Brienz Rothorn Railway

Brienz Rothorn Railway
Overview
Native name	Brienz Rothorn Bahn
Operation
Opened	17 June 1892, reopened 13 June 1931
Closed	1 August 1914
Technical
Line length	7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi)
Number of tracks	single track with passing loops
Track gauge	800 mm (2 ft 7 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	None
Highest elevation	2,244 m (7,362 ft)
Maximum incline	25 %
Rack system	Abt[1][2][3]
Route diagram 0,0 Brienz BRB 566 m above the sea Zentralbahn from Interlaken and Meiringen Wellenberg bridge Schwarzfluh tunnel (18 m) 2,1 Geldried 1,019 m above the  sea Erd tunnel (119 m) Fluh tunnel(3 Fenster); (290 m) 3,6 Planalp 1,341 m above the  sea Chüemaad tunnel (133 m) 5,7 Oberstaffel 1,819 m above the  sea Schonegg I tunnel (37 m) Schonegg II tunnel (133 m) 7,6 Rothorn Kulm 2,244 m above the  sea

Share of the Brienz-Rothornbahn-AG, issued 22. February 1892

Diesel train in the summit station

Along the route

Schwarzfluh tunnel

Wellenberg bridge

Brienzer Rothorn top station

Steam train in Brienz station

The Brienz Rothorn Railway (German: Brienz Rothorn Bahn, BRB) is a tourist rack railway in Switzerland, which climbs from Brienz, at the eastern end of Lake Brienz, to the summit of the Brienzer Rothorn. The railway is 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) long, is built to 800 mm gauge (2 ft 7 ¹⁄₂ in gauge), and uses the Abt double lamella rack system. Unusually for Switzerland, the line is not electrified, and most trains are operated by steam locomotives.^[1][2][3][4]

The Brienz Rothorn Railway reaches a height of 2,244 metres above sea level and is the fourth highest railway in Switzerland.^[5]

History

The railway was opened on 17 June 1892, after a two years construction period. The two designers, engineer Alexander Lindner and contractor Theo Bertschinger were supported by the mountain railway pioneer Roman Abt, who had responsibility for equipping the line with his newly developed Abt double lamella rack system.

The line connected at Brienz with the Brünig railway, which had been opened in 1888 from Brienz eastwards towards Lucerne. However the Brünig railway was not extended westward to Interlaken until 1916, so many early travelers to the Rothorn had to arrive by boat service on Lake Brienz.^[6]

The line was quickly in financial difficulties. The line was designed to carry 25,000 passengers per year but only managed 5,000 passengers in the first year. Tourist traffic was further affected by the opening of Schynige Platte Railway in 1895 and the Jungfraubahn in 1898. The train service was suspended on 1 August 1914 as a result of the First World War, but did not re-open when the war ended.

Essential maintenance was carried out and a small amount of timber traffic was carried from Planalp in 1918. Carriages were hired to the Schynige Platte Railway in 1924 and 1925, providing money for the maintenance work. The line was finally re-opened on 13 June 1931, the first train to reach the summit in 17 years having run 4 days earlier. The railway was in good condition because of the continuing maintenance.

Unlike other Swiss mountain lines, the BRB was not electrified and this made the railway a special attraction as from 1953 to 1990 it was the only steam-operated line in Switzerland. Although other Swiss mountain railways offer special "steam" trips this is the only line which offers a full steam service, the diesel locomotive only being used for additional trains and for light traffic periods.

Route

The BRB is 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) long with a maximum gradient of 1 in 4 (25%) and includes 5 tunnels. It begins in Brienz at 566 m (1,857 ft) above sea level, from a terminus opposite the Brienz station of the Zentralbahn company's Brünig line. Also nearby is the quay used by the BLS AG shipping services on Lake Brienz.^[4]

The railway is single track with three passing loops. The first passing loop is at Geldried, 1,019 m (3,343 ft) above sea level. The halfway passing loop of the line is at Planalp station at 1,341 m (4,400 ft) above sea level. The older steam locomotives stop to take water. The third passing loop is at Oberstafel, 1,819 m (5,968 ft) above sea level.^[4]

The upper terminus of the line is at Rothorn Kulm station at 2,244 m (7,362 ft) above sea level, a little below the summit of the mountain.^[4]

A popular hiking trail runs between the summit station, and the Brünig-Hasliberg station at the point where the Brünig line crosses the Brünig Pass.^[7]

Locomotives and rolling stock

All steam locomotives are Class H2/3, indicating that 2 axles of the 3 are driven, giving a wheel arrangement (Whyte System) of 0-4-2. The older locomotives are a side tank, "kneeling cow" design of a standard SLM product. The modern steam locomotives use an efficient "light oil" fired steam technology and were built by SLM (former Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works) of Winterthur.

A prototype diesel locomotive, class Hm2/2, number 8, was delivered in 1973 but sold to the Chemin de fer Montreux-Glion-Rochers-de-Naye in 1995 as their number 4. New diesel locomotives were constructed by Ferdinand Steck Maschinenfabrik and are of (Whyte System) 0-4-0 wheel arrangement to a "kneeling cow" design.

Timetable

The Brienz Rothorn Railway operated 7 days per week from June 4 to October 23, 2016, all the way up to the Rothorn. They tried to ensure that all their services are steam powered.

See also

• Rail transport in Switzerland

References

External links

• Media related to Brienz Rothorn Railway at Wikimedia Commons