Pilatus Bahn Summit to Alpnachstad - Driver’s Eye View of the World's Steepest Cog Railway
After the disappointment of the days steam adventure being cancelled due to the hot weather, the day was nevertheless turning out to be a very good one. We’d been advised by our tour group leader to use our Swiss Rail passes to travel where ever the fancy took us and I’d opted to travel with another member of the group to Alpnachstad for a ride the World renowned Pilatus Cog Railway. Having arrived early, we had a chance to chat with one of the railway’s staff members who went out of her way to extend a warm welcome and tell us that the trains we were about to ride on were to be retired at the end of the season and that testing the replacement units had already started. In this video we cover the journey down the mountain having spent time enjoying the mountain top views and refreshments in the cafe. We chatted to the friendly Summit station staff whilst we waited for our train, it was nice to speak with people who clearly loved their railway and were keen to make sure we got the best out of our visit. The driver kindly allowed me to place a camera on the front window for the trip back down to Alpnachstad.
For people who have not watched the video of our trip up the mountain, I have copied and pasted the brief description I wrote about the railway’s history and the unusual Cog system devised especially for the railway -
The Pilatus Railway (German: Pilatusbahn) located in Switzerland is the steepest rack railway in the world, with a maximum gradient of 48% and an average gradient of 35%. Alpnachstad is the lower terminus where it connects with regular boat services on Lake Alpnach and the Brünig railway’s trains to Lucerne and Interlaken. The upper terminus near the Esel summit of Pilatus is at an elevation of 2,073 m (6,801 ft) Eduard Locher proposed a railway with the maximum grade of 48%, conventional rack systems in use at the time were not thought capable of coping with such gradients owing to the risk of the cog wheel jumping out of the teeth on the rack rail resulting in the loss of both the ability to drive or brake the train. To overcome this problem Locher devised a system where the rack was placed horizontally between the tracks with the teeth cut on both outside edges facing away from each other, two flanged cogwheels mounted on vertical shafts underneath the train engaged with the rack rail and flanges running under the rack prevented the cog from climbing out of engagement. Please click on this link to learn more about the Locher rack railway system - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_... The system was also capable of guiding the car without the need for flanges on the wheels, indeed, the first cars on Pilatus had no flanges on running wheels, but they were later added to allow cars to be moved through tracks without rack rails during maintenance. Construction of the line began in March 1886 and the line opened on 4th June 1889, it was electrified at 1,650 V DC in 1937 with the trains taking power from an overhead wire. This video features the original 1937 trains in their last months of operation before the introduction of modern trains from Stadler. The 800 mm (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in) gauge line is 4.6 km (2.86 miles) long and climbs 1,629 m (5,344 ft) from start to finish and the original rack rails, now well over 100 years old are still used today, whilst they have become worn over the years, it was discovered that by turning them over they could be reused offering the potential of another 100 + years in service. The train’s electric motors are used as generators to act as brakes during the descent with the electricity generated being dissipated as heat through resistance grids. The railway was financed entirely with private capital and has remained financially viable throughout its life.
Filmed - 23.07.2022
To learn more about the railway or to book your own trip, please click on this link - www.pilatus.ch/en/discover/co...
Пікірлер: 143
A giant rollercoaster, but in slow motion.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Slow motion suits me 🙂.
KÖSZÖNÖM szépen hogy megmutatták ezt a gyönyörű szép tájat 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💚❤️
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
KÖSZÖNÖM, örülök, hogy tetszett a vonatozás 🙂.
My best friend, Great Good... !!! I wish you every day of your development.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi, I'm pleased you enjoyed it 😊.
Nagyon szépen köszönöm ezt a csodálatos természetet ! És az utat nagyon szép ☺️!!!!
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Örülök, hogy élvezted 🙂.
Enjoyed the cog train coming down the mountain. At one point when I looked down to the side and bottom of the valley, I was a little scared. Excellent scenery all along providing spectacular views of the Swiss Mountains. Thank you for the thrills and the excellent production.
Awsome. Thank you.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏼
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Cheers, I'm pleased you enjoyed it 😊.
Thanks for this wonderful experience ! Respects & regards to the pioneers and the dedicated staff of this rail system !
