Colin Churcher 2020

The Bauma Steam Railway ( Dampfverein Zurcher Oberland - DVZO) only normally runs on the first and third Sundays of the summer months.  However, for our virtual tour it will be running for us today. It runs over the normally SBB freight lines between Bauma and Hinwil.  The DVZO depot is at Uster on the line from Zurich to Rapperswil and locomotives are based at Bauma as required. Bauma is at the end of a SBB branch from Winterthur. The line has some seven steam, one electric, one electro-diesel and three diesel locomotives. The beautifully restored Bauma depot is situated right next to the SBB terminus Portable ticket holder used by the conductor to issue tickets. Having purchased our genuine Edmondson style card ticket we can proceed to buy snacks and admire the train One can eat well here 2-6-0T #2 "Hinwil" is a tank engine built in 1903 This lever indicated the amount of water in the tank Amply supplied with snacks we find a seat in the train At Hinwil the locomotive runs ...

The Parc Vapeur Suisse is located at Le Bouveret on the southern shore of Lac Leman opposite Montreux.  Getting there can be half the fun as there is a frequent service of paddle steamers. La Suisse is the doyen of the Lac Leman paddle steamer fleet The restoration is exquisite Our Swiss Passes allow us to travel in the first class cabin Everything is kept spotless and the motion of the steam engine is open to view From Lausanne we travel alongside the vineyards to Vevey, Montreux, the Chateau de Chillon and Villeneuve. From Villeneuve we cross the delta where the River Rhone empties into the lake. This is a wildlife reserve with this curious small island completely covered with trees The next stop is Le Bouveret where a short walk brings us to the Vapeur Parc.  https://www.swissvapeur.ch/en/ This is a complex railway which carries passengers. Once inside visitors are free to ride as much as they wish They manage to cram a lot of railway in a small space - as well as restauran...

Weekends can be difficult for the railfan because many items are crammed into these two days, many of which are not advertised or difficult to uncover.  Some smaller railways have historic railcars which are brought out for the odd private excursion.  Here are a few that we have been able to uncover. The Red Arrow was built in 1939 for the Swiss National Exhibition in that year. It is also known as the "Churchill Car" as it was used by Sir Winston Churchill when he visited Switzerland at the end of World War II.  The two-car SBB train is now fitted out for dining and is used on advertised excursions. These pictures were all taken in Zurich in September 2019. A single car version was built in 1938.  It is now owned by the Oensingenbalsthalbahn as #202 (formerly SBB 1007).  Seen here on a private excursion at Lausanne it was tracked down through an intense study of the SBB departure boards while changing trains. We have stumbled across a number of other historic r...