3. Down the valley and up the hill - Rigi
Entry posted by eastwestdivide
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After a strenuous day yesterday, something a bit more touristy. On board the stopping train down the valley, here coming out of the Gotthard tunnel at Göschenen. A lot of these trains carried extra, older-type coaches (like the first one here), which were mostly reserved for group travel, such as school parties. They also carry a first-class observation car with the high windows, as well as the super-comfortable standard SBB air-con opens. That's the MGB line to Andermatt top right.
Change at Arth-Goldau (510m - 1670ft) for the Arth-Rigi line, which normally departs from a kind of bridge, the Hochperron (high platform), visible here above the Crossrail freight.
The bridge station was closed for rebuilding, so a short walk through the streets was needed. The Föhn wind (a hot southerly) had really got going, so it was absolutely boiling down in the valley there. The detour did give a view of the Rigi-Bahn works installing a new traverser and removing the old one, plus a view back to the closed high level station.
Took the train as far as Rigi-Staffel, which is where the line meets the other Rigi rack line, from Vitznau on Lake Lucerne. For tourists who don't speak German, the trains are helpfully colour-coded, blue for Arth, red for Vitznau. Here's a view down from Staffel, a view of the difference in levels as the tracks diverge, and one the the red trains with Lake Lucerne in the background:
Had a wander round and down towards the spa (Kaltbad), and was surprised at the number of houses or holiday chalets on the mountain. The Vitznau trains often had these open-sided coaches at the uphill end, with a member of staff standing on a little verandah:
Refreshments very welcome at this point, but while having the Swiss equivalent of Welsh rarebit, I missed the chance to photograph a train pushing a wagon up to collect waste from the restaurants and cafes.
Returned to Staffel via a very steep path marked out with the Stations of the Cross (not many pilgrims that I could see). Before Staffel, there was a good panorama of the summit, here showing the hourly procession down from the summit (1797m - 5896ft), where the red and blue trains leave almost simultaneously.
And then onwards and upwards to the summit. Here's a bunch of "aerial" shots. First is Lucerne in the distance (about 10km as the Alpine Chough flies), second a station between Arth and Küssnacht, probably Immensee, third a Gotthard regional train heading away from Arth towards Zug, and fourth Arth-Goldau station, with the Rigi platform visible beside the light blue train.
Unbelievably hot, even at the summit, but thankfully plenty of opportunities for refreshment. Weather forecast the same again for tomorrow. Best top up the sun cream.
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