RhB news

[PaulRhB]

On 05/07/2020 at 19:02, Glorious NSE said:

accom for a week in Davos in Aug

Have you been able to salvage a holiday plan?  

[Glorious NSE]

Yep, will be just me rather than the family, which is a shame, but on the up-side it'll let me chase more trains and go to places I wouldn't have taken them. 

(Looking at things like going Davos to Arosa including a walk down from the ridge to Langweis for example, Sophie and Rach wouldn't have handled that walk but it looks fun.)



 

[PaulRhB]

Don’t forget to explore the yard at Arosa  

[eastwestdivide]

2 hours ago, Glorious NSE said:

Looking at things like going Davos to Arosa including a walk down from the ridge to Langweis for example, Sophie and Rach wouldn't have handled that walk but it looks fun

Anyone else walked out of Arosa over the top towards the Davos line? And did you mean Wiesen rather than Langwies or am I getting mixed up? 

I had Wiesen from Arosa pencilled in once, but the cloud was down and I settled for a walk back to the Langwies viaduct via a nice beer at Litzirüti

[PaulRhB]

1 hour ago, eastwestdivide said:

Anyone else walked out of Arosa over the top towards the Davos line?

I haven’t walked over that bit but I’ve done similar over in the East in the national park and I’d not be doing a walk like that alone the first time, much safer with a companion or two. It’s ok when you know a route well but I can’t imagine it’s a well travelled path and the ascents looks to be around 1000m so you’d want proper gear and a shelter just in case. The Swiss hiking map has trails over to Davos but not to Wiesen. 
I’m guessing Martyn meant walking down to Langweis for lineside opportunities, plus it’s downhill all the way so easier than full mountain hiking  

The walk down from Preda to Bergün is nice with lots of photo opportunities and you can use the webcams at Filisur and Preda to see what’s coming if you have mobile data  

[Glorious NSE]

Yep, it'd be getting the Parsennbahn funiculars up to the ridgeline then walking down to pick up the Arosa train at Langweis, that's a marked path so far as I can tell.

Not sure I like the idea of walking up the mountains as well. 

[eastwestdivide]

16 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

I haven’t walked over that bit but I’ve done similar over in the East in the national park and I’d not be doing a walk like that alone the first time, much safer with a companion or two. It’s ok when you know a route well but I can’t imagine it’s a well travelled path and the ascents looks to be around 1000m so you’d want proper gear and a shelter just in case. The Swiss hiking map has trails over to Davos but not to Wiesen. 
I’m guessing Martyn meant walking down to Langweis for lineside opportunities, plus it’s downhill all the way so easier than full mountain hiking  

The walk down from Preda to Bergün is nice with lots of photo opportunities and you can use the webcams at Filisur and Preda to see what’s coming if you have mobile data  

Thanks for all that. It did look a serious walk, which is why I ducked out. 

And yes, I can also recommend walking Preda-Bergün, having done it a few years back. Also walked up the hill from Tirano to the spiral at Brusio, and train back from Brusio station. Still on the list is Alp Grüm-Ospizio Bernina. Maybe one day.

[PaulRhB]

Yeah mountain hiking can be dodgy when the weather rolls in even with gps which has certainly made it safer   I stuck to busier trails and was cautious with weather when I went walking last year as I was on my own. It only takes a slip on loose scree and a sprained ankle to ruin the day!
 

I’ve posted this before but they are the best maps I’ve found, I’ve got the full set for the Albula and Davos, and the online versions can be printed without worrying about stuffing them back in a pocket. They zoom in well to show the footpaths. 
https://map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=en&bgLayer=pk&season=summer&resolution=10&E=2772992&N=1171672

 It makes it easy to figure out some of the good photo spots I’ve seen on railpictures.net  

 

[eastwestdivide]

Yep, those Swiss maps are excellent, and the signage on the ground is very good too. Although you do have to get tuned in to looking for painted red/white/red blobs on bits of rock!

[jonhall]

On 27/07/2020 at 16:06, PaulRhB said:

 

The walk down from Preda to Bergün is nice with lots of photo opportunities and you can use the webcams at Filisur and Preda to see what’s coming if you have mobile data  

I did Preda-Bergun a couple of times in a day when the RhB used to hire Trotinetts - sort of large wheeled scooters, you hired them in Bergun put them in the baggage car and apart from a little bit of scooting at both ends, it was a good downhill run most of the way,

 

The walk from Ospizio Bernina to the next station down on the St Moritz side is nice and easy too,

 

Alas my level of fitness probably isn't up to getting up to the observation point at the Landwasser Viaduct anymore, I did it a couple of times 10 or 15 years ago, but last year just getting back to Filisur from beneath the viaduct was quite enough exertion.

 

jon 

[PaulRhB]

The footpath is even more scenic than the road, don’t try and scoot down the footpath  it’s a bit steep for that.

[5944]

https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/zeitenwende-bei-der-rhb-aelteste-loks-der-schweiz-verschwinden-ld.1568274?fbclid=IwAR32_L6XVF4MOgkv8sYqqQM6KKGhW8rMr182b0VyYWo3W4tF_zpRoDcwF74

 

Article (in German though makes sense when run through Google Translate) about Ge 6/6 II. From European Rail Gen group, it appears 701 has already been withdrawn to provide spares, in particular traction motors, for the rest of the fleet. 

[PaulRhB]

Interesting that it hints at the cascade meaning the Ge4/4iii and later series 4/4ii will cascade to their work as their passenger work goes to Capricorn’s. It all makes sense but I’ve only seen the cascade causing retirement of the 4/4i’s and 1973 batch of 4/4ii’s direct from the RhB so far. 
That article is also the first I’ve seen to admit the reduced flexibility that the a Capricorn era will bring to train lengths. I wonder how many are spare  on normal diagrams to allow for seasonal and event peaks? The platform lengths Martyn mentioned certainly give room for up to four units. 

