Switzerland - Where to go if you're a rail enthusiast

[richieb1971]

Regarding your plea:

I should stick to a trip to Erstfeld. Its the easy trip from Zürich (less than 1.5 hours journey). You can stop at Fleulen for a short time and carry on on the next train. The journey from Zürich is unquestionably scenic. Zürichsee on left after leaving Zurich, Zugersee on right after leaving Zug, single track (rare on an international inter city route) clinging to the hillside between Zug and Arth Goldau, scenic both sides between Arth Goldau and Brunnen, scenic right hand side (Vierwaldtstädtersee) Brunnen - Fluelen.

Make sure you get the 10.09 or 12.09 IR train from Zürich - the ZRH- Locarno IRs are the traditional loco hauled services with the 'old fashioned' Re4/4II loco and including a (1st class only) panorama coach

regarding your photographic preferences, the view at Fluelen is not bad:


Looking North:

Looking south:

By comparison here is Erstfeld:

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Your pictures are better than any of the youtubes ive seen. Im just worried that Erstfeld will be boring if all traffic is diverted away from it. Just woke up for work so not had a chance to read any of the other posts. Will call back later.

 

[30907]

Sorry, I hadn't picked up (despite travelling the line a couple of years ago) that the tunnel starts N of Erstfeld. In which case Fluelen, if Gordon's photos haven't already convinced you.

A little detail on Brunnen to Fluelen: the northbound track uses the original route with relatively short tunnels, whereas southbound is heavily tunnelled - so you have a treat for the way home.

 

[alex17595]

Goschenen is not too bad.


There is a nice little track towards Wassen that runs right along the line.

 

[Gordon]

Your pictures are better than any of the youtubes ive seen. Im just worried that Erstfeld will be boring if all traffic is diverted away from it. Just woke up for work so not had a chance to read any of the other posts. .

There is also Altdorf to consider. More open as it is in a flatter zone than Erstfeld and Fluelen, but that also means the mountains are a bit further away.

As nobody really knows yet what will happen after 1 June, Erstfeld may or may not be just as it was before.

Nevertheless, as it is well worth seeing the vast expanse of new trackage and GBT approach infrastructure, best option would be go to Erstfeld - see what is happening and if it is less busy than expected, return back north to Fluelen, which at the risk of being repetitive is the best place for a non railway interested companion to spend time.



By the way, if you do have any other spare time in Zürich itself, the classic place for freight traffic is Killwangen-Spreitenbach in mid-late late afternoon - when a constant stream of freight trains heading for Limmattal marshalling yard from a west - east direction can be viewed from the station platform (there are two tracks on the north side of the station that carry trains up over a flyover into the marshalling yard which is on the south side of the railway), and at the same time there is freight heading east out of the yard as well, and zillions of passenger trains. Normally at peak times there is a train of some sort passing through K-S station at least once every two minutes - which includes everything from pick up freights to TGVs

Killwangen can be reached in 20 minutes on services S3 or S12 from Zürich HB

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[themiller]

Agree with Brig & Erstfeld but consider Olten where all traffic goes through the station. It gets manic at times with freight and passenger traffic - sometimes half a dozen trains approaching at the same time.

 

[30907]

The OP asked: what stations are scenic, have a variety of traction, have great scenery from Zurich?

Does Olten qualify?

 

[richieb1971]

Thanks for all the recommendations.

My grandma is on her last legs so we are now going to Italy this year to see her instead of going Switzerland. We will catch up with Switzerland next year.

I'm very thankful for the input you have put in this far.

Thank you very much.

 

[themiller]

The OP asked: what stations are scenic, have a variety of traction, have great scenery from Zurich?

Does Olten qualify.

Most scenery in Switzerland is better than UK but I agree that the station is not as scenic as many others but it is compensated by the sheer volume of traffic through it. It's got to be worth a couple of hours on the way to somewhere else like Brig where the traffic is nowhere near as dense! Brig is good because you have the mountains around you and trains from the Loetchberg and Rhone Valley but there are quiet periods. Erstfeld is arguably better than Brig due to the greater volume of freight.

 

[30907]

Thanks for all the recommendations.

My grandma is on her last legs so we are now going to Italy this year to see her instead of going Switzerland. We will catch up with Switzerland next year.

I'm very thankful for the input you have put in this far.

Thank you very much.

No problem, I enjoy the challenge and the discussion, and I doubt I'm alone.

By 2017 Erstfeld and the Gotthard will be much quieter, but I think that's the only big change.

It may be totally inappropriate to suggest this, if so apologies and ignore me, but:

Seat61.com will suggest all-rail routes to Italy.

