All Aboard!

The highlight of our day of train travel with Walter and Helen was our journey on the Furka Steam Railway.  The historic locomotives and passenger cars are around 100 years old and have been meticulously restored.  The train runs from the village of Realp over the Furka Pass to Oberwald.  Reaching an elevation of over 6500 feet, it is the second highest rail crossing in Europe.

This rail line was a seasonal route due to heavy winter snows.  As a result it was closed down in 1982 when the 9.5 mile-long Furka Base Tunnel was completed.  The tunnel cuts through the mountains at a lower elevation and that route is open all year long.  

An organization of railway enthusiasts sought to bring back the old line with vintage cars and engines.  It was reopened in 2010, and it has become a popular excursion for Swiss and international travelers.  Walter has long wanted to take this train ride and decided that our visit would be a perfect opportunity to do so.

Above photos taken by Walter

We were in the first passenger car, so we had an opportunity to take a look at the engine.

The windows can be opened, so I was able to take pictures without worrying about reflections.

photo taken by Walter

However, we had to be sure to close the windows when approaching a tunnel or else our faces would be covered in soot.

The high Alpine scenery was spectacular.

Sheep and cows graze in the high meadows.

The train stopped to take on water.

The two photos above were taken by Walter.

We made another stop just before the Furka Pass.

Tents were set up where the passengers could have a bite to eat.  Walter had already ordered wine and a plate of sausages and cheese for us.

On the other side of the pass we began our descent.

Notice the highway winding through the mountains.

In the valley below, you see the headwaters of the Rhone River which is born in a glacier above in the mountains.  I always associated the Rhone with France.  It is one of France's major rivers and flows through the southeastern part of the country and empties into the Mediterranean.  However, its source is right here in Switzerland.

We came to a hamlet called Gletsch.

Here the steam locomotive was switched for a diesel engine.  Switzerland has been suffering from extreme heat and a lack of rain.  As the train continues down in elevation the route passes through forests, and the embers from the steam engine would pose a fire hazard.

Our final leg of the train route

More beautiful scenery, but now with forests

We reach Oberwald, the end of the line.

Thank you, Walter, for a fantastic experience!

A Day on Many Trains

Thursday, July 16th

Walter had planned a very special itinerary of travel by train on this day.  He had everything planned out to the minute, and because Swiss trains are so punctual, the schedule worked seamlessly.  We left the house early in the morning and walked a block to a nearby bus stop.  The city bus took us to the Aarau train station.  From there we took a train to the main station in Zurich.  We walked to a different track where within minutes we had boarded a train headed to Lugano near the Italian border.

Our route passed by Lake Zug and Lake Lucerne.  Although the route was scenic it was a bit frustrating trying to get good photos without reflections in the window.

Our destination, however, was not Lugano.  After about one hour forty five minutes we got off the train at Göschenen, a tiny village of 458 inhabitants at the northern end of the Gotthard Tunnel. 

Here we boarded another train to take us to Andermatt.

After just a ten minute ride, we arrived at Andermatt, a village of 1,500 people but with a lot of modern development as a ski resort.

We had a short layover here, and we had a chance to have something to drink and use the restroom at the train station.  Our next train was to the village of Realp.  It's just a 12 minute ride, but the scenery was becoming seriously dramatic.  We were in the Saint Gotthard Massif, the heart of the Swiss Alps.

We got off at the little station of Realp.

Realp has a population of just 142 people.

This is where we will begin the reason for our complicated multi-train journey.  Here we will board the Furka Mountain Steam Railway.

Next post... traveling through the Alps on a one hundred year old train!