Furka railway Switzerland

We're thinking of visiting this railway, does anyone have any information or suggestions ?

thanks

 

Link to the website site https://www.dfb.ch/index.php?id=erleben

Seat Reservation is mandatory on all Steam Hauled trains.

The afternoon train from Realp is Diesel hauled from Gletsch onwards.

 

Furka Railway. Isn't that what Dr Beeching did?

 

It's a great line, well worth doing, though quite expensive. As Paul42 says, you need to book in advance, easily doable on their website. It does sell out quite quickly though, so book as soon as possible. And take waterproofs - when I went, it was lovely and warm in Realp and Oberwald, but cold and very, very wet at the summit!

 

Thanks for the information, we're thinking of visiting next year so have plenty of time to plan and book in advance,
Can anyone tell us where the steam shed is and if there's any access for visitors, if we book accommodation close by I'm wondering whether we'll be able to see prepping and disposals ?

Thanks, again

 

The sheds are at Realp and Gletsch ( the location of the later shed is the reason the afternoon train from Realp is Diesel hauled from Gletsch onwards).

 

Some package tours to Switzerland cover this as part of their itinerary - check Railtrail and RTC Foreign Tours for starters. If travelling be ready for surprises; on my visit the return journey was banked through the tunnel by a rather small OTP - but it worked.

 

This run comes highly recommended - superbly maintained steam in stunning scenery. If you can pre-book the weather too it will help Like so much in the steam movement today, it seems incredible to me that the rusting rack tank I saw poking out of the back of Oberwald shed in the late '60s (which as a young lad I thought was all I would ever see of steam on this route) is now in every day use on the line it was originally built for!
They also sell a rather nice in house DFB red wine :0

 

HD Video of the line posted on here in 2011 - http://www.national-preservation.co...lway-switzerland-on-mon-25th-july-2011.32015/

 

This looks really good, we're planning to stay in Interlaken, looks as though it's just over an hour's drive from the Furka railway.

There's also this one Dampfbahn uber den Brunig BDB which is out of action this year due to a fire, according to their website, might be back next year though??

 

http://www.regiopass-berneroberland.ch/offer-2014/

As you're staying in Interlaken, look at getting one of these. Yes it's expensive, but it allows you free travel on most of the lines in the area, as well as buses and boasts. It also includes the Brienz-Rothorn Bahn, which is a steam operated rack railway half hour from Interlaken. Most of the service is run with modern steam locos, but there are still a few run with the original locos and stock.

All the lines south out of Interlaken are lovely, but the Schynige Platte line from Wilderswil is particularly pleasant. Four times a year they use their steam loco, though special fares apply.

http://shop.jungfrau.ch/en/vormittag-dampffahrten-nach-schynige-platte-zuschlag

Another page to keep an eye on is this one.

http://www.swissheritagerailways.com/calender.html

 

I agree, though have not been up Steam Hauled.Photos take from the train http://paulsimpson.zenfolio.com/p604719761/h447cfc92#h447cfc92 and http://paulsimpson.zenfolio.com/p604719761/h447cfc92#h447cfe5c , and of the train http://paulsimpson.zenfolio.com/p604719761/h447cfc92#h447d1e0a and http://paulsimpson.zenfolio.com/p604719761/h447cfc92#h447d2d0e. The year I was their you could get a cheaper ticket travelling up late afternoon

 

Took this one at the half way point at Gleitch last week whilst on a vintage motor-cycle tour.



It is very expensive! but what views!