Biere, Vallorbe and Ste-Croix - Friday 6 September 2024

Small communities such as Biere always seem to have many displays of flowers in public areas.

 We set out this morning to Morges to see what the MBC narrow gauge was doing with relation to freight. Just as we arrived the two GE 4/4 locomotives left to take a train up to the quarry just above Apples. The MBC standard gauge Re 420 and train were standing in the distance indicating more cars to be taken up the line.
Train about to depart from Morges.
We decided to take the passenger train as far as Apples.

The MBC standard gauge locomotive and train waiting in the distance at Morges

The Chateau at Vufflens is a landmark on the journey.

At Apples the up and the down passenger trains cross and the freight locomotive in the third track has run round its train ready to back it into the quarry.

At Apples the horse chestnuts (conkers) were getting ready to drop

The train for the branch to L'Isle at Apples

In the meantime the freight locomotive had gathered some cars to be moved to Morges for delivery over the standard gauge. I took the opportunity to photograph how the cars fitted on to the narrow gauge skates 

The locomotive has standard and narrow gauge couplers. The standard gauge couplers are attached to the standard gauge cars.
We took the next passenger train to Bieres only to find that the restaurant we liked and had intended to use had closed so we took the first train back to Morges.
While photographing this pumpkin in a garden close to the Biere station I upset the local guard cat,


Back at Morges the narrow gauge freight locomotive was pushing its cars through the changer. The skates are pushed in a channel between the rails while the standard gauge tractor pulled the train away ready for its standard gauge journey.


The MBC standard gauge RE 420, acquired a few years ago from SBB was placed in a good photographic location for us.
After this narrow gauge orgy we decided on something completely different. A train to Rennens and a quick transfer took us all the way out to Vallorbe on the border with France. The station there is a very large one as it one time had to handle border formalities, similar to Le Locle.
This class 456 locomotive and train are stored here

Vallorbe town is below the station, again a similarity with Le Locle.

We had a beer at the bar which also called itself a restaurant. I wonder is they really had cheval.

From Vallorbe we took a fascinating bus ride through interesting countryside to Orbe. This is on a branch line from the SBB at Chavornay but it differs in that it is run by Travys and is the only standard gauge line run by DC power in the country. All others are 15,000 V AC. 
The line now has two tram trains from Karlsruhr which are dual voltage capable so the story is that the line will be converted to AC in the future.
A ten minute ride to Chavornay and we had a quick ride back to Yverdon-les-Bains. However, there was still time to ride another narrow gauge line from Yverdon-les-Bains through Baulmes and up the side of the mountain to Ste-Croix. I think this is the most exciting ride in Switzerland. The views over Yverdon-les-Bains and the lake towards the distant Alps are spectacular. Unfortunately the train does not slow down and the gaps in the forest are very few. It is still a spectacular journey.
At Ste-Croix there was barely enough time to buy and eat a Magnum before our return to Yverdon-les-Bains

Best I could do

At Yverdon a Re 620 was well placed in the sun for photography.











  














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