Swiss main line steam action with 0-6-0 loco and 4-wheeled coaches

This past Saturday, SBB "Tigerli" 8485 was in steam in Northwestern Switzerland, making two roundtrips from the historic roundhouse in Delemont (where it is based) to Laufen (halfway to Basel).

This 0-6-0 has been restored to near perfect original condition from 1907 by the volunteer-based preservation society HEG. It is operated by HEG in conjuction with SBB Historic and usually just steams on 2 or 3 days a year. From 1925 to 1935 it was a station shunter and yard switcher in Basel, so northwestern Switzerland suits it well as an operating area.

In preservation, the loco ran from 1977 to 1980 on the "Pig Tail Line" (Wutachtalbahn) in Southern Germany, but quickly proved underpowered there.

Generally, it's quite nice (and refreshing) to see an archaic 0-6-0 on the main line hauling 4-wheeled coaches with open van doors, rubbing shoulders with the busy express trains or frequent commuter EMUs that pass by.

The first 5 mins of the attached short clip show the loco raising steam, shunting and turning on the turntable at the historic Delemont roundhouse, the last 4 mins show the loco in action on the main line in Delemont and Laufen.