When Did I Last Ride A Trolleybus?
The final leg of my descent from Mount Pilatus was a trolleybus from the walk down from the cable-car station to Lucerne station.
They are certainly a bit different to the ones I rode in London in the 1950s.
Trolleybus Ascending Jolly Butchers Hill in Wood Green
Will we see more trolleybuses in the future?
Londoners of my age, all have memories of trolleybuses.
- They had faster acceleration than diesel buses.
- They were generally reliable.
But they were sometimes a nightmare to turn round. Near where I live now, you can still see the wide junction between Southgate Road and Ardleigh Road where 641 trolleybuses turned at Mildmay Park.
But the development of battery technology and fast charging stations will mean that battery buses will be able to do the same trip without any wires.
The 641 trolleybus in North London was replaced by the 141 bus, which still runs regularly between London Bridge and Palmers Green.
It was the first route in London to be run using hybrid buses and will probably be one of the first long routes to be run by electric buses.
Up And Down Pilatus
These pictures document my trip up the Pilatus Railway and then down to Lucerne by cable-car.
Note.
- I started from Alpnachstad station, which is about twenty minutes from Lucerne station.
- The round trip took just under two hours.
- It cost me half price of 36 CHF, with my Swiss Pass.
I probably went up rather too early in the day, as the views would have been better later on.
Up And Down On The Schynige Platte Railway
These pictures document my trip up and down on the Schynige Platte Railway.
Note.
- I started from Wilderswil station, ehich is on the Berner Oberland Bahn, whose trains operate services to Interlaken Ost, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen.
- The trip up and down the mountain took about two hours and a bit.
- It cost me half price of 32 CHF, with my Swiss Pass.
The views from the top were worth it.
Between Lucerne And Interlaken Ost Stations On Die Zentralbahn
The Zentralbahn is the scenic railway, that connects Lucerne and Interlaken Ost stations along the Brünig Line. Wikipedia says this about the ownership of the railway.
The Zentralbahn is a Swiss railway company that owns and operates two connecting railway lines in Central Switzerland and the Bernese Oberland. It was created on January 1, 2005, with the acquisition of the independently owned Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line, and the Brünig line of the Swiss Federal Railways.
I don’t know, but as the railway is metre rather than standard gauge, I do wonder, if it was to Swiss Federal Railways, a bit like the Settle-Carlisle Line was to British Rail; Expensive to run, loved by locals and tourists and in need of new investment.
These pictures show the railway.
As some of the pictures show, the line was busy in places. and judging by the number of Asian groups on the train, a lot were tourists.
The trains are modern Stadler SPATZ trains.
- Fully-electric.
- Metre gauge.
- They are able to use sections of the line which have a rack to assist climbing.
- Large panoramic windows for good views.
It appears that the three-car train has been designed with all the electrical gubbings in the middle car, with the end sections similar to the Stadler GTW.
Stadler seem to be able to shuffle their ideas and especially, the central power-pack to produce trains for all purposes.
Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains, and the tri-mode Flirts of the South Wales Metro, will be just more variations on the same theme.
Next Time I Go To The Area
There are two groups of mountain railways grouped at Interlaken and Lucerne, which are linked by the
Brünig Line. The route is not simple and there is a reverse about half-way at Meiringen station.
Searching the web, it appears that there is reasonably-priced accommodation in and around Meiringen.
With a Swiss Pass, which gives a worthwhile discount on the expensive mountain trains, I shall be staying around there on my next trip to Switzerland.
Consider.
- You could fly in to Zurich Airport and buy your Swiss Pass there.
- Lucerne and Interlaken are about an hour away on the scenic Brünig Line.
- Bern and Zurich are close enough for a day trip.
I didn’t explore Meiringen, so check the guides first. But it looked OK from the train.
The View From The Schilthorn
These pictures were taken from the viewing platform by the side of the Piz Gloria restaurant on the Schilthorn.
It was certainly worth going up to the top of the Schilthorn.
In Piz Gloria; The Rotating Restaurant On Top Of The Schilthorn
I took these pictures in Piz Gloria, which is the restaurant on top of the Schilthorn.
Note.
- During my meal, the restaurant did a complete rotation.
- The food was typically Swiss; reasonable but pricey.
- It was certainly better than any other rotating restaurant I’d eaten in.
- The three prominent peaks grouped together are the Eiger, Mönch and the Jungfrau.
- All the Swiss, were saying that the weather was exceptional.
I think the Swiss couple sitting opposite me, might have been celebrating a birthday or anniversary and they seemed to enjoy the experience.
Up The Schilthorn
I took these pictures on the ascent by cable-car of the Schilthorn.
Note.
- The ascent was on three successive cable-cars.
- As the weather was good, it was rather busy with waits at the cable-car changes.
- This ascent is included in a Swiss Pass and the only thing, I needed to do was get a free ticket at the first change.
- The windows on one cable-car could have done with a good clean.
It was certainly a good value ride.
Riding The Bernese Oberland Railway
The Bernese Oberland Railway, is one of the rail lines, that meet at Interlaken Ost station.
This short description is from Wikipedia.
The Bernese Oberland Railway (or correctly translated Bernese Highlands Railway; German: Berner Oberland-Bahn, BOB) is a narrow-gauge mountain railway in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland. It runs, via a “Y” junction at Zweilütschinen to serve Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald. The railway is rack assisted (that is although an adhesion railway, rack and pinion operation is used on steep sections of the line to assist traction).
These pictures show the railway.
On my trip I used the railway twice.
- To get to and from Lauterbrunnen station to go to the Schilthorn.
- To get to and from Wilderswil station to go to ride on the Schynige Platte Railway.
It is very much the railway to start your trip into the mountains.
It is a route included in a Swiss Pass.
Nice Work If You Can Get It!
There are pictures of Boris’s screwee all over the papers.
Screwee is a legal term, as used by my late wife for the other party in a divorce.
She used it for every sex and sexual orientation.
On a serious note, is 24 years an acceptable age difference in a relationship.
If it is then, perhaps this 71-year-old should be looking for available 47-yeae-old ladies.
The Anonymous Widower 