Chemins de fer Fribourgeois Gruyère-Fribourg-Morat
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The Chemin de Fer Fribourgeois, Gruyere - Fribourg - Morat is, in the main, a 1 m (3 ft 33⁄8 in) gauge line with a length of 48.2 km running mainly within the Swiss canton of Fribourg, however the system also includes two standard gauge lines which became part of the group in 1942.
[edit] History
The main line of the narrow gauge network runs from Palézieux, on the SBB main line from Bern to Lausanne, via Châtel-St.-Denis and Bulle to Montbovon and has a total length of 44.2 km. The short Bulle - Broc branch, which was opened for traffic in 1912, leaves the main line just before La Tour de Treme station and serves the nearby Nestlé chocolate factory, as well as the village of Broc.
The system was opened in stages, that from Chateau St. Denis to Palezieux (CP) in 1901, then over the following three years by the lines which made up the CBM, those from Chateau St. Denis to Vuadens, Vaudens to Bulle, Bulle to La Tour de Treme and from La Tour de Treme to Montbovon. From 20th December 1907 these companies amalgamated to form the Chemins de fer électriques de la Gruyère (CEG), the branch line to Broc being added in 1912. From 1 January 1942, and with the addition of two standard gauge lines, Bulle - Romont and Fribourg - Merten - Ins, they formed the Chemin de Fer Gruyere - Fribourg - Morat.
Bulle is the centre of operations with depot, workshops and, within its modern station, the connection between the metre and standard gauge lines. Transfer to the trains of the Chemin de fer Montreux Oberland Bernoise takes place in Montbovon, and until 1969, Châtel-St. Denis, had a connection to the CEV to Vevey.
Since 2000 the operation has been in the hands of the Transports Public Fribourgois, a coming together of all the local rail, motor bus and trolley bus operators.
[edit] Operations
Metre gauge.
The railway operates a basic hourly fequency on all its lines using a fleet of electric railcars with driver trailers. The oldest operational class is Be 4/4 dating from 1903 which are, nowadays used on the special trains in conjunction with visits to the chocolate factory at Broc, or on special excursions. These usually, subject to demand, work with an elderly passenger coach as trailer. Normal services are in the hands of either class Be 4/4 single cab power units built in 1977 coupled to single end driving trailer cars (class Bt) to form two-coach sets or double ended class BDe 4/4 units built by Ateliers Constructions Mecanique Vevey (ACMV) / ABB in 1992 (No's 121 to 124 inclusive) which work on their own on lightly loaded trains or or with driving trailers by the same makers. The line is home to just two main line electric locomotives, Class GDe 4/4, built by SLM / BBC in 1983 and which are identical to the Class 6001 of the Chemin de Fer Montreux Oberland Bernoise. These are No. 101, named "Ville de Bulle" and No. 102, named "Neirivue". They are used, usuallly, on workings to the track ballast hopper point near Grandvillars. The company has also in its stocklist two vintage electric shunting locomotives, Class Te 2/2, No's 11 and 12, built by Oerlikon in 1912. One of these is usually to be found at Bulle in connection with the wagon transfer between standard and metre gauge, the other at Montbovon.
Standard Gauge.
Like the metre gauge the standard gauge lines are operated on an hourly timetable and again with electric units and driving trailers.
There are currently, in Autumn 2006, plans for the introduction of new stock on this section with a top speed of 125 km/h to operate as fixed three - coach sets, maintaining the hourly timetable, but with faster timings. These will replace the 1964/5 built stock constructed by a consortium of SIG / SWS / BBC / Oerlikon / SAAS. As these will be built under the auspices of the Transports publics Fribourgeois they have been dealt with under that heading.
[edit] Livery
Most of the trains are still painted in an uninspiring grey livery with a broad orange band below the windows, marked "La Gruyere". In 2004 the first of the repainted units were seen on the line in a plain white livery with the area around the driving cab, a "large dot" pattern along the body side and "tpf" lettering in cherry red.
