Tuesday 5 September - Travel Zurich to Montreux and see Zweisimmen Gauge Changer

 

Picture of the day - view from my hotel window in Montreux
Today was moving day when we travelled from Zurich to Montreux. To do this we wanted to take the longer route via Meiringen and Interlaken West and to spend some time at Zweisimmen to watch the gauge changer in operation.
The first train from Zurich to Lucerne was quite crowded but the weather was good. Coming out of Zurich we were able to enjoy the lake for a short time only before branching off towards Zug. Parts of this line are still single track. The hillsides in some cases are very steep and the cattle were grazing awkwardly. 
The journey to Meiringen on the metre gauge Zentralbahn through the Brunig Pass (with several rack sections) is always pleasant and I took these pictures from the moving train.




From Meiringen to Interlaken we rode alongside Brienze lake. At Interlaken we found a train going to Spiez which should have been a German train to Hamburg but because of delays the SBB were running a special to Basel where people could change to the German train. On this section of line we passed alongside lake Thun, again very pleasant.
SBB substitute for a German ICE train
At Zweisimmen we took time out to ride the branch line train to Lenk. This is a narrow gauge line going south. It serves the farming communities along the way and there is a frequent train service of at least one train an hour in each direction supplemented by additional trips. The route was pleasant but there was nothing really exceptional about it - other than it is possibly the only branch line the MOB operates.

But the real reason for spending time at Zweisimmen was to watch the gauge changer in operation. Here the meter gauge trains from Montreux are changed to standard gauge for the BLS to take them on to Interlaken. In addition to changing the gauge, the heights of the cars are changed to conform to the BLS platform heights. We watched a train coming from Interlaken and going on to Montreux.
Platforms 6 and 7 are equipped with four rail dual gauge trackage. The standard gauge train from Interlaken arrived behind a BLS standard gauge electric loco and an intermediate car.

The locomotive and car are cut off and run through the changer.

And are stabled in a standard gauge pocket ready for the next train to Interlaken.
In the meantime a narrow gauge locomotive has coupled on to the rear of the train which has a driving trailer now leading.

The narrow gauge locomotive then pushes the train through the gauge changer which changes to gauge from standard to metre and changes the body height.  

The train then leaves for Montreux with the locomotive pushing from the rear.
This is a technical feat as the move from metre to standard is quite large indeed and I believe this is a first to change the body height.

Having watched the gauge changer at work (it has no moving parts), Paul and I caught the next regular train to Montreux. It was a leisurely journey through good countryside. As we approached Montreux the valleys became more pronounced and the train had some good climbing to do. I always enjoy the ride down the mountain into Montreux itself.
We checked into the hotel after a long day - see the first picture.






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