Furka-Oberalp-Bahn
Encyclopedia
The Furka–Oberalp-Bahn is a narrow gauge mountain railway
in Switzerland
with a gauge of . It runs in the Graubünden, Uri
and Canton of Valais. Since January 1, 2003
it is part of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn when it merged with the BVZ Zermatt-Bahn
.
The line begins in Disentis in the canton of Graubünden, where there is a connection to the Rhätische Bahn (RhB). It then runs over the Oberalp Pass
to Andermatt
in the canton of Uri. Through the Furka Tunnel it reaches the Goms District area and Brig
in the canton of Valais. In Brig, it connects to the BVZ Zermattbahn since 1930.
The first half of the line was opened by the French company Brig-Furka-Disentis Bahn (BFD) in 1914. Trains could go as far as Gletsch, starting from Brig. Construction of the second part over the Furka Pass
and Oberalp Pass was well under way when the War situation in France made stop all works by 1915. The company lingered on but was finally bankrupt in 1923. Two years later the railway had a new owner, called Furka-Oberalp-Bahn, founded by the cantons and the neighbouring railway companies. Construction work resumed, now with important federal funds and on 4 July 1926 regular through service Brig–Disentis could start. RhB trains reached Disentis with electric traction since 1922.
1930 the tracks of the newly electrified BVZ reached Brig and this gave birth to the famous Glacier Express
. The oncoming crisis and the War limited the number of tourists. But The FO line was thought to have an important strategic role. This finally made funds available to electrify the line and purchase the necessary motive power. At the same time the Andermatt–Disentis line was protected against many avalanches to allow winter service.
up to Andermatt
. It has a station connecting with the Gotthard-Line of the Swiss Federal Railways. Initially it was electrified with 1,200 V DC. In 1941, when electrification of FO started, SchB was converted to 11,000 V AC. In 1961, it merged with the Furka–Oberalp-Bahn.
and Oberwald. The section over the Furka Pass used to be closed during winters. The mountain section was closed in the winter of 1981 and was replaced by a tunnel (length: 15.381 km (9.557 mi)) in 1982. The association called Verein Furka-Bergstrecke and the company Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke
now run a heritage railway
with steam locomotive
s on the old route.
For a long time, FO couldn't afford to buy new coaches and wagons and rebuilt many of these vehicles. Some of the large luggage and mail vans were rebuilt as passenger coaches, some became covered goods wagons. Two axle coaches got luggage compartments to provide for a well adapted transport capacity. When some coaches got new bogies from SWS, Schlieren in 1947, the old bogies were reused to build 4 covered wagons. During the Second World War
, three flat wagons had been built using underframes from coaches. 1949 these coaches came back to service with new underframes and bogies from SIG. FO always suffered from not having really enough vehicles but was lucky having two neighbouring companies where additional rolling stock could be leased for peak traffic.
Electrification during the Second World War necessarily brought new rolling stock. SLM delivered together with
Six of the steam locomotives were after the War sold to France (two) and Vietnam (four) while four locomotives remained. In 1946 a small electric shunter Te 2/2 1041 (later 4926) was built by SLM and SAAS for Brig station. Later, two more locomotives were delivered by SLM and MFO
The 1961 merger with Schöllenenbahn enlarged stock by
Finally, after the merger, FO could begin with the modernisation of its rolling stock and took delivery of
1971/72 FO took delivery of 4 push-pull consists with motor luggage vans, one additional motor to compensate for the loss of locomotive 35, destroyed in a head-on collision, and four additional driving trailers to form small push-pull consists with the existing motor coaches 41–45. The coaches were of SIG1-type, also introduced on BVZ, SBB-Brünigbahn, BOB and MOB.
All this rolling stock was, for motive power and coaches, all red with a simple FO inscription. With the opening of the new Furka tunnel approaching, the wooden coaches had to be replaced and the number of vehicles extended. The number of push-pull consists was extended to 9 long and 5 short ones. The coaches were of SIG2 type, also delivered to MOB. But now, the all-red-status should be left. A new livery in red with a white stripe was introduced and within a few years extended to existing modern rolling stock.
For the Furka tunnel car shuttle trains, FO took delivery of
A little addition could be made some years later, but the coaches now came from ACMV Vevey
Finally FO got panoramic coaches as developped by MOB
There was no departmental stock for a long time except for one snow plough, indtroduced 1917. 1943 and 55 some tram wagons were bought and added to service stock. With modern stock arriving, many coaches and wagons were reused in departmental stock.
Mountain railway
A mountain railway is a railway that ascends and descends a mountain slope that has a steep grade. Such railways can use a number of different technologies to overcome the steepness of the grade...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
with a gauge of . It runs in the Graubünden, Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
and Canton of Valais. Since January 1, 2003
January 2003
January 2003: ← – January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-Events:-January 1, 2003:...
it is part of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn when it merged with the BVZ Zermatt-Bahn
BVZ Zermatt-Bahn
The Brig-Visp-Zermatt-Bahn – officially known between 1991 and 2002 as the BVZ Zermatt-Bahn – is a metre gauge railway in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. Its 44 kilometre long line links the communities of Brig and Visp in the Rhone Valley with Täsch and the car free holiday resort of Zermatt...