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hello, I'm glad you enjoyed the ride and I'm sure the railway's staff will appreciate your kind comment.
Thank you Tim for two excellent videos of the Pilatusbahn. And a huge 'Merci vielmal' to the staff of the Pilatusbahn who enabled you to make these videos!.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi, I'm glad you enjoyed both videos and I'd like to join you in saying a big thank-you to the wonderful staff on the railway who were so helpful and friendly.
Watching video makes me feel as I was sitting at the front seat and watching all around, the beautiful landscape of the beautiful country. Hats off to the surveyors, engineering team and all others who were involved in the planning and execution of this cog train project in such a typical and dangerous terrain 👍👍.. Beautifully videographed.. thanks
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hello, the railway is a remarkable feat of engineering, a wonderful testament to those who built it and those who keep it running toady. I'm pleased you enjoyed the video 😊.
What a fantastic ride Tim. Just fascinates me the surveying and building of it. My favourite is still Snowden 50 years ago in steam days. cor blimey, the noise was deafening. thanks a lot mate.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hello Keith, the surveyors, engineers, navvies and financiers must have had nerves of steel to take on the task of building the Pilatus Railway, but I'm glad they did, otherwise old timers like myself would never get to enjoy the wonderful views from the mountain top. The Snowdon Mountain Railway will always be a favourite of mine, I've travel on it and walked to the top a number of times over the years and I look forward doing it again. Take care. Tim
Thanks, Tim. That's a terrific ride, and it was good to get the different perspective on the downward journey. I'm sure it's a lot safer than it looks, but some of the drop-offs, particularly near the summit, appear very scary.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi Jim, I'm glad you enjoyed the trip back down the mountain and I can assure you that it felt much safer on the train than it looks video.
I loved that view, outstanding, Thank you for that ride.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed the ride 🙂.
Fantastické, děkuji !! 🤗
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
🙂
The train running along the bluff is so awesome !🤩 The idea of installing rotary switch turnouts is also great . Thank you very much for the great video !👍🥰
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi, I'm glad you found the video interesting, unusual problems require novel solutions such as the rotary switch turnouts, to be honest the whole railway is an engineering masterpiece.
@n4gix
Жыл бұрын
@@Timsvideochannel1 - On closer look, those are sliding turnouts, not rotating. They slide horizontally and lock in place when in position.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
@@n4gix The railway has both sliding and rotating switches. Take a look at this link to see one of the new switches in action - twitter.com/funimag/status/1550573824046948352?lang=en-GB
Thank you very much for this video. It was so beutiful the mountain side. The views was awesome. I still wish to go to all the places like this that you go too. Be safe. God bless. Looking forward to your next exciting video soon.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hello, Switzerland is home to some wonderful railways, I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. I will be uploading more European Cog Railway adventures in the next few weeks. Best wishes. Tim.
Absolutely stunning! The realisation of the initial idea, so long ago. The determination to build it and run such a staggering system. The ride up was amazing, but this descent was jaw dropping. Thanks, again, for sharing the experience.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hello Peter, the guys who surveyed and built the line were also rock climbers as well. It must have taken the very best engineers and bravest financiers to turn these mad ideas into the reality we enjoy today. I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. Cheers. Tim.
@Pjs75
Жыл бұрын
Tim, it is awesome. There is no adjective better to describe the audacity to plan, plot and project such a line up the side of such staggering slopes. That it survives today: thrives, even, is a testament to the investment, skill and chutzpah of those who went before. Thank you for educating those who have followed in your steps!
Wow....The Trip back down the mountain is breathtaking.....
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi Mike, I'm pleased you enjoyed the ride, the views from the train were stunning.
What a stunning place!!
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hello Abi, I'm glad you enjoyed the ride.
Nice tree grass all around and an amazing train rail👏👏👏👍👍👍
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
I'm pleased you enjoyed the ride 🙂.
Congratulations for this very nice cab ride. Well, the weather was not perfect this day, but the descent from the Pilatus station is impressive. The landscapes splendid, better when there is sun.👍
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi, I filmed this on one of the hottest days of the year, it would have been nice if the sun had put in an appearance. The views from the train were stunning, I'm glad you enjoyed the ride 🙂
Fantastic footage!!
