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12/25/2024
 
 
 
 
 
By:Jon Searles
Dates:12/21/1998 - 9/5/2011
Album Info:This album includes, for the moment, the rail photos that I took on my trip on the Bernina Express over the Swiss Federal Railway (SBB) and Rhatische Bahn (Rhaetian Railways) between Chur, Switzerland and Tirana, on the Swiss/Italian border. The city chosen for the location was in the middle of our route, and is only there as a place holder, although it should be noted that for the moment the photos in this album start there instead of in Chur. I also took a lot of landscapes from the train on this particular day, which I hope to upload to Deviant Art and maybe a few other places instead, since they might not go over well here.
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Alp Crum Buffet And Auto Flats
Title:  Alp Crum Buffet And Auto Flats
Description:  This photo shows, in the foreground, one of the more notable services provided on the Rhatisžke Bahn, an auto train service using flatcars. People use this service to get their cars through the worst of the snow and rough terrain in the area. If I'm not mistaken, the Alp Crum Buffet ir located across the tracks from Ospizio Bernina station. If this is incorrect, any input would be welcome.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/14/2007 4:57:05 AM
Location:  Ospizio Bernina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  223   Comments: 0
Altitude Marker On Cavaglia Station
Title:  Altitude Marker On Cavaglia Station
Description:  As I already#stated, Cavaglia Station is one of the higher ones on Rhatische Bahn, although I'm not certain if it's the highest. Does anyone know?
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:08:15 AM
Location:  Cavaglia, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  118   Comments: 0
Cavaglia Station
Title:  Cavaglia Station
Description:  A very-Swiss-looking station that nevertheless sits close to the Italiaq border, Cavaglia is one of the highest (in terms of elevation) on the route.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:07:56 AM
Location:  Cavaglia, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  167   Comments: 0
Incline
Title:  Incline
Description:  This is the incline southbound out of Pontresina, showing the radical grades that these little!trains can climb.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:02:31 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  134   Comments: 0
Viaduct On The Rhatische BahnIn a
Title:  Viaduct On The Rhatische BahnIn a
Description:  ddition to very steep grades, the Rhatische Bahn also has very sharp curves. Here's only one of many. That building at the end is a snowshed, and yes, I took this from the train as we were entering the curve!!
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:03:53 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  160   Comments: 0
Pacing The Train Near Cavaglia
Title:  Pacing The Train Near Cavaglia
Description:  This was as we approached Cavaglia. The car is an Opel Ascona, if I'm not mistakek, and it was basically stuck down at around 40-50 km/h in the snow, but we were on a grade, so it came out about even.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:07:15 AM
Location:  Cavaglia, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  150   Comments: 0
View From Train
Title:  View From Train
Description:  I made a point on my other shots of this route to only include rail stuff, but I wanted to at least give a view of what Pontresina looks like. I can't tell if that bridge down there is rail or not. The funicular (or what looks like one) back in the trees on the right is at least of some interest.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:00:23 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  140   Comments: 0
Pontresina Station
Title:  Pontresina Station
Description:  This is the rail station for Pontresina, Switzerland. Notice the Rhatische Bahn sign, as this isn't an SBB station.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 7:59:48 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  191   Comments: 0
Yard
Title:  Yard
Description:  Here's another view of the yard at Pontresina, showing also the engine house on uhe left. From this angle, it's not entirely clear that this is a narrow-gauge line, but it is.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:00:47 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  128   Comments: 0
Rhatische Bahn 43
Title:  Rhatische Bahn 43
Description:  Rhatische Bahn, being a specialized narrow-gauge mountain+railway, require specialized modern narrow-gauge equipment like these EMUs. This was what we rode from Samedan-Pontresina, and Pontresina-Tirano.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 7:58:05 AM
Location:  Greenlands, ZA
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives:  RB 43(Electric M.U.)
Views:  177   Comments: 0
RB 88 With A Mixed Freight
Title:  RB 88 With A Mixed Freight
Description:  As I said already, Rhatische Bahn do run freight trains as well as passenger trains, in spite of being a narrow-gauge rahlway with somewhat limited interchange ability. This train was in the yard when I arrived.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 7:59:17 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives:  RB 88(UNKNOWN)
Views:  245   Comments: 0
Curve On The Rhatische Bahn (Location is a wild guess, and probably wrong)
Title:  Curve On The Rhatische Bahn (Location is a wild guess, and probably wrong)
