Over 10 years ago I was on holiday in this area of Switzerland. On one of the days, my dad and I went to check out a special train hauled by a “crocodile” – I could make a picture of it in Surava. It wasn’t on the same spot as this photo, bu I definitely recognise the mountain in the background from the photo I … Continue reading Recognition
Back to Alvaneu, where we were just in time to catch the Chur – St. Moritz train, hauled by Ge6/6 II n° 707. The train is composed of 2 first class panoramic coaches, one regeular first class coach and some second class coaches. We would make the next photo from the other side of the field. While working these photos, I noticed that the other … Continue reading Borderline
In Switzerland, rail still has an important share in the modal mix. Government takes adequate measures to get traffic off the trucks and onto trains. As a consequence, they have managed to preserve the peace in the beautiful Alps. And that’s one of the reasons why I love this part of Europe so much. To get all this traffic on rails, it is still possible … Continue reading Mini freight
With the focus directed well, you see more than you would usually see. 20 years ago, I never saw any freight train on the Rhätische Bahn network. Now, with the right information, the main focus during our 2 days along the RhB would be the freight trains, passenger trains being a welcome change. We first saw train 5120 from Samedan to Thusis. The 6-axle locomotive … Continue reading First freight
As a kid, my parents took my brothers and me to Switzerland on vacation. I have early memories of the mighty Swiss Alps, and the little trains riding in their valleys. The Rhätische Bahn has been on my revisit-list for a while now, and in january 2016 I finally made it back. Der Kleine Rote, in between the mighty snowed Alp tops. As it will … Continue reading Finally back
Backlight is perfect for the last shots of the day, with low sun. Like the day before, we ended up standing above a viaduct, with the sun in front of us. The hike up here and the view were how I like them best: steep and scenic. The bench made for a comfortable wait. Continue reading Backlight on a bridge 2
In our search of sunlight and snow, we ended back up on the north side of the Gotthard pass. The viaduct at Amsteg would get some of the latest winter light. It is located high above the small town. When the train exits a tunnel it enters the bridge immediately. Check out this alternative view: it shows it more clearly, from the other side. For … Continue reading High up there
Winter photos in the Alps could use some snow. In lavorgo, temperatures were too high and the white stuff had melted completely. We headed north, back up the mountain pass, to get some colder temperatures (try to explain that to a non-rail enthousiast!). We weren’t very persistent though: we ended up in Chiggiaogna, with another nice snowy mountain view, with warm and dry feet. Was … Continue reading Warm feet
I try not to post more than 1 photo per location; my good excuse now is that I like this spot, and that we got to see a lot of interesting trains here. Soon after the BLS train passed us, we heard a rumble in the distance announcing the next one. SBB’s 11626 has been decorated with a “mustache”. We were lucky to catch the … Continue reading Too interesting
In the previous post, I promised it would be better. While driving down the mountain, temperature increased and the snow disappeared quickly. We noticed the BLS train we photographed before, riding slowly and coming to a halt. That meant we had a chance to get a better picture of this train. We chose a famous location, but one I hadn’t been to before. And yes, … Continue reading Second chance
Railscapes 