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed the ride 🙂.
I've had this in my Watch Later for far too long and I finally watched. I find cog trains very interesting in how their "points" aka "switches" work. Looking at the points at the entrance to Alpnachstad, it appears that they must work by literally inverting the concrete block on which the tracks are mounted to present an alternate set of tracks each side. Edited to add, I see you answered this on another comment and I looked at the linked video. It's amazing what engineers can and will do when challenged. 😄
@Timsvideochannel1
8 ай бұрын
Hi, I'm pleased you found the video interesting, especially the unique way in which the rack and pinion is set up, making it virtually impossible for the rack to jump or for the train to derail. I am a mechanical engineer and I would have loved to work in Switzerland with the best of the best.
I really like traveling in this way. Thank you for giving me this opportunity! salutations de France
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
It's good to hear from France, my next video features a French heritage railway. I'm glad you enjoyed the Pilatus Bahn 😊.
I always see your videos. your video is very interesting. thank you.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, I am pleased you enjoyed the ride.
A GENTE QUASE QUE NAO ACREDITA QUE EXISTE UM LUGAR ASSIM NESTE MUNDO A ONDE MISTURAM OS FEITOS DE DEUS COM OS HOMENS REALMENTE DEUS CRIOU A NATUREZA E OS HOMENS ENFEITARAM ELA UM LUGAR DE ENCHER OS OLHOS DE BELEZA MUCHAS GRACIAS BRASIL
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
A mãe natureza cria as maravilhas naturais do mundo, sinto-me privilegiado por ter visto alguns de seus melhores trabalhos. A Suíça é realmente linda. Fico feliz que tenha gostado do vídeo.
Rode the train up the mountain. Then took the gondolas down. It was a trip I will never forget - some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. V
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
It is a wonderful ride, the view from the gondolas in every bit as awesome as the view from the train, although on this occasion I did the trip both ways by train.
Super Video 👍🏻 sometimes its remember to a rollercoaster. Im missing a looping 😂
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
As the train left the Summit station and started to go down hill, it looked just like the start of a roller coaster 😉 .
Very nice
Thank you
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
I'm pleased you enjoyed it.
Nice information.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Thank you.
Hi Tim! My goodness, it goes down here. But fortunately there are three braking systems 👍. One more thing Tim, something is on its way to you. Best regards from Hans and Cheers 🍻🇦🇹.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hello Hans, it's good to know the train has good brakes, they were needed on that gradient. I'll keep an eye out for the package and I'll let you know when it arrives. Now we are in December, they have started playing Christmas songs on the radio and the town's Christmas lights have been turned on, it's really beginning to feel festive. Time for a beer. Cheers 🍻.Tim.
Wow!
Просто смотришь-аж жуть берёт,а тут ещё и ехать.Неее,пешком,пешком..
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Здравствуйте, поезд намного безопаснее, чем кажется, и идти далеко.
89👍 THANK YOU FOR TAKING US WITH YOU TO SEE THESE MAGICAL LANDSCAPES 🤩 💪 BIG SALUTE 👋🏻~👋~👋🏽 TO UNITED KINGDOM 🇬🇧 🕊 ❤️
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hello, it was nice to have your virtual company on this wonderful ride to the top of the Swiss mountains.
@amfamilycreations5312
Жыл бұрын
@@Timsvideochannel1 Welcome 🤗 Thanks For Good Response Dear Friend🙏
Every places is like scenery
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Everywhere you look there is a photograph waiting to be taken 🙂.
ھہیں اتنی شاندار ترقی دیکھ کر شرم بھی نہیں آتی ۔ صرف دیکھنے پر ہیں
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
ہیلو مجھے خوشی ہے کہ آپ نے خوبصورت سوئٹزرلینڈ کے ذریعے اس ٹرین کی سواری کا لطف اٹھایا۔
absolutely beautiful. I'd love to do this in person
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi, I'm pleased you enjoyed the ride.
Bonjour j'aime les trains manifique j'adore boucoup fait rêver de tout les cœur 💓❤️👍❤️ j'aime montagne tres jolie adore boucoup vidéo sympa belle vache 🐮💞💞🐄🐄 