10:07 Olten (10) IR17 to Langenthal 10:17 (2)
10:20 Langenthal (13) S6 to Huttwil 10:40 (1)
11:20 Huttwil to Sumiswald-Grünen 11:53 Steam train
12:21 Sumiswald-Grünen (1) S44 to Bern (3) 1311
ASM Engineering work in Kerzers area
13:53 Bern (6) IR to Kerzers 14:10 (6)
14:15 Kerzers Bahnhof Bus EV1 to Ins Bahnhof 14:28
14:33 Ins (11) Regio to Biel/Bienne (11) 1511 (Aare Seeland narrow gauge)
15:16 Biel/Bienne (5) IC5 to Yverdon-les-Bains (2) 15:52
I show it here because it is precisely what we did today
However, this does not give the full flavour of today. It was a very hot day with cloudless blue skies. The Huttwil area had declared a "go slow" day when the town was closed to motor vehicles as were the local country roads. A route had been set up and people were turning up in hundreds to cycle, skate, walk, scooter etc. There were many families, some with very small children with their cycles. It was a wonderful family event with balloons, kids in costume - everyone just having fun,
We first began to feel this on the train to Huttwil. It was only a small two car train but at every stop more families crowded in with their bicycles, baby carriages and scooters. The train got so full at one time that families were forced into first class. We all had great fun,
The Emmental Steam railway group put on a frequent series of trains between Huttwil and Sumiswald Grunen which we rode on - I felt guilty that I wasn't walking or cycling like everybody else.
People waiting for the train at the main street crossing in Huttwil
Train on the crossing
The actual journey was hilarious. The countryside is superb and much of the route follows a road over which hundreds of people were cycling. Every one was waving at the train. These pictures give an idea of the countryside and the people enjoying themselves.
Migros had set up some refreshment stations
At Sumiswald Grunen we watched the locomotive take water and run around its train. The train operated into the BLS platform track at both ends so we had an easy transfer to get the train to take us back to Bern.
This was the first of two meets on the trip
Sumiswald Grunen
Sumiswald Grunen
The second objective today was to ride the Aare Seeland line from Ins to Biel/Bienne. This would normally be a direct journey from Bern to Ins on the BLS service between Bern and Neuchatel. However, there was engineering work going on between Kerzers and Ins and a replacement bus service was shown in the timetable. The details in the timetable were very clear. The bus was Number EV1 and it would take us from Kerzers to Ins. There was even a map in the timetable showing how to get from the Kerzers track 1 to the bus stop.
The bus turned out to be a Postbus and the whole process couldn't have been easier.
The transfer was so quick that I didn't get a chance to photograph the historic preserved interlocking/signalbox at Kerzers. Here is a picture I took last year.
The bus stopped right in front of the KKiosk in the station building so we were able to enjoy Magnums while waiting for the train to Biel/Bienne
The narrow gauge train arrived at Ins precisely on time and we were treated to a good ride to Biel/Bienne
While looking at the Stadler trains that provide the service between Lausanne and Grandson, the other side of Yverdon, we mulled over something they told us during our visit to Stadler at St. Margrethen. The trains are all class 523 yet the older ones have standard metal buffers while the newer models have bump guards or shock absorbers. With the automatic coupling mechanism there is no need for buffers. The bump guards will absorb about 35% of any impact, we were told.
I set out below pictures of the old and the new.
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