[JimFin]

They seem to be following the plan they laid out in the Feb 19 article in "Todays Railways" by Toma Bacic which is ultimately leading to a half hour regular interval timetable through infrastructure and stock improvements.

[Glorious NSE]

5 hours ago, 5944 said:

https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/zeitenwende-bei-der-rhb-aelteste-loks-der-schweiz-verschwinden-ld.1568274?fbclid=IwAR32_L6XVF4MOgkv8sYqqQM6KKGhW8rMr182b0VyYWo3W4tF_zpRoDcwF74

 

Article (in German though makes sense when run through Google Translate) about Ge 6/6 II. From European Rail Gen group, it appears 701 has already been withdrawn to provide spares, in particular traction motors, for the rest of the fleet. 

Makes note to try and add trains R4367 and R4718 to the must-try-and-ride list....

Here's 701 on R4718 waiting to depart Ilanz for Chur last August:

 

[Glorious NSE]

On 05/07/2020 at 22:14, PaulRhB said:

Might be worth dropping them a question to check if there’s any limits to dates of operation via the website. They usually reply pretty quickly

 

but definitely worth it . .

 

Quick query - this is just outside Filisur? If you shoot this one here - is there still time to get back to the station to ride it back?

Looks tight but do-able for the heritage train due to the runround, but presumably won't work for the normal trains?

[PaulRhB]

19 minutes ago, Glorious NSE said:

Quick query - this is just outside Filisur?
 

yes, 0.4 of a mile. 

copyright Google maps 

 

 

19 minutes ago, Glorious NSE said:

If you shoot this one here - is there still time to get back to the station to ride it back?

Yes just for the Krok, you’d probably catch the regular one if you ran  

[Glorious NSE]

Thanks - just trying to work out what I can get away with balancing riding the trains and shooting them...

 

[JimFin]

1 hour ago, Glorious NSE said:

Thanks - just trying to work out what I can get away with balancing riding the trains and shooting them..

Stay longer! 

Edited July 30, 2020 by JimFin

[Glorious NSE]

I wish! 

 

[PaulRhB]

Fabio’s replied on his YouTube that the Capricorn’s are carrying adaptor couplings onboard to simplify rescue. 
He also mentioned he removed the driving detail video because it was being shared in ways he didn’t approve of. Either someone’s copying it or posting it in dodgy places?!

[Glorious NSE]

17 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

Fabio’s replied on his YouTube that the Capricorn’s are carrying adaptor couplings onboard to simplify rescue. 
He also mentioned he removed the driving detail video because it was being shared in ways he didn’t approve of. Either someone’s copying it or posting it in dodgy places?!

 

 Or with dodgy suggestions on what people could do with the knowledge maybe?

 

Either way, I suppose its good that it's a choice he has made and not a situation where he's been reprimanded. 

[Satan's Goldfish]

Wasting (works) time on YouTube yesterday I saw the below cabride vid from Landquart to St Moritz dated for Feb this year. Other than there's a Capricorn unit at Landquart, I noted on it that it mentions the track has been duelled from Bever to Samedan and is due to come in to use from March. I'd heard mention once before that it was being duelled but seen no images of any work (unlike the 2nd bridge at Richenau). I'm assuming it came in to use earlier this year despite Covid as it looks complete in the vid?

 

 

The stretch between Bever and Samedan looks shorter than I remember too, must mean I'm overdue a visit...

 

Very nice selection of short loco hauled passenger trains on this run too. I'm guessing a lot of these are due to be replaced by the capricorns? The Albula and Bernina seem to get the majority of video attention, but judging by the amount of freight facilities alongside the run from Landquart to Verina and along the Engadine, plus the fact it's mostly loco hauled passenger services, is that route a bit of a hidden gem? In know I travelled it a couple of years ago but I didn't notice as much as I did in this video.

[PaulRhB]

17 minutes ago, Satan's Goldfish said:

is that route a bit of a hidden gem?

It doesn’t see much freight so I guess with just push pull sets it lacks the variety to enthuse some. Personally it was a holiday in Susch that got me into the RhB so I’ve always been a fan  I guess it’ll pretty much be Capricorn’s in a couple of years so 2021 is probably a good year to go  

[Salmotrutta]

1 hour ago, Satan's Goldfish said:

Wasting (works) time on YouTube yesterday I saw the below cabride vid from Landquart to St Moritz dated for Feb this year. Other than there's a Capricorn unit at Landquart, I noted on it that it mentions the track has been duelled from Bever to Samedan and is due to come in to use from March. I'd heard mention once before that it was being duelled but seen no images of any work (unlike the 2nd bridge at Richenau). I'm assuming it came in to use earlier this year despite Covid as it looks complete in the vid?

 

 

The stretch between Bever and Samedan looks shorter than I remember too, must mean I'm overdue a visit...

 

Very nice selection of short loco hauled passenger trains on this run too. I'm guessing a lot of these are due to be replaced by the capricorns? The Albula and Bernina seem to get the majority of video attention, but judging by the amount of freight facilities alongside the run from Landquart to Verina and along the Engadine, plus the fact it's mostly loco hauled passenger services, is that route a bit of a hidden gem? In know I travelled it a couple of years ago but I didn't notice as much as I did in this video.

Thanks for sharing this! Not watched a cab ride before and I ended up watching the whole thing! We were in Switzerland at the end of February before it all closed down with COVID-19...