Depending on your local airport''s offer, it may be cost- and time-effective to fly to or from an airport just North of the Alps and continue by train. I've done this with Munich and Basel, and it would also work using Geneva and Zurich.

 

[43096]

Most scenery in Switzerland is better than UK but I agree that the station is not as scenic as many others but it is compensated by the sheer volume of traffic through it. It's got to be worth a couple of hours on the way to somewhere else like Brig where the traffic is nowhere near as dense! Brig is good because you have the mountains around you and trains from the Loetchberg and Rhone Valley but there are quiet periods. Erstfeld is arguably better than Brig due to the greater volume of freight.

Olten is actually a good place to base yourself if you're travelling round Switzerland - it's got good connections to Bern, Basel, Luzern (for the Gotthard) and Zürich. That means you're basically about 2hrs max travel time from most of the country.

I stayed there earlier this year, and spent a few evenings on the station for an hour or so just train watching. Loads of freight through in an evening!

 

[30907]

I concur. 40 years ago I did something similar, but based at Wiedlisbach on the then SNB ("resignation is the mood for Wiedlisbach," G Behrend, Railway Holiday in Switzerland).

 

[Gordon]

The OP asked: what stations are scenic, have a variety of traction, have great scenery from Zurich?

Does Olten qualify?

The other problem with Olten is that it arguably has too many platforms; you can't leap quickly between platforms, so you sometimes miss the 'most interesting' freight shot because it goes through platform 10, when you are standing at the west end of platform 4, or you are at the east end of 10/11 and a freight comes from west through platform 3!

This compares with Killwangen, where you can get most shots from one platform, and the line is straight so you can often see an approaching train in time to cross to the another platform.

 

[richieb1971]

By the time I go to switzerland I will be spoiled for choice.

As for the previous poster about Italy, my nan lives in Taranto. Which is about as far south as you can get.

 

[TonyR]

this might not tixk the boxes I am afraid and is ruinously expensive but the Jungfrau railway must be worth a visit via Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald

Those were my thoughts. Over to Interlaken and then take the train to Wengen via Lauterbrunnen. Then the train on to Kleine Schiedegg where you can catch the train that travels up inside the Eiger North Face to Jungraujoch. Back to Kleine Scheidegg then train down to Grindlewald and back to Interlaken. Some of the best mountain scenery you can see from a train in Switzerland and some interesting railways too.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[pne]

Nothing to beat the RhB system in Graubünden for scenery (Bernina Express or other trains from Chur/St Moritz) via the Albula/Bernina passes.

Bernine route also gets you a change of loco at Pontreschina from AC to DC - the trains will stop at a platform where the overhead wire can carry both kinds of current.

And at the end of the line in Tirano (already in Italy) the train turns into a kind of tram as it makes its way through the town to the station

It's possible to take a connecting bus from Tirano to Lugano in Italian-speaking Switzerland and then take the train back north again for a triangular route - we did that one year.

 

[blackfive460]

Bernine route also gets you a change of loco at Pontreschina from AC to DC - the trains will stop at a platform where the overhead wire can carry both kinds of current.

No longer the case sadly.

Trains from St. Moritz heading for the Bernina route are already on 1000V DC and will usually be an Allegra EMU, though Bernina Express workings are still hauled by a pair of ABe 4/4 III Railcars and I believe there is still a single diagram for a pair on a St. Moritz - Tirano - St. Moritz regional service.
The only services through Pontresina from Chur or Davos are Bernina Express workings and these have been hauled by Allegra EMUs which are dual voltage, for some years now.

Still well worth the journey though!

 

[Gordon]

No longer the case sadly.

though Bernina Express workings are still hauled by a pair of ABe 4/4 III Railcars and I believe there is still a single diagram for a pair on a St. Moritz - Tirano - St. Moritz regional service.

No, there are no Bernina Express workings booked for ABE4/4III.

The remaining 4 diagrams (two pairs) are for regional stoppers. Both pairs are based at Poschiavo on the south side, and start the day working two consecutive Poschiavo - Tirano 'commuter' trains. Each pair works 4 trains a day, visiting St Moritz twice, so 8 trains in total and all 4 units can be seen at St Moritz at some point.


definitely worth going over anyway to see the ancient shunters at Poschiavo, arguably Switzerland's oldest working traction units.

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[Gordon]

And at the end of the line in Tirano (already in Italy) the train turns into a kind of tram as it makes its way through the town to the station
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The Bernina line runs through the street before it even reaches Tirano. The line is on the roadway through the town of Le Prese. It is well worth getting off at Le Prese station to watch or film a train fighting against heavy road traffic on the main road.

