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This is Switzerland: Gettin’ Rigi with it

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

After taking a boat from Lucerne, we arrived at Vitznau and enjoyed a tour of the Rigi-Kulm Railway’s shop. It was fun to watch the crew use the turntable to move their equipment around. The shop also stored supplies for the shops and restaurants at the top of the mountain as the trains take everything from beer to teddy bears to the top. They had spools of catenary for a project to replace it in some spots. They had two 1920s steam engines resting in the shop, too, among other piece...

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It's Big Boy time - Again! Join us for the experience right here

Posted 6 months ago by Jim Wrinn

One of the questions I like to ask readers when I visit with them is “what would you like for us at Trains to do next.” The answers vary, of course, depending on interests. Some want a feature story on their favorite locomotive or railroad. Others want to know more about what’s ahead for railroading. But inevitably, just about everyone wants us to take them along on the journeys we make to cover railroading for you. I like that idea. So, once again, as we did...

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This is Switzerland: Piling on at Pilatus

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

We boarded a boat at Lucerne to Alpnachstad (See). Once there, we rode the Pilatus Cog Railway to Pilatus Kulm. This is the world’s steepest cog railway with an average grade of 38 percent; the highest at 48 percent. The train took us 6,982 feet above sea level. It uses the Locher rack system (engages center rack with cogs on each side instead of on top, providing stability, and no teeth can jump out of rack). The 2.86-mile line takes 30 minutes to climb, but 40 minutes to descend. It ...

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Railway Interchange 2019 outdoor exhibits gallery

Posted 6 months ago by Brian Schmidt

Railway Interchange 2019 had its typical outdoor displays at BNSF Railway's Northtown Yard between Minneapolis and St. Paul. This was my first visit to a Minneapolis-hosted Interchange, which traditionally has alternated between Indianapolis and Minneapolis biennially. In my seven years with Trains Magazine, this was my first Interchange at Minneapolis with the outdoor displays. However, the next two are scheduled for Indianapolis, possibly ending the outdoor displays at Northtown. Regardless...

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At Railway Interchange, motive power comes in many sizes

Posted 6 months ago by Brian Schmidt

There are many things to see at Railway Interchange, held this year at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Both Cummins and Wabtec had prime movers on display – of course a full-size, six-axle locomotive would be too big for the convention center floor. (There's an outdoor exhibition, too, at BNSF Railway's Northtown Yard, but, sadly, no new locomotives appear there, either.) What we did see on the exhibition floor was the classic Trackmobile, and its electric and Italian cousin Zephir. ...

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It's Railway Interchange time

Posted 6 months ago by David Lassen

MINNEAPOLIS — The big show has begun. Railway Interchange 2019, the rail equipment trade show held in conjunction with conventions of an alphabet soup of railway organizations (most prominently AREMA, the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association, and RSI, the Railway Supply Institute) opened Sunday at the Minneapolis Convention Center, featuring exhibits from hundreds of rail-related manufacturers. You can talk to representatives of companies making everything from ...

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This is Switzerland: Jungfrau Railway — it gets snow higher

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

Everyday of the Special Interest Tours “Switzerland by Rail” is filled to the brim with train rides, from cogs to commuters. The rides are smooth and comfortable no matter where you go. The inter connectivity from trains to buses to boats is something for any passenger train enthusiast to take note. This day, perhaps took the cake on the number of trains we rode from 8:44 a.m. to 6:53 p.m.: nine. You’ve heard of tennis elbow, athlete’s foot, and tension headache? I ...

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This is Switzerland: Cuckoo for the Chocolate Train

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

The Chocolate Train, aboard Belle Époque MOB to Montbovon provided comfortable seating, smooth hot chocolate, and flaky and soft chocolate-filled croissants. All of those luxuries are in addition to the mountain views through panoramic windows we’ve now become accustomed to, however, I’m not immune to their beauty and majesty. At Montbovon, the group boarded a bus to Gruyere Gare for a cheese factory tour.Although designed for tourists, the experience was educational and e...

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This is Switzerland: First you whip and then you Rochers-de-Naye

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

After arriving in Montreux, we boarded the Rochers-de-Naye (pronounced ro-SHAY dah NAY) cog train. This train booked to the top where we reached 6,699 feet. That may not seem as impressive as altitudes you’ve experienced in other parts of the world, but this train gained altitude fast. On this trip, we enjoyed tunnels, Lake Geneva, and the lovely alps. I found it interesting that this train made additional stops en route to pick up and drop off passengers and dogs — don’t f...

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This is Switzerland: Matterhorn, I love your face

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

This might be my favorite day yet. We rode the Gornergrat Cog Railway, Europe’s highest open-air cog, up to the summit of Gornegrat at 10, 171 feet … and the view of the Matterhorn was just awesome. Here we were able to see and touch snow on the mountains. No sooner had I commented on how there was no yellow snow up there, and another gentleman heard me and chuckled. Just when you think you’re at the top of a mountain and no one will hear your snark! Not too much later, I ...

