A quick trip to CH to catch the Ge4/4I before they are withdrawn from regular service. This trip was recast due to my wife's operation precluding her travelling. Disadvantages of this change were not least the money lost on non-refundable Eurostar tickets
, plus with the trip reduced from 4 to 2 full days, not staying at Berguen (room too expensive for just me) made it difficult to judge the local weather.
In the end accommodation was Ibis Chur and Etap Pratteln. This is 5 mins walk from Chur West, or bus route 2 from Bahnhof destination `Agip' (the only bus route I know that terminates at a place named after the adjacent petrol station ). Etap Pratteln is exit north side of Pratteln station then 7 mins walk to the back of an industrial estate.
Pictures here:
Zurich, Aarau, Baden, Basel: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947426.html
Pratteln parade: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947186.html
Olten Hammer and Haegendorf: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947189.html
Killwangen Spreitenbach nighttime: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947188.html
RhB Ge4/4 farewell snow fog and awesome sunshine: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947184.html
Tuesday 22 Feb
05.00 taxi dep from home to Gatwick for the 06.50 Easy peasy to Zurich. Pilot assured us we would be on time and the flight would be smooth. This was followed by a delay at the end of the taxiway ("a panel has dropped off the engine pod of the plane taking off in front of us so the authorities are sweeping the runway") and enough turbulence for the pilot to request everyone return to their seats!
With rellys so close to Geneva airport I have never flown to Zurich before and was highly amused by the clichéd Swiss sound effects played on the tannoy in the shuttle train from the remote stand used by EZY.
Plane to train, whilst slightly further than at Geneva was nevertheless as easy as expected, a quick purchase of a ½ fare card day pass and I was away on the 10.10 to HB, and on to Landquart and Davos Wolfgang to catch up with the Sportzugs.
I hung on at Wolfgang too long but the low cloud didn't clear to give the panoramic photo opp so I made my way to Berguen and hung on there into the fading light to get the last uphill sledge train. It was really too dark but I decided to see how Canon EOS7D digital tech can create acceptable photos when pushed to its limits
460 089 IR2118 Konstanz Biel
460 111 IC718 St Gallen Geneve
11206 ECS for EC165 (last months pre-Railjet)
460 093 IC567
641 RE1037 Landquart Davos
613 RE1237 Disentis Scuol
706 freight 5336
616 RE1236
609 R831 (turn
642 R1833 Davos Filisur (turn
652 RE1148, RE1157
649 RE1145, RE1160
605 Berguen Preda sledges
647 RE1152
650 RE1149
643 RE1146
706 freight 5151
611 R1957,R1968
618 stabled at Samedan
703 freight 5155
648 R1168
630 S1594 Chur Landquart
Ended the day by going Berguen Samedan Chur (McDonalds eugh but the only thing open after 9pm in a very dead Chur) then to Chur West for the short walk to Ibis Chur
Wednesday 23 Feb
A much better day with wall to wall sunshine and blue sky.
Up early for the 06.58 from Chur West. Day validity obtained within a couple of minutes. A huge benefit nowadays of the ½ fare card is that ticket machines at all station even the smallest halts issue day passes payable by credit card.
Chur West to Landquart for a coffee and croissant in the station, a chance to photograph 604 as well as the two Ge4/4 I preparing for the sportzugs, then ahead of them to get photos at a proper, sunny Wolfgang today.
460 024 07.09 Chur Basel
460 019 +053(?) IR766 Chur Basel (not shown as double 460 on Reisezuege.ch)
604 ECS 8521
609
631 R1221 to Scuol
633 R1014 Davos Landquart
641 RE1021 to Davos
Up to Davos Wolfgang (arr 08.44) again this time with cloudless blue sky and fresh covering of snow making a superb scene.
627 freight (took me by surprise but possibly my most dramatic photo of the trip)
609 R811/R814
3509 RE1025
3505 RE1025
610 R815
642 RE1028
Rode 610 to Davos Platz for 3505 to Filisur to get back to Reichenau and Chur looking for 602 booked on the Ilanz freight (which I never saw although I waited again for it at Landquart later)
648 RE1132
705 freight 5135
643 RE1133
707 Freight 5236?
627 Freight 5237?
633 RE1241
Having not seen 602 at Landquart Ried station (but did see new 3513 there...) I left RhB territory to go and hunt for Ae6/6
460 095 IC576 (to ZRH)
11202 (from ZRH)
After stopping in the middle of nowhere =between Ziegelbruecke and Lachen the train was terminated at Zurich and the Zurich Basel section was replaces by Ersatzzug pushed out by 11202
Made my way to Olten Hammer via Aarau on 450s/units for freight photography, including Ae6/6, Re6/6 and as a bonus 11219 on one of the local passenger diagrams
11219 shuttling back and forth, including 15:11 Solothurn Olten and 17.08 Solothurn West - Olten
After a good late afternoon session at Hammer and Haegendorf I made my way to Killwangen Spreitenbach to experiment with pushing the EOS7D to its limits to photograph the inbound freight parade using the light cast from the passenger platforms. Probably won't win any competitions but as record shorts I'm quite pleased with the outcome.