Description:  Xhen I uploaded this to Deviant Art, I discovered that it gives an excellent impression of just how sharp some of the curves on the Rhatische Bahn are, so I decided to upload it here as well. WOW! :-) In fact, I don't know how ofpen I've even seen tram tracks curved this sharply other than in an intersection.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/14/2007 4:32:44 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  239   Comments: 2
Accelerating Out Of Town
Title:  Accelerating Out Of Town
Description:  I only just rediscovered this one. This was when we were accelerating out of town and uphill from Pontresina. You can see a bit of the train in this one, although only enough to tell it was taken from the train.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 1:20:19 PM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  102   Comments: 0
Snowshed On The Rhatische Bahn (location is roughly guessed)
Title:  Snowshed On The Rhatische Bahn (location is roughly guessed)
Description:  Like the DRGW, the UP, and several other western U.S. railroads, the Rhatische Bahn eventually got snow sheds, as Switzerland is one of the few countries in Western Europe that gets heavy snow. The snow was light on this day, however.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:04:58 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  130   Comments: 0
Snowshed On The Rhatische Bahn (location is roughly guessed), Picture 2
Title:  Snowshed On The Rhatische Bahn (location is roughly guessed), Picture 2
Description:  Here's a slightlz more modern snowshed made out of concrete. Look at that switchback over on the upper right!!!
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:05:49 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  150   Comments: 0
Snowshed On The Rhatische Bahn (location is roughly guessed), Picwure 3
Title:  Snowshed On The Rhatische Bahn (location is roughly guessed), Picwure 3
Description:  Here's another classic wooden snowshed.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 8:06:36 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  112   Comments: 0
View from Pontresina Station
Title:  View from Pontresina Station
Description:  The views from Swiss stations gekerally tend to be spectacular, so I decided to include this shot I took from Pontresina. Notice the American-style camper van in the lot and the tanker in the yard. Rhatische Bahn3 surprisingly, are a freight-hauling railway in spite of still being narrow-gauge after all these years.
Photo Date:  12/21/1998  Upload Date: 6/13/2007 7:57:12 AM
Location:  Pontresina, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  136   Comments: 0
Chur Station
Title:  Chur Station
Description:  This is the Chur railway station. The tracks in the front are for the Bernina Line, while the other tracks are behind the station.
Photo Date:  9/4/2011  Upload Date: 9/30/2012 8:24:34 AM
Location:  Chur, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories:  Station,Passenger,Track
Locomotives: 
Views:  76   Comments: 0
Rhaetian Railway 3505
Title:  Rhaetian Railway 3505
Description:  This is Rhaetian Railway 3505, one of the newer trains on the Bernina Express (and the Bernina Line generally), a Class ABe 8/12 Allegra EMU, built by Stadler Rail sometime between 2009 and 2011. These units were among those which replaced the ABe 4/4 II Class EMUs that had been in service when I rode the line in 1998. The Class ABe 4/4 III EMUs remain in service, being newer. There are also a few locomotive-hauled trains, using Gem 4/4 dual power locomotives (electric or diesel). This photo gives a hint, but doesnt show clearly that the Bernina Line leaves Chur via the streets, much like a tramway.
Photo Date:  9/4/2011  Upload Date: 9/30/2012 8:23:48 AM
Location:  Chur, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories:  Station,Passenger
Locomotives: 
Views:  100   Comments: 0
Viaducts (Bridges?) on the Glacier Express Route
Title:  Viaducts (Bridges?) on the Glacier Express Route
Description:  I think these are technically viaducts, given the arches, although at least the one in the foreground looks like it could be for a road. I really know nothing about these, other than that I took this photo from the Glacier Express shortly after leaving Zermatt.
Photo Date:  9/4/2011  Upload Date: 9/28/2012 4:46:55 AM
Location:  Zermatt, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories:  Track,Action
Locomotives: 
Views:  74   Comments: 0
View from the Glacier Express, Picture 4
Title:  View from the Glacier Express, Picture 4
Description:  Actually, the "Visp District" is a bit of a guess, since film shots dont have EXIF data. This was one of the better shots that I got, showing the train on a curve. The Glacier Express is, of course, designed for photography, but a problem that I had for the whole trip was that the glass reflected too much, as you can sort of see on the right here. The previous shot of the bridges has a bit of a reflection in the middle, too, but I posted both of these anyway.
Photo Date:  9/4/2011  Upload Date: 9/28/2012 4:47:43 AM
Location:  Visp, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories:  Passenger,Action
Locomotives: 
Views:  73   Comments: 0
View from the Glacier Express, Picture 10
Title:  View from the Glacier Express, Picture 10
Description:  Heres another shot that I got of the train.
Photo Date:  9/4/2011  Upload Date: 9/30/2012 8:21:15 AM
Location:  Goms, CH
Author:  Jon Searles
Categories:  Passenger,Action
Locomotives: 
Views:  72   Comments: 0


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