A pleasant hour spent at Thun Station
What can you make from a wheel, a tyre and some old rail? The old EBT logo at Thun Station.
Brig – Don’t see many of there Pendlezug in these days of EW1 atock
Domodossla in Italy
I’m back from holiday again, but Allan’s pictures of Swiss transport will hold the fort for a few days more!
Yverdon
Second hand meter gauge points still sitting on top of a container at Lauterbrunnen. They were there last year!
Olten Station
An old Ae4/7 and an Ae3/6 at Payerne. These caught me by surprise
British electric bus seen in Thun
The lovely paddle boat Blumisalp on Lake Thun
The rest of the photo are all taken on the BLM
Probably the last epistle from Ron (till October):
Our last full day and another hot one. Decided to go to Lugano in Ticino so set off by bus and train to Arth Goldau. When the Lugano train pulled in it was packed to the gunnels so had to rethink our plans. We saw an almost empty train in Locarno so jumped on that and off we went through the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Had a little walk round town in very hot sun and had a drink and cake before taking postbus back to Bellinzona. From there we took trains over the old Gotthard route to Flelen where we took steam paddle boat back to Vitznau. Do not know whether there will be an email tomorrow depends on how we get to airport and whether there is free wifi there. If no email then next one will be from Ron when he goes to Germany in October.
Belinzona to Locarno
Locarno and Lago Maggiore
Gotthard south ramp
Wassen church
Gotthard north ramp
Sculptures at Flüelen. Try driving the car away
Still raining! I’m pleased to see that even the Swiss have rail replacement bus services, and the Dawes pursuit of good value (i.e. cheap) food.
A cloudy day and on our journey passed through constant rain. Took service bus to Brig where we caught a rail replacement bus heading to Erstfeld but changed at Flüelen on to a service bus to Göschenen. Just our luck it had those see through transfers over the windows preventing photography. At Göschenen we took trains via Andermatt to Disentis where we had a very good cheap lunch in the station buffet. Our return journey was by train via Chur Zurich and Luzern to Kussfor and a bus back to the hotel.
Views over lower part of lake Lucerne
Göschenen to Andermatt
Andermatt
Ascent to Oberalppass
Oberalppass
Andermatt to Disentis
Once again, we’re away this week at the ‘New Wine’ church conference. But our visits to the Bath & West Showground near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, in the south-west of the UK are over – the conference has moved to the East of England Showground, near Peterborough.
Each year I have posted a few shots of the miniature railway that is on the Showground, run by the East Somerset Society of Model & Experimental Engineers. Their interests include locos and stock in 3½”, 5″ and 7¼” gauges (just a little larger than ‘N’ gauge), and they have an extensive line, a lot of which is dual gauge for the larger two scales. Each year at New Wine, ESSMEE used to open up the railway for the day and offer rides for all and sundry. I’ve reposted the pick of my photographs from over the years below, and you can read more about this little railway at http://www.essmee.org.uk/ .
Starting with today’s weather forecast…..
An overcast day and cooler with a few spots of rain late afternoon.
Made our way by bus and train via Kussnacht and Luzern to Giswil from where we took one of only three postbuses a day via Sorenberg to Schupfheim. The start of the way to Sorenberg was up narrow roads with passing places and hairpin bends. We started with only 6 on board including the driver but when we stopped at a large parking area we picked up a large group of infant school children with their teachers/guides. They were well behaved until they got off 20 minutes later in Sorenberg. Everytime the driver sounded his horn on the hairpin bends they clapped. From Schupfheim we took a train back to Luzern walked over to the quays to pick up steam paddle boat to Brunnen. Here we had a rest overlooking the lake before taking a bus back to the hotel
I trust Allan & Ron also clapped on the bends…..
View from train leaving Kussnacht
Luzern
On ascent from Giswil to Sorenberg
Steam paddle boat on Lake Lucerne
Weggis
Post Hotel Viznau
Gersau
Brunnen (plus Allan’s elbow)
Trouble with spell check is that it doesn’t include Swiss place names. Unless I look them all up on the map, I have to trust Ron and Allan’s typing – a dubious assumption sometimes….
Another hot sunny day.
Took bus to Kussnacht for train to Herisau from where we travelled via Appenzell to St Gallen. Returned by train via Zurich and Luzern to Kussnacht for bus back.
On ascent between Arth Goldau and Biberbrugg
On descent to Lake Zurich
Causeway over Lake Zurich
Appenzellerland
Lake Zurich from train to Luzern
Lake Zug
Rowing course approaching Luzern
Sunset tonight. Please excuse finger top left (I normally edit out the fickle finger of Ron, but as he mentioned this one, I’ve left it in……)
Looking the opposite way from above photo
Vitznau Rigi Bahn station. Entrance to our hotel at top of hill
Moving day today!
Change of hotel today from Lauterbrunnen to Vitnau. Train via Interlaken to Luzern and then boat to Vitznau. Dropped our cases then did round trip. Buses to Arth Goldau changing at Schwyz , train to Luzern and another boat back to Vitznau.
Weather has been overcast and misty but now sun is trying to come out.
Brunig Pass to Luzern
Luzern
Positive sighting of the Cha(I)rman!!!!!!
I like the turntable for the rack railway, that also serves the engine shed…
Sun setting over Lake Lucerne
Our hotel in Vitznau. We are staying in the annex on the other side of the hotel. (Not, I assume, the building with the scaffolding and plastic sheeting? Nothing but the best for the Dawes’ on safari.)
Thursday morning, we walked down from the hotel to Cromford Mills, less than half-a-mile away. These mills were the site of the first cotton-spinning machine invented by Richard Arkwright. This whole stretch of the Derwent Valley and its mills has been designated as a World Heritage Site – a slight contrast to the pyramids and the Taj Mahal, but nonetheless the birthplace of the industrial revolution and of the factory system of production. As well as a museum, there was a interesting line of shops to explore.
We discovered that our hotel had been built by Sir Richard as his home, but he had never lived there. And we found this description of the great man – it seems to describe a number of my friends (ignoring the Lancashire bit)….
A few yards away was the terminus of the Cromford Canal, and the old wharf buildings have been restored. Unfortunately the narrow boat was fully booked, so we walked for a mile and a half along the canal and then back (much better for us both, really.)
Once again the railway enthusiast’s instinct cut in. Along the canal, the main A6 road, the canal and the Derby to Buxton railway (originally the Midland Railway line to Manchester, before Dr Beeching axed it north of Buxton) ran side by side. Unfortunately, the main line service was one an hour, and always went past at a bad spot for photography.
However, a mile or so along the towpath, we came across High Peak Junction, terminus of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, and one of the oldest railway workshops (and certainly the oldest in existence) in the world. The CHPR was an eccentric backwater, that remained in operation until 1967 serving quarries in the area. Features included a number of rope operated inclines, and the steepest – 1 in 14 – locomotive operated gradient in the UK. For many years, it was operated by the pretty little North London Railway 0-6-0T’s, moved there by the LMS in the 1930’s.
The workshops have been restored.
There is an exhibition in these two ex-LMS brake vans.
And beyond them is the start of the Cromford Incline, now part of the High Peak walking trail.
One of two water towers on the site. There was no steady water supply on the high level lines above this incline, so water for the locomotives (isolated at the high level) was carried up to them in old locomotive tenders.
The engine shed has been well preserved.
Inside the workshops is this nice model of the site. A bit old and battered, but built to scale and giving a very good impression of how the site would have looked. Below, the incline starts at the top of the picture, behind the buildings.
Now, the river banks are well vegetated, with mature trees having grown since closure in 1967. The left bank of the canal where the picnic umbrellas are is the same area as where the tracks are being lifted in the model above.
A little further along the canal is a fine transhipment building, to load the barges from railway wagons. The railway used to run behind this shed and onward to join the main Midland line with a junction and interchange sidings.
We walked a little further, across an aqueduct over the Derwent, then retraced our steps. We got half way up the hotel drive before the heavens opened with a short sharp shower!
And here is a dreadful warning. Perhaps this could be modified as a notice for layouts at exhibitions???
So that’s OUR holiday snaps. It was an excellent week away, and we came back having eaten too much, talked too much, and walked about right. And I’ll hand back to Allan and Ron for a few more days.
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