Another 450 set took me to Baden for
11209 IR1988 (and its rather pointless Panorama coach)
Went to the lovely `belle époque' Brasserie in Basel SBB for a meal, then out to Pratteln for another nighttime session before repairing to bed at the Etap Hotel Pratteln
In the morning I had another 2.5 hour session before going to Basel to head for the 12.46 Mulhouse Paris 72100 (see separate post)
11206 IR1767
11130 IR1967
11129
11192 IR2066, IR2071
In the end accommodation was Ibis Chur and Etap Pratteln. This is 5 mins walk from Chur West, or bus route 2 from Bahnhof destination `Agip' (the only bus route I know that terminates at a place named after the adjacent petrol station ). Etap Pratteln is exit north side of Pratteln station then 7 mins walk to the back of an industrial estate.
Pictures here:
Zurich, Aarau, Baden, Basel: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947426.html
Pratteln parade: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947186.html
Olten Hammer and Haegendorf: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947189.html
Killwangen Spreitenbach nighttime: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947188.html
RhB Ge4/4 farewell snow fog and awesome sunshine: http://swissrailways.fotopic.net/c1947184.html
Tuesday 22 Feb
05.00 taxi dep from home to Gatwick for the 06.50 Easy peasy to Zurich. Pilot assured us we would be on time and the flight would be smooth. This was followed by a delay at the end of the taxiway ("a panel has dropped off the engine pod of the plane taking off in front of us so the authorities are sweeping the runway") and enough turbulence for the pilot to request everyone return to their seats!
With rellys so close to Geneva airport I have never flown to Zurich before and was highly amused by the clichéd Swiss sound effects played on the tannoy in the shuttle train from the remote stand used by EZY.
Plane to train, whilst slightly further than at Geneva was nevertheless as easy as expected, a quick purchase of a ½ fare card day pass and I was away on the 10.10 to HB, and on to Landquart and Davos Wolfgang to catch up with the Sportzugs.
I hung on at Wolfgang too long but the low cloud didn't clear to give the panoramic photo opp so I made my way to Berguen and hung on there into the fading light to get the last uphill sledge train. It was really too dark but I decided to see how Canon EOS7D digital tech can create acceptable photos when pushed to its limits
460 089 IR2118 Konstanz Biel
460 111 IC718 St Gallen Geneve
11206 ECS for EC165 (last months pre-Railjet)
460 093 IC567
641 RE1037 Landquart Davos
613 RE1237 Disentis Scuol
706 freight 5336
616 RE1236
609 R831 (turn
642 R1833 Davos Filisur (turn
652 RE1148, RE1157
649 RE1145, RE1160
605 Berguen Preda sledges
647 RE1152
650 RE1149
643 RE1146
706 freight 5151
611 R1957,R1968
618 stabled at Samedan
703 freight 5155
648 R1168
630 S1594 Chur Landquart
Ended the day by going Berguen Samedan Chur (McDonalds eugh but the only thing open after 9pm in a very dead Chur) then to Chur West for the short walk to Ibis Chur
Wednesday 23 Feb
A much better day with wall to wall sunshine and blue sky.
Up early for the 06.58 from Chur West. Day validity obtained within a couple of minutes. A huge benefit nowadays of the ½ fare card is that ticket machines at all station even the smallest halts issue day passes payable by credit card.
Chur West to Landquart for a coffee and croissant in the station, a chance to photograph 604 as well as the two Ge4/4 I preparing for the sportzugs, then ahead of them to get photos at a proper, sunny Wolfgang today.
460 024 07.09 Chur Basel
460 019 +053(?) IR766 Chur Basel (not shown as double 460 on Reisezuege.ch)
604 ECS 8521
609
631 R1221 to Scuol
633 R1014 Davos Landquart
641 RE1021 to Davos
Up to Davos Wolfgang (arr 08.44) again this time with cloudless blue sky and fresh covering of snow making a superb scene.
627 freight (took me by surprise but possibly my most dramatic photo of the trip)
609 R811/R814
3509 RE1025
3505 RE1025
610 R815
642 RE1028
Rode 610 to Davos Platz for 3505 to Filisur to get back to Reichenau and Chur looking for 602 booked on the Ilanz freight (which I never saw although I waited again for it at Landquart later)
648 RE1132
705 freight 5135
643 RE1133
707 Freight 5236?
627 Freight 5237?
633 RE1241
Having not seen 602 at Landquart Ried station (but did see new 3513 there...) I left RhB territory to go and hunt for Ae6/6
460 095 IC576 (to ZRH)
11202 (from ZRH)
After stopping in the middle of nowhere =between Ziegelbruecke and Lachen the train was terminated at Zurich and the Zurich Basel section was replaces by Ersatzzug pushed out by 11202
Made my way to Olten Hammer via Aarau on 450s/units for freight photography, including Ae6/6, Re6/6 and as a bonus 11219 on one of the local passenger diagrams
11219 shuttling back and forth, including 15:11 Solothurn Olten and 17.08 Solothurn West - Olten
After a good late afternoon session at Hammer and Haegendorf I made my way to Killwangen Spreitenbach to experiment with pushing the EOS7D to its limits to photograph the inbound freight parade using the light cast from the passenger platforms. Probably won't win any competitions but as record shorts I'm quite pleased with the outcome.
Another 450 set took me to Baden for
11209 IR1988 (and its rather pointless Panorama coach)
Went to the lovely `belle époque' Brasserie in Basel SBB for a meal, then out to Pratteln for another nighttime session before repairing to bed at the Etap Hotel Pratteln
In the morning I had another 2.5 hour session before going to Basel to head for the 12.46 Mulhouse Paris 72100 (see separate post)
11206 IR1767
11130 IR1967
11129
11192 IR2066, IR2071