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Hi. My wife and I are thinking about a trip to Kleine Scheidegg from Luzern the end of September. There are tours available that use a coach but we like riding the train. My question is “How do we plan our trip so it uses the cog-wheel trains once we get past Interlaken?” Thank you!
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Hello Bill and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
Use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B) or the highly-recommended SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi) to plan your travel, find fares* and buy tickets if required. If you are not familiar with using the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions on this page – http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable. *SBB website shows half-fare prices by default, mobile app allows you to nominate full or half-fare and is also smart enough to offer you the Saver Day Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sa verdaypass) if that offers the best fare.
Once you get to Interlaken there are 2 ways to reach Kleine Scheidegg. One via Wengen and the other via Grindelwald. Trains all the way. Go up one way and downtown the other for variety.
Between Luzern and Interlaken go one way via Brienz and one way via Bern for added variety.
Thank you rockoyster. I looked at the SBB site and we can get to Kleine Scheidegg via Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. Are the trains from those two cog-wheel or is the only cog-wheel from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch? We would do the up-one-way and back-the other when we go.
Hi Bill,
I think they are both cog-wheel trains but given they are the only ones on offer I’ve never bothered to check. Does it matter to you? If you want some real cog-wheel action have a look at the railway between Alpnachstad and Pilatus Kulm. See http://www.myswissalps.com/pi latus/gettingthere.
I’m going to cheekily switch from ‘cog-wheel’ to using the English term ‘Rack railway’.
Don’t worry you will be on a rack railway at some point on your journey to Kleine Scheidegg … and here’s the bit you weren’t expecting … the first section you will meet is actually only 30 minutes after leaving Luzern (at Giswil) as the Brünig pass railway has rack sections.
After Interlaken you are on the ‘Jungfrau’ railways network comprising the Berner Oberland Bahn (BOB, WengernalpBahn (WAB) and Jungfraubahn (JB).
The BOB railway (blue and yellow trains) is a Y shaped line from Interlaken, dividing at Zweilütschinen, to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. Once on the the BOB you will also meet the rack – both arms of the BOB route have short steep sections with rack.
Above Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald you are on the Wengernalpbahn (WAB – green and yellow trains). The WAB runs up to Kleine Scheidegg from both sides Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, hence the possibilty of doing the circuit. It is 100% rack (thus the longest such in the world)
The round trip via Grindelwald one way and Wengen the other way is pretty much the standard ‘tourist’ way to travel the Jungfrau railways
Thank you all for your responses. We are planning on doing the Pilatus jaunt – I want to try the sled ride and test out my GoPro coming down and going back up – and that rack railway sounds pretty good. We are really looking forward to our upcoming trip and experiencing a small part of Switzerland and the Alps. Previously we’ve only flown over them but now we can go through them. Thanks again for all the great information!
Hi bill2665! Yes, doing a round trip would make for a very nice journey. It’s part of the route up to Jungfraujoch and you’ll find details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch/gettingther e. Enjoy your preparations!
Hi Bill –
Pilatus
Slowpoke
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