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[pne]

No longer the case sadly.

Thanks for the correction/update!

It was several years ago that I took the train from Chur to Tirano.

Other interesting parts of the journey, which are independent of the traction, are the spiral tunnels near Preda and the Landwasser viaduct where you cross a valley and then drive straight into a mountain face.

Oh, and the spiral viaduct at Brusio.

 

[Calthrop]

If one likes steam: the Brienz -- Rothorn mountain rack railway is, I believe ("heritage" stuff aside) the only venue in Switzerland regularly using steam traction. Nearly all its trains are worked by same -- largely by modern, 1990s-built steam locos.

 

[Groningen]

Last week i did Basel - Brig - Andermatt - Disentis - Scuol - Sankt Moritz - Chur - Zuerich and further to Wien. As you might know Zermatt - Brig - Disentis/Muster is know covered with the Interrail card since this month.

 

[blackfive460]

No, there are no Bernina Express workings booked for ABE4/4III.

True, at the moment.
However, when the next period diagrams from 12th March appear and there are full Bernina Express workings again between St. Moritz and Tirano it may well be that the diagrams will be the same as last year.
Unless you have more information, of course...

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Lucerne is a good place in general, a number of rack railways nearby, and as someone metnioned the Swiss Transport Musem (you could get a bus to the Museum and walk by the lakeside back). Don't know what the Swiss Railways rules are for trainspotting but if they allow it, I think Lucerne has a good variety - there's a road bridge that goes over the approach that might offer better views anyway.

A nice place to stay for a holiday around the Lucerne area is Hergiswil (probably spelt that name wrong), I think it was 20-30 train journey from Lucerne but there's plenty of services that go between Lucerne and Hergiswil

 

[duesselmartin]

Never had any difficulty spotting in Switzerland. The transport museum also has a rail station called Verkehrshaus.

 

[43096]

And at the end of the line in Tirano (already in Italy) the train turns into a kind of tram as it makes its way through the town to the station

There is also street running through Chur on the Arosa line, under 11kV AC catenary.

Traction is mostly the rather splendid ABe8/12 units nowadays, but may still be the odd loco-hauled working (I haven't checked the current diagrams, though).

There is a station at Chur Stadt, which is literally a bus stop! I did once do the Chur-Chur Stadt move (anyone who wants to call it a bus stop move, you are correct!) with a pair of Ge4/4ii locos on load 10. It looked utterly bonkers snaking back down the street.

Can you imagine the fuss if we did that in the UK?

 

[furnessvale]

There is also street running through Chur on the Arosa line, under 11kV AC catenary.

Traction is mostly the rather splendid ABe8/12 units nowadays, but may still be the odd loco-hauled working (I haven't checked the current diagrams, though).

There is a station at Chur Stadt, which is literally a bus stop! I did once do the Chur-Chur Stadt move (anyone who wants to call it a bus stop move, you are correct!) with a pair of Ge4/4ii locos on load 10. It looked utterly bonkers snaking back down the street.

Can you imagine the fuss if we did that in the UK?

We would have people walking in front carrying huge bunches of keys to remove errantly parked cars, instead of doing the sensible thing and fitting the loco with a suitably large "snow" plough.

 

[30907]

We would have people walking in front carrying huge bunches of keys to remove errantly parked cars, instead of doing the sensible thing and fitting the loco with a suitably large "snow" plough.

But running an hourly service all year rather than a seasonal once daily one helps.

 

[43096]

We would have people walking in front carrying huge bunches of keys to remove errantly parked cars, instead of doing the sensible thing and fitting the loco with a suitably large "snow" plough.

The safety police would probably have a meltdown over stringing 11kV AC electrification above the street before you even started running trains.

 

[Gordon]

Traction is mostly the rather splendid ABe8/12 units nowadays, but may still be the odd loco-hauled working .

100% Allegra these days

with a pair of Ge4/4ii locos on load 10. It looked utterly bonkers snaking back down the street.

I watched a similarly long train exit Chur some years ago, but with two fully laden bogie ballast wagons tagged on the back as well - they made a huge racket through the street section!


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[themiller]

If one likes steam: the Brienz -- Rothorn mountain rack railway is, I believe ("heritage" stuff aside) the only venue in Switzerland regularly using steam traction. Nearly all its trains are worked by same -- largely by modern, 1990s-built steam locos.

I read somewhere (Rail?) that a Brienz Rothorn Bahn loco and coach are coming to the Snowdon Mountain Railway so no need to go to Switzerland to see one!