.
The line begins in Disentis in the canton of Graubünden, where there is a connection to the Rhätische Bahn (RhB). It then runs over the Oberalp Pass
Oberalp Pass
Oberalp Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the cantons of Graubünden and Uri between Disentis and Andermatt.-Winter closure:...
to Andermatt
Andermatt
Andermatt is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.With Realp and Hospental, it is located in the Urseren valley, south of Altdorf.-Geography:...
in the canton of Uri. Through the Furka Tunnel it reaches the Goms District area and Brig
Brig, Switzerland
Brig, officially Brig-Glis is a municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.The current municipality was formed in 1972 through the merger of Brig , Brigerbad and Glis.-History:...
in the canton of Valais. In Brig, it connects to the BVZ Zermattbahn since 1930.
The first half of the line was opened by the French company Brig-Furka-Disentis Bahn (BFD) in 1914. Trains could go as far as Gletsch, starting from Brig. Construction of the second part over the Furka Pass
Furka Pass
Furka Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch, Valais with Realp, Uri. The Furka-Oberalp-Bahn line through the Furka Tunnel bypasses the pass...
and Oberalp Pass was well under way when the War situation in France made stop all works by 1915. The company lingered on but was finally bankrupt in 1923. Two years later the railway had a new owner, called Furka-Oberalp-Bahn, founded by the cantons and the neighbouring railway companies. Construction work resumed, now with important federal funds and on 4 July 1926 regular through service Brig–Disentis could start. RhB trains reached Disentis with electric traction since 1922.
1930 the tracks of the newly electrified BVZ reached Brig and this gave birth to the famous Glacier Express
Glacier Express
The Glacier Express is an express train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps. The train is operated jointly by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway...
. The oncoming crisis and the War limited the number of tourists. But The FO line was thought to have an important strategic role. This finally made funds available to electrify the line and purchase the necessary motive power. At the same time the Andermatt–Disentis line was protected against many avalanches to allow winter service.
Schöllenenbahn
The Schöllenenbahn (SchB) was opened in 1917 from GöschenenGöschenen
Göschenen a village in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-History:Göschenen is first mentioned in 1280 as Geschenden. In 1290 it was mentioned as Gescheldun, then in 1294 as Geschenen and in 1429 as ze Gestinen.-Geography:...
up to Andermatt
Andermatt
Andermatt is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.With Realp and Hospental, it is located in the Urseren valley, south of Altdorf.-Geography:...
. It has a station connecting with the Gotthard-Line of the Swiss Federal Railways. Initially it was electrified with 1,200 V DC. In 1941, when electrification of FO started, SchB was converted to 11,000 V AC. In 1961, it merged with the Furka–Oberalp-Bahn.
Furka Bergstrecke
There are many avalanches between RealpRealp
Realp is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Realp has an area, , of . Of this area, 41.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.6% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
and Oberwald. The section over the Furka Pass used to be closed during winters. The mountain section was closed in the winter of 1981 and was replaced by a tunnel (length: 15.381 km (9.557 mi)) in 1982. The association called Verein Furka-Bergstrecke and the company Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke
Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway
The Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway is a company which operates a railway line between Realp and Oberwald...
now run a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
with steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s on the old route.
Rolling Stock
When FO was founded in 1925, it came in possession of the BFD rolling stock, introduced in 1914 and consisting of- 10 steam locomotives HG 3/4 1–10, built by SLM
- 40 wooden coaches, of which 30 with bogies, including 10 luggage and mail vans, all built by SIG, Neuhausen
- 30 goods wagons, including 10 covered wagons, 10 open wagons and 10 flat cars, all built by Chantiers de la Buire at Lyon, France
- 17 goods wagons, purchased from RhB for the construction work on the line, originally built in 1888/89 by SIG and S.A. Nicaise & Delcuve, La Louvière, Belgium
For a long time, FO couldn't afford to buy new coaches and wagons and rebuilt many of these vehicles. Some of the large luggage and mail vans were rebuilt as passenger coaches, some became covered goods wagons. Two axle coaches got luggage compartments to provide for a well adapted transport capacity. When some coaches got new bogies from SWS, Schlieren in 1947, the old bogies were reused to build 4 covered wagons. During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, three flat wagons had been built using underframes from coaches. 1949 these coaches came back to service with new underframes and bogies from SIG. FO always suffered from not having really enough vehicles but was lucky having two neighbouring companies where additional rolling stock could be leased for peak traffic.