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This is Switzerland: Furka Steam and other delights

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

This morning’s journey began at Chur aboard the Glacier Express train, known as the world’s slowest express. It boasts grades of more than 12%, double cogwheels with a rack-and-pinion system that allows the train to tackle these extreme grades. The seats were more than comfortable with a large table to write yesterday’s blog and drink a too-small cup of coffee I bought for 5 francs. But with the smooth ride and beautiful mountains, that was really all the fuel I needed. Our tra...

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This is Switzerland: Bused a move (and a comfy train too) on the Bernina Express

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

Bernina Express is part bus and part panorama coach train on the Rhaetian Railway. We departed by bus from Lugano. My reward was 50 minutes in Tirano, Italy, to indulge in delicious thin crust funghini pizza and water with gas. We beat feet to catch our train at Tirano aboard comfortable coaches with their soft seats in fours, facing a table top with the entire route map on its surface. One of the highlights, since our coach was a few cars from the rear, was that when you went around the swoopin...

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This is Switzerland: Gotthard Panorama Express (yourself)

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

We left Zurich today via a commuter train to Lucerne. At Lucerne, we boarded a steamboat to take us to Fluelen. I’m fast realizing that you can take your dog everywhere in Switzerland. These dogs have ridden more boats and trains than I ever will. However, the canines are nonplussed about the trains, boats, and trams, whereas I am fascinated by all of it. The Gotthard Panorama Express took is from Fluelen to Bellinzona on first-class carriages that were about as posh and plush inside as th...

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Two videos you need to see: Country music and Saluda grade

Posted 6 months ago by Jim Wrinn

I am here to tell you about what we’re doing here on the web, in print, or with experiences. I’m also supposed to be here comment on railroading, and in particular, preservation, as that’s my forte. But today, I’m taking a break. I’m going to suggest two video events that should be on your radar. One is on your TV. The other on your computer. First, let’s talk about the one on your TV. Set aside Sunday evening when PBS debuts Ken Burns’ long-awa...

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This is Switzerland: Pinch me. I’m in Zurich!

Posted 6 months ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak

The toilet bowls are round, the names of everything are incredibly long, and you can get just about anywhere on a train. And these are just my impressions in the first 4 hours, having arrived at 8:30 a.m. and being awake for 24 hours after two plane rides and two airport trains to get to wonderful Zurich. You can imagine why the restroom, or should I say water closet, was so important after landing. I am excited to be co-hosting Trains and Special Interest Tours “Switzerland by Rail Tour&r...

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England calling when No. 611 arrived at Strasburg

Posted 7 months ago by Jim Wrinn

The arrival of Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 No. 611 at Pennsylvania’s Strasburg Rail Road Wednesday gave me a moment to pause and feel like a bit of British railway preservation philosophy has finally taken hold in the U.S. My friend Mike Long sent me the picture above of the Class J with SRR’s 2-6-0 No. 89 as a pusher just for the fun of it. Due to changing circumstances at Amtrak and Norfolk Southern, No. 611 no longer has a mainline excursion venue. But inste...

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Norfolk & Western No. 611 in Pennsylvania: The thought makes me smile... and dig out old pictures

Posted 7 months ago by Jim Wrinn

Norfolk & Western No. 611 arrives today at a new venue: Pennsylvania’s hallowed Strasburg Rail Road. This will be a nice change of pace for the Class J, and it will allow it to spend time with another N&W veteran, M Class 4-8-0 No. 475. I expect those two have some tales to tell each other about how life has been for the last 60 years or so. While having No. 611 on the mainline is preferable, conditions in 2019 beyond the control of just about any railroad CEO (at th...

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Will the horse move? Thoughts on photographing animals with trains

Posted 7 months ago by Jim Wrinn

There’s a famous W.C. Fields quote about never working with animals and children. I’m not 100 percent sure of the context of that statement: Perhaps that meant he was afraid they would upstage him, or perhaps that meant they were too unpredictable. Maybe both. I tend to think the latter. We’ve all tried over the years to incorporate various animals into our railroad photography. The famous have done it: One of O. Winston Link’s most famous photos, Maude b...

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Western Maryland 1309 update: Drivers and front engine reunited

Posted 7 months ago by Jim Wrinn

Steam locomotive restorations are agonizingly slow, especially when the subject locomotive has been well used in its working life and exposed to the elements during its preservation life. Such is the case with Western Maryland Scenic’s former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309. The engine only ran from 1949 to 1956 in coal service near Logan, W.Va., but by that time the Chessie knew it was heading toward dieselization and that steam upkeep could be minimal. Years of storage at Russ...

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