Interlaken and Wengen

[David Bell]

Like other Swiss Railways, the WAB did succumb to advertising liveries on some of its stock, not extensively though. The first example I saw of this was advertising the 2008 European Football Championship, which was held in Austria and Switzerland that year. These are two more current examples. "Samsung" at Kleine Scheidegg and "Tissot" at Wengen both in 2013.

[David Bell]

Not trains but ships, but railway owned nonetheless, all part of the BLS ship fleet plying the two lakes at Interlaken.

Blumisalp plies her trade on Lake Thun, the others on Lake Brienz.

[David Bell]

Some BLS emus 

[David Bell]

Some detail shots of WAB stock

[David Bell]

On 29/05/2020 at 20:45, David Bell said:

Two of my passions in life are trains , obviously, and skiing.

That is why we bought the house in Wengen.

So the attached has everything! (And the tent is a bar)

What's not to like!

 

One of my other passions was this. Now sadly gone! My only regret is I never took it to Switzerland.

[Metropolitan H]

As another under the spell of Swiss railway - particularly the narrow gauge lines, I thought you might be interested in the following pictures - one taken by Father on my parents first visit to Switzerland and the second taken by me on the first Swiss holiday enjoyed by my brother and me - with parents of course.

 

The first picture shows a BOB train and a WAB train at Lauterbrunnen station in August 1946 - my parents first trip to Switzerland, the first of quite a lot over the years. Dad wasn't demobbed till the very end of February 1946, they married on 9th March1946.

 

The second picture was taken by me in August 1963, during the course of my first trip on a WAB train - to change at Kleine Scheidegg for Jungfraujoch. It doesn't show a train or look very interesting till you realise you are looking at the tremendous damage done to the trees on the top of the valley sides, on the way up from Wengen, by the hurricane force (?) winds in November 1962.

 

Hope these are of interest.

 

I find the rest of this topic rather compelling - keep it going.

 

Regards

Chris H

Edited June 1, 2020 by Metropolitan H
Forgot to add the pictures and captions ???

[David Bell]

26 minutes ago, Metropolitan H said:

As another under the spell of Swiss railway - particularly the narrow gauge lines, I thought you might be interested in the following pictures - one taken by Father on my parents first visit to Switzerland and the second taken by me on the first Swiss holiday enjoyed by my brother and me - with parents of course.

 

The first picture shows a BOB train and a WAB train at Lauterbrunnen station in August 1946 - my parents first trip to Switzerland, the first of quite a lot over the years. Dad wasn't demobbed till the very end of February 1946, they married on 9th March1946.

 

The second picture was taken by me in August 1963, during the course of my first trip on a WAB train - to change at Kleine Scheidegg for Jungfraujoch. It doesn't show a train or look very interesting till you realise you are looking at the tremendous damage done to the trees on the top of the valley sides, on the way up from Wengen, by the hurricane force (?) winds in November 1962.

 

Hope these are of interest.

 

I find the rest of this topic rather compelling - keep it going.

 

Regards

Chris H

 

Chris, These are brilliant

 

David

[Metropolitan H]

David,

 

Later - probably weeks or months - I might find some more of interest from the early days, but to keep to the area of the BOB, I will mainly have to come more upto date - particularly to 19th January 2011, which started in Mulhouse. We then left Interlaken about 09.30 and a bit for the journey to Grindelwald for lunch.

 

The first picture is at the last water-stop on the way up - Schwendi -

 

 

Then we have a view of the BDB loco (Brunig Hg3/3 no 1067) propelling up the rack to Grindelwald -

 

 

and to finish the train at Grindelwald ready for the return trip after a very good lunch -

 

 

 

You will probably realise we were on one of the RTC's Swiss Steam trips - which was very good, if tiring at times. The next day the same train took us to Giswil for lunch and back and a few days later we went from Pontresina to Alp Grum and back with the RhB's steam rotary snow plough following to show-off - but that is a long way from Interlaken and Wengen.

 

Regards

Chris H

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Metropolitan H

[David Bell]

55 minutes ago, Metropolitan H said:

David,

 

Later - probably weeks or months - I might find some more of interest from the early days, but to keep to the area of the BOB, I will mainly have to come more upto date - particularly to 19th January 2011, which started in Mulhouse. We then left Interlaken about 09.30 and a bit for the journey to Grindelwald for lunch.

 

The first picture is at the last water-stop on the way up - Schwendi -

 

 

Then we have a view of the BDB loco (Brunig Hg3/3 no 1067) propelling up the rack to Grindelwald -

 

 

and to finish the train at Grindelwald ready for the return trip after a very good lunch -

 

 

 

You will probably realise we were on one of the RTC's Swiss Steam trips - which was very good, if tiring at times. The next day the same train took us to Giswil for lunch and back and a few days later we went from Pontresina to Alp Grum and back with the RhB's steam rotary snow plough following to show-off - but that is a long way from Interlaken and Wengen.

 

Regards

Chris H

 

These are lovely photos Thanks for posting.

I am very familiar with the RhB. For 15 years before I discovered Wengen my holiday of choice was to St Moritz. The trip on the Bernina is a real treat as is the Glacier Express. I have been lucky enough to do both a number of times though not recently.

 

Cheers

David

[David Bell]

A couple of Brunigbahn/Zb pictures 

[Metropolitan H]

David etal.,

 

I found another relevant picture in my late parents' 1948 photograph album. Dad's caption says all that is needed.

 

 

I won't find any more for this thread until I get to later than 1963. There was a hiatus in parents' foreign travels, for which mine and brother's arrival was largely to blame.

 

Regards

Chris H

[David Bell]

Brilliant Chris,

There is something very compelling about these older photos.

I am pretty sure that particular railcar did fairly recently carry a logo on it detailing how many miles it had done.

 

Thanks for posting

Cheers

David

[Metropolitan H]

David,

 

Excellent. One thing I should have made clear earlier is that the two (2) 1940s photographs are both scanned from 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" contact prints from the Zeiss bellows camera that Dad used - I now have it in working order. It uses 120 size roll film with 8 images per film, so one is more careful about the pictures you take, than nowadays when one snaps away and discards the less than perfect shots - I'm as bad as anyone else in that regard!

 

Regards

Chris H

[David Bell]

Chris,

We are so fortunate your Dad was using such a good quality camera. These prints are pin sharp. I have photos I took in the seventies and eighties that would leave you to think we must have lived in a world of fog and faded colour!

 

David

[David Bell]

This is the plan of Interlaken Ost I was building. It is a good starting point if anyone fancies having a go and their double garage is going spare.

[jacko]

Great Photos David. They bring back vivid memories of my trip to Kandersteg in 1979 as part of a scout jamboree. We travelled across europe from the Hook of holland by train (coach from Newcastle to Harwich) and definitely went through Interlaken on the way to our destination.  One of the excursions took us by cable car to the james bond restaurant on the Schilthorn and I have a vague recollection of having to take a rack and pinion train from lauterbrunnen to Murren. Do you have any pictures of that?

 

Graeme

[David Bell]

7 minutes ago, jacko said:

Great Photos David. They bring back vivid memories of my trip to Kandersteg in 1979 as part of a scout jamboree. We travelled across europe from the Hook of holland by train (coach from Newcastle to Harwich) and definitely went through Interlaken on the way to our destination.  One of the excursions took us by cable car to the james bond restaurant on the Schilthorn and I have a vague recollection of having to take a rack and pinion train from lauterbrunnen to Murren. Do you have any pictures of that?

 

Graeme

Graeme,

 

You would not have taken a rack and pinion train from Lauterbrunnen to Murren. There are two ways to make the journey. Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp by funicular(up til 2006 then replaced by a cable car) then BLM from Grutschalp to Murren, no rack, the railway is almost flat. Then you have to walk through the village to the cable car up to Birg and the Schiltorn. Or bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg along the valley floor then cable car from there to Murren, which connects directly with the cable car to Birg and the Schiltorn.Either way it is a spectacular journey! The BOB line from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen does have some rack on the approach to Lauterbrunnen station. Perhaps that is what you are remembering.

[jacko]

Thanks for the clarification David. It must have been the funicular / BLM combination as I do recall changing 'trains' on the trip. If only I'd been more into photography back then. 

 

Graeme  

[MOB FAN]

I knew the SBB meter gauge had Golden Pass cars but the loco is a new one for me.

Interesting OST layout plan.

Rode the new cable car to the Murren BLS last year. Changes keep happening in Switzerland.

While not in this area, the Stoosbahn was a trip. Any model railroaders willing to try that?

[PaulRhB]

The exciting bit with the Lauterbrunnen cable car is when they add a cargo underneath and it swings like a giant pendulum  

[Joseph_Pestell]

3 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

The exciting bit with the Lauterbrunnen cable car is when they add a cargo underneath and it swings like a giant pendulum  

I think that I will "pass" on that ride.

[vectispete]

I very recently purchased (off ebay) a HRF Deh 4/6 SBB Brunig locomotive which looks cracking and is in very good condition.

 

I placed it onto my mocked up test track however and nothing happened. Looking on the underside of the model there is a switch which I flicked across and tried again. All to no avail. I tried one of my BEMO equivalents and it worked fine.

 

Have I bought a dud or do HRF pick up their electric from the pantograph perhaps? This is the first HRF loco I have ever bought and I was looking at another but I am concerned I might have the same problem with that.

 

Does anyone have any ideas, thoughts or suggestions?

 

Pete

[MOB FAN]

You might try contacting Buhler in Interlaken.

I’ve noticed HRF items in their display cases.

[PaulRhB]

7 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

I think that I will "pass" on that ride.

 it’s a very slow swing but due to the weight beneath the gondola it keeps going all the way up. Great to watch it transfer to the tram but I guess not one for those that get motion sickness  

[Joseph_Pestell]

3 hours ago, vectispete said:

I very recently purchased (off ebay) a HRF Deh 4/6 SBB Brunig locomotive which looks cracking and is in very good condition.

 

I placed it onto my mocked up test track however and nothing happened. Looking on the underside of the model there is a switch which I flicked across and tried again. All to no avail. I tried one of my BEMO equivalents and it worked fine.

 

Have I bought a dud or do HRF pick up their electric from the pantograph perhaps? This is the first HRF loco I have ever bought and I was looking at another but I am concerned I might have the same problem with that.

 

Does anyone have any ideas, thoughts or suggestions?

 

Pete

 

Not a make that I am familiar with but most model railway products share common design features and fault diagnosis not too difficult. First port of call is to get the body off and put wires on the motor terminals. If the motor runs, then the problem lies with the pick-ups. Unlikely that there is a short circuit because that would trip your power supply and/or cause a loud buzzing noise and smoke.

I take it from your pseudo that you are on the IoW. When we get our freedom back, I will need to make a trip to Wootton.