Electrification during the Second World War necessarily brought new rolling stock. SLM delivered together with
- MFO 5 locomotives HGe 4/4 31–35 and
- BBC 4 motor coaches BCFeh 2/4 42–43 and CFeh 2/4 44–45; number 41 had been delivered to Schöllenenbahn
- MFO and SIG 3 electric rotary snow ploughs Xrot e 1021–23 (later 4931–33)
Six of the steam locomotives were after the War sold to France (two) and Vietnam (four) while four locomotives remained. In 1946 a small electric shunter Te 2/2 1041 (later 4926) was built by SLM and SAAS for Brig station. Later, two more locomotives were delivered by SLM and MFO
- HGe 4/4 36 1948
- HGe 4/4 37 1956
The 1961 merger with Schöllenenbahn enlarged stock by
- 4 two axle electric locomotives HGe 2/2 21–24
- 1 motor coach 41 (see above)
- 7 wooden coaches with bogies, all built in 1917 by SWS, Schlieren
- 6 goods wagons from 1917 (SWS)
- 5 goods wagons from 1943/44 (SWS)
Finally, after the merger, FO could begin with the modernisation of its rolling stock and took delivery of
- 3 luggage vans F4 (later D) 4341–43 by FFA/SIG 1961 which also served for a military rescue train
- 12 covered goods wagons K3s (later Gb-v) 4433–4444 by J. Meyer, Rheinfelden, 1964
- 10 cement silo wagons OB1 (later Uce) 4861–70 by J. Meyer, Rheinfelden, 1964/65
- 10 FFA1-type second class coaches B 4263–72 1965/68
- 2 flat cars O7s (later R-w) 4791–92 by J. Meyer, Rheinfelden, 1967
- 2 diesel locomotives HGm 4/4 61–62 to finally replace the last steam locomotives, delivered 1968 by SLM, BBC and MFO with Cummins diesels.
1971/72 FO took delivery of 4 push-pull consists with motor luggage vans, one additional motor to compensate for the loss of locomotive 35, destroyed in a head-on collision, and four additional driving trailers to form small push-pull consists with the existing motor coaches 41–45. The coaches were of SIG1-type, also introduced on BVZ, SBB-Brünigbahn, BOB and MOB.
- motor luggage van Deh 4/4 51–55, built by SIG and BBC
- second class coaches B 4251–58
- composite driving trailers ABt 4151–54
- composite driving trailers ABt 4191–94
All this rolling stock was, for motive power and coaches, all red with a simple FO inscription. With the opening of the new Furka tunnel approaching, the wooden coaches had to be replaced and the number of vehicles extended. The number of push-pull consists was extended to 9 long and 5 short ones. The coaches were of SIG2 type, also delivered to MOB. But now, the all-red-status should be left. A new livery in red with a white stripe was introduced and within a few years extended to existing modern rolling stock.
- 4 motor luggage vans Deh 4/4 91–94 built by SLM and BBC
- 16 second class coaches B 4273–88
- 5 composite driving trailers ABt 4155–59
- 1 composite driving trailer ABt 4195
- 4 first class coaches A 4063–66
For the Furka tunnel car shuttle trains, FO took delivery of
- 2 electric adhesion locomotives Ge 4/4 81–82
- 2 driving trailers with passenger and cycle compartment BDt 4361–62
- 5 end wagons Skl-tv 4801–05
- 12 car transporter with roof Skl-tv 4811–22
A little addition could be made some years later, but the coaches now came from ACMV Vevey
- 2 motor luggage vans Deh 4/4 95–96, delivered 1984 by SLM and BBC
- 7 car transporters Skl-tv 4806–07 and 4823–27, delivered 1984
- 1 car shuttle driving trailer BDt 4363, delivered 1985
- 2 composite coaches AB 4171–72, delivered 1987
- 2 composite driving trailers ABt 4181–82, delivered 1987
Finally FO got panoramic coaches as developped by MOB
- 4 Ramseyer+Jenzer coaches on preused underframes PS 4011–14
- 10 Breda built As 4021–30 on SIG bogies
There was no departmental stock for a long time except for one snow plough, indtroduced 1917. 1943 and 55 some tram wagons were bought and added to service stock. With modern stock arriving, many coaches and wagons were reused in departmental stock.
See also
- Rail transport in SwitzerlandRail transport in SwitzerlandThe railways of Switzerland include and narrow gauge .*Network size: 5,063 km*standard gauge: , of which is electrified.*narrow gauge: , of which is electrified...
- List of railway companies in Switzerland
- Table of turn tunnelsTable of turn tunnelsLists of spiral tunnels and tunnels on a curved alignment on railway lines worldwide.A part of a line is bracketed , if it is located in a country other than that mentioned in the specific table:...
Sources
- Werner Heuberger, Hansrudolf Schwabe, Rudolf Werder: FO Brig–Furka–Disentis. Pharos-Verlag Hansrudolf Schwabe AG, Basel 1981, ISBN 3-7230-0312-5
External links
- Homepage of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (in German)
- Narrow gauge railways of Switzerland (in English)
- Description of MGB with rail information (in German)