had been set up to keep the driver's area clear.
We had planned to return to Gletch and take the Post Bus to Meiringen but because of the uncertainty we took the MGB back to Andermatt, changed for Goschenen and took a Gottardo train direct back to Zurich.
The Furka Steam Railway is built on an abandoned section of line that became redundant when a tunnel was built thus allowing all year round operation. It had formerly been closed in the winter because of snow and avalanches. The area is above the tree line and the views were very good in bright sunshine although there was a cool wind and the air was cold. Farmers bring cattle up here in the summer to produce milk and cheese. Many cowbells were heard.
My impression is that the railway is looking at tourism and the railway specialist takes second place. It would have been better to have seen the line in the countryside rather than from the train. The on-train staff were very friendly and spoke English with us, however they knew there would be problems and kept us in the dark until the last minute.
To see all pictures taken of the Furka Steam Railway and the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn click here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/colinchurcher/albums/72177720301764652
I like the way you captured the MGB line climbing steeply to the right in your last picture.
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