Noah & Federer ride the GPX!
On the heels of the launch of the Goldenpass Express (GPX) late last year came the revelation that Roger Federer had been lined up for a publicity stint on behalf of the Montreux Oberland Bernois (MOB). Previously Federer had done other Swiss tourist publicity films including rail based ones and…
The Tokyo to Osaka Line #8: Addenda
Following the publication of the five parts of the The Tokyo to Osaka Line covering the classic railway route and the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, three further parts were drawn up covering other aspects of the New Tōkaidō Line. In other words mostly stuff that’s little known to the English speaking world!…
Gauge change – Zweisimmen
The Montreux Oberland Bernois (MOB) and the Bern Lötschberg Simplon (BLS) railways have begun through services between Montreux and Interlaken. The project to provide a single train service between the two destinations was put on hold mostly due to the pandemic that took hold of the world in 2020 and…
Auto train for a rack railway
The Appenzeller Bahn (AB) in Switzerland has ordered a rack-and-pinion rail vehicle for its 1.96km long Bergbahn Rheineck–Walzenhausen. The line has one intermediate station at Ruderbach. What is most unusual for this rack railway is its new vehicle is to be fully automated and have no driver – thus the…
Swiss rack lines’ new trains
The Pilatus, Rigi and Gornergrat rack railways recently got some very smart looking and futuristic new stock. The designs are a radical departure from the classic look that has been a feature of the Swiss rack lines for years. Even when the Wengernalp and Jungfrau Bahn acquired new stock a…
The Tokyo to Osaka Line #6: Addenda
Following the publication of the five parts of the The Tokyo to Osaka Line covering the classic railway route and the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, follow ups were drafted. Largely completed with technical stuff and other gems on the New Tōkaidō Line, as well as its drivers and engineers etc. In other…
The Tokyo to Osaka Line #7: Addenda
Following the publication of the five parts of the The Tokyo to Osaka Line covering the classic railway route and the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, the sixth, seventh and eighth parts were drawn up covering other aspects of the New Tōkaidō Line. In other words mostly stuff that’s little known to the…
Montreux Oberland Bernois (2)
The second part of the Montreux Oberland Bernois special. The first part looked at the line and its history, with coverage of the route from Montreux to Les Sciernes. In this instalment we take a look at the line from Montbovon to Zweisimmen. There’s four further posts coming soon, these…
Montreux Oberland Bernois
The Chemin de fer Montreux Oberland Bernois (MOB) n Switzerland first opened during December 1901 between Montreux and Les Avants – a climb of about 1866 feet or 575 metres in a mere 3km (just under two miles) distant as the crow flies. The line was originally planned to go…
Southwold Railway #3
Forty years of dereliction and decay: After closure the line remained derelict for the next twenty years or so. There were moves to reopen it, none of which came to fruition. Most of the route’s track remained until the early forties. The army blew up part of the Blyth bridge…