Tuesday 22 August - Around Basel

  

Surprise of the day. The new Waldenburgerbahn trains have blazons illustrating on-line locations

We managed to get off for an early start by about 30 minutes this morning and took a train directly to Basel. This provided the first entertainment as the locomotive was in the middle of the train. The crew cut off the formerly front part of the train which went out with the locomotive pushing on the back.

The locomotive was in the middle of the train

The front part was uncoupled

And a switcher took it out to the yard to be used later to strengthen a train. This section had a driving cab trailer

At Basel we changed for a local train to Pratteln, a short distance out, but at one end of the large Muttenz freight yard. We watched trains for an hour or so. This was where the storage track for BLS locomotives are stabled.

View from Pratteln platform

then we went to look at a model shop shop in this little town. It has a lot of good details material. It is right by the end of one of the Basel Tram routes. 

Tram terminus.

From there we went on to Rheinfelden where there was a very short walk up the hill to the Rheinfelden brewery, reputed the largest in Switzerland. We were lucky enough to find an SBB four-wheel switcher up there which was used to switch the cars in the brewery sidings. We followed it back down the hill to the junction with the main line where it put these cars into a siding and picked up some others which it then proceeded to push up the hill to the brewery. We were delighted because Paul had been trying to find out when and how the sidings were switched but it is it was easy to see what they were doing. 

At the brewery siding

Taking the train down a steep grade to the main line

Pushing a cut of cars up the hill to the brewery

The cut of cars being pushed up to the brewery siding with the brewery in the background

There is an old station which was built by the brewery close to the main line. This old signal is exhibited here 

From Rheinfelden we took the train back into Basel then a number eight tram to find a Migros restaurant for a healthy light lunch. Another tram took us back to the main Basel station where, after a Magnum to cool down, we caught a train to Liestal. We had a quick look at the work that was being done there to add additional lines through the station area. The Waldenburgbahn platform with its siding and the main platform road have been completed but there's still a lot more work to be done to put two extra tracks through where the the eastbound platform was.

Waldenburgbahn trains, brand new, and operating here since December are very good. They are now on the meter gauge as opposed to the 750 mm gauge of the original line. The line all the way up has been completely renovated platforms have been improved and installed and distinction between the rail and the road clarified. There are still road crossings as originally but these are now fully controlled by gates, lights and sirens. At Waldenberg itself everything is being raised and a brand new maintenance facility has been installed with three stub end platform tracks for the passenger operation. The Post buses are where they originally were but now outside the the main new building. 

At Oberdorf there is a beautiful large building with a magnificently painted wall

At Waldenburg

New Waldenburg tram, now part of and compatible with the Basel tramways.

We caught the train back to Liestal and then came out to Sissach. While waiting at Liestsal for our train to Sissach we saw a good piece of train dispatching. A freight train double headed by two German locomotives was put through on the platform road about a minute before our own passenger train was due. It was running under clear signals. Our train came through and left pretty much on time with a yellow signal which turned to green just as so we set off. The freight train was going ahead of the passenger train now all the way through to Olton and beyond and it would be able to make good time with the two locomotives while the passenger train was stopping at all stations so there would have been no interference. If the dispatcher had held the freight train until after the passenger train had gone it would have been delayed at every station.

At Liestal a freight train with two German locomotives went through hell for leather ahead of the stopping passenger train

At Sissach  there are three through running lines with platforms on either side and all running lines are signaled for bidirectional operation. We spent two hours sitting in the shade and watching the trains. In the first hour we saw ten passenger trains in each direction, two westbound freight trains and three eastbound freights.

A recently vinyled 460 on the rear of a passenger train  

All kinds of passenger train including German, and French

Freight train with a German locomotive

An Re 4/4 still earning its keep

The larger 6/6 was working an oil train

From Sissach we took the slow train through the old route to Olten via Buckden. It has one train an hour and is a wonderful country branchline. It was threatened with closure but this was voted down. We took home many school children.

A pretty full day