Picture of the day. I was asked if we were still getting through the day fired by Magnums. Yes, very much so. We find the easiest way to find a Magnum is the look for a KKiosk
The morning view from my hotel window shows a very calm lake. There are a lot of water birds swimming and flying around. Mornings are interesting because the way Monreux is situated below mountains means that the sun doesn't strike the hills on the other side of the lake, the French side, until quite late and the sun doesn't get into Montreux itself until much later.
One strange feature about travel by train in Switzerland is that you never know what language the train announcements are going to be made in bearing in mind each Canton has its own language law. One can start out from Montreux and all the announcements will initially be made in French and possibly English but as you travel further up the valley towards Visp the language will change from German followed by English. Some of the more advanced services give the announcements in both French and German but with the priority changing according to which Canton you're in. Even though French or German will be used normally English is used as well.
This was on the TV screen in the train as we approached Bex, telling us that to catch the tram we would have to go to area P1 in the parking in front of the station.
Sure enough in the distance we saw our tram coming in from Bex
It went right through the middle of a traffic circle
And took on passengers close to a restaurant outside the station
The line from Bex is an interesting one it has several rack sections but it is mainly a roadside tramway but there are also sections where it is going through forests of deep valleys. It climbs high and the area at Villars is now a very popular resort town. The line does go on up to the ski area but we didn't go out that far. The views of the valley from Villars are not very good, mainly because some large buildings have been placed in the way but there is one outlook which has a lot of bright red flowers and these were being attended to by some very large bees.
Villars
This locomotive was working the upper section
A wonderful display if red flowers
We took the first train back to Bex, enjoying the ride through the very restricted streets of the town.
The SBB then took us to Aigle and we boarded the train for Les Diablerets. This is a much different type of operation, as we leave Aigle there are super views of the chateau,
but once beyond this the line curves upwards, without a rack, along the side of an extremely deeply sided v-shaped valley. At Le Sepey there is a short section into the town. Here the trains reverse for the run, much of it downhill, to the final terminus. It is that Le Sepey that trains cross each other.
We caught the first train back from Les Diablerets to Aigle where we decided to sample the line to Leysin just as far as the Aigle Depot. It has an interesting route out of Aigle along a narrow one way street over which trains operate in both directions.
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| Our train at the depot where we had just got off |
Having reversed direction the train is now on the rack and beginning its climb out of Aigle
Vines are squeezed in wherever they will grow in this area.
We waited for the next train down into the depot and took it back to the SBB station for the first train back to Montreux. This area is heavy with horse breeding. One can see many in the fields as the train runs out of Aigle.
Our final effort today was to ride the rack line up the hill to Rochers de Naye. This is an old established line that runs on the 800 mm gauge from a cave behind the grander Golden Pass trains of the MOB. Our Swiss Travel Passes were only good as far as Caux so we had to buy supplementary tickets. Our tickets are valid for first class but this line only has one class.
The first part is in tunnel under Montreux and the noise of the rack was very loud. However, the views through the forests as we climbed higher were well worth seeing. We climbed high over Chateau Chillon and reached Glion.
The Chateau de Chillon seen from Glion.
We climbed higher and rose above the tree line.
Marmot - it was so still we thought it had been glued down there
A train approaching the Rochers de Naye terminus. Trains have a small four wheel truck on the front to carry miscellaneous items which will not fit into the train
Train approaching
Several butterflies were interested in this thistle
The line has applied blazons to its trains
The weather has stayed fine and sunny but it is very hazy and good pictures were not possible from the summit.
I full and interesting day.
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