Rolling stock on the Golden Pass Route?

  • Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    14 April 2018 at 10:17:39 #815321

    I was looking at the “Switzerland by Rail ” website:

    http://www.switzerlandbyrail. com/

    There, I noticed in this somewhat dated description of the Golden Pass trains that the narrow gauge section was to be upgraded to standard gauge. No more train changes.

    http://www.switzerlandbyrail. com/trains/scenic/gold en_pass_line.htm

    I do not know if it has happened yet, but perhaps the service interruption this Spring is related. An, I recall reading about the proposed change some years ago, when it was just a hope.

    Any comments from recent riders?

    By the way, that site does not seem to have been updated for a while, but it has useful information.

    Slowpoke

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    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    14 April 2018 at 14:34:17 #882239

    Hi Slowpoke,

    They are indeed working on the route for some years now. We stayed in Zweisimmen in 2011 and even then this project was ongoing. Here’s what I know: the train change in Zweisimmen will no longer be necessary as of 2022 or so. Not because they are changing the tracks but because they will be using rolling stock that can operate on both narrow and normal gauge tracks. An installation to change from one gauge to the other will be installed in Zweisimmen.

    There’s some brief information about it on http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    14 April 2018 at 16:08:28 #882240

    Hi Arno-

    Thanks for the update.

    <<“Not because they are changing the tracks but because they will be using rolling stock that can operate on both narrow and normal gauge tracks.”>>

    Hmmmn. I thought that they were going to lay a 3rd rail inside the standard gauge line to Spiez and Interlaken. So, now that I think about it, the track work further west would not be part of hat project.

    However they do it, its interesting. Meter gauge on the Zentralbahn from Luzern to Meringen, then reversed direction, still meter gauge to Interlaken Ost.

    Standard gauge from Interlaken Ost to Spiez and onward to Zweisimmen. The MOB line from Zweisimmen to Montreux is meter gauge and has rack sections on the descent to Montreux. That is the section where the panoramic trains run.

    So, I wonder how that will be managed. I don’t think there is much standard gauge cograil equipment, so perhaps they’ll run the meter gauge rolling stock as far as IO.

    If they can do that, unless there are voltage dfferences, I suppose it would be technically possible to pick up the Zentralbahn tracks to Luzern at IO, and go super panoramic all the way.

    It would not surprise me if that is the goal.

    Slowpoke

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    14 April 2018 at 22:39:31 #882241

    Unrelated to Golden Pass. Just a Swiss train snippet.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    14 April 2018 at 23:49:20 #882242

    There’s more information about it here (in German):

    http://www.bls.ch/de/unterneh men/medien/medienmitte ilungen/2018/03-12-bestellung-rollmaterial-mob-gpe

    They expect the new trains, which will enable a transfer-free trip between Interlaken Ost and Montreux, to go into regular service at the December 2020 timetable change.

    And here is some information about the works at Zweisimmen station:

    http://www.bls.ch/en/unterneh men/projekte-und-hintergruende/bauproje kte/modernisierung-bahnhof-zweisimmen

    Alpenrose

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    15 April 2018 at 0:33:05 #882243

    Thanks, Rockoyster.

    A very useful link.

    http://www.newlyswissed.com/f uture-of-swiss-train-travel/

    For me, at least. 😉

    Slowpoke

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    15 April 2018 at 6:26:56 #882244

    Attached for the English speakers . . . .

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