Colin Churcher 2020

W e went to Zurich main station to travel to Erstfeld. However,efore we left there were two interesting items.  An overnight  locomotive hauled train arrived, and a Re 4/4 was put on the back to pull the empty carriages. It had a diamond stack.    As we were about to search for our train a red arrow came in, it was the Balsthal car ready to make its journey to Bauma for the weekend celebrations.  We took an ICN down to Arth Goldau and changed to a local train for Erstfeld. We arrived just as the show was beginning.  SBB historic group here exercises some of the historic locomotives every first Saturday of the month. Today there was an Ae44, an Ae 8/14 and a crocodile. There was quite a gathering and the locomotives were run up and down in a couple of sidings so that everybody had a good view.  Ae 4/4 The Krocodile Ae 8/14 The final line up. However there was a problem in that a train of wagons had been left in a siding which obscured the view of the hi...

  Waiting for an assignment at Spiez - there are not many of these left now Today we took an early train from Zurich through to Spiez and changed for the train to Frutigen. Being a Friday passenger traffic was heavy. There were many people in military uniform and carrying their weapons going to or from their assignments. Our first appointment was to view the BLS tunnel work. We had an English-speaking guide who understood the workings of the BLS and who knew the operations through the tunnel in great detail. He gave us a very good rundown of the development and the arrangements for safety in the tunnel as well as the working for the new extensions. There are a few exhibits outside the old BLS station which acts as their office. This is an Ae8/8 like a double 4/4 but permanently joined back to back. It was opened up for us to see inside. Ancient electrics. The BLS heritage has an operable one  We were taken in a minivan to one of the tunnel area stations and shown through the w...

The SBB has this piece of whimsy on each one of its IC2000 trains. Maybe VIA should think of doing something to liven up the look of its trains. We left Zurich early this morning on a train to Brugg.  The Bahnpark is in an old roundhouse and a couple of additional buildings. Our guide was very helpful and we had a very good visit. Many of the locomotives were difficult to photograph but here is a selection. The Limmat is a reproduction of one of the first locomotives in Switzerland A vertical boilered steam car used on the Bauma railway. It has one driven axle and one trailing axle. Privately owned and under restoration. A beautiful SNCF 1-4-1R built in Montreal The 1-4-1R is in great shape and is used on excursions occasionally A Krocodile After our visit we went back to the station and took a local train to Wangen where we found this Euro9000 from Stadler. There were plenty of freights moving in the area, many of them powered by Re 620s. However we also came across this Re420 in ...

 Our objective today was to see a little more about the gravel train working in the Bulach area and to see if there are many of the Re 620 locomotives still around. The Re620s are about 40 years old and SBB is gradually taking them out of service. One area where they are still used is the gravel trains from the quarries at Huntwagen Will, just north of Bulach. While waiting for our train at Zurich we saw one of the Girouno train sets ready to go to Venice. Alongside it was a Re 420 on an overnight train. Like the Re 620s the Re 420s are gradually being replaced. The Girouno train to Venice Re 420 arriving with an overnight train Our first train was from Zurich to Bulach. On arrival we were surprised to find that the siding that had held six 620 locomotives that we saw last week was now completely empty although two different 620s were in a different siding. There was a train of loaded travel cars on the platform road with a 620 at the head waiting the road. Unfortunately, we just m...