CHUR, Switzerland — Take a good look at that picture above.
I took it just as we were departing Bergun, Switzerland, on Thursday afternoon. The guests on Trains’ Swiss tour were all smiles after about 10 miles of twists, turns, curves, tunnels, and scenic bridges.
No, I mean it. Our day began in Lugano with a bus ride to Tirano, Italy, and varied pizza/spaghetti/panini lunches. That was all preparation so our group of 36 people could board meter-gauge coaches of the Rhaetian Railway’s “Bernina Express” to Chur.
Let me emphasize this point: narrow gauge, mountain railroad, in Switzerland.
Those are three BIG checks in the Awesome column for railfans.
After two hours climbing the Alps in specially built gallery cars, we changed trains in St. Mortiz and the even bigger deal: the Albula Pass.
That’s where the twists and turns came in. From the top of Albula Pass at Preda, there’s a near-constant parade of meter-gauge work equipment expanding the tunnel, freight trains, and passenger trains about 10 miles north — and downhill — to Bergun. The ride down includes S-curves in tunnels, stone viaducts, a snow shed or two, and so many downgrade double-back loops, you couldn’t help but be happy.
But wait, there’s more!
The windows opened.
So, the window glare from earlier in the day was gone and we could get video and photos of any angle from the train.
It was the narrow gauge ride of my life.
And then, I remembered to put down the high definition video camera to take an iPad shot for all of you. That’s what you see at the top of the screen: Bergun. It is, I will always say, a happy little town at the base of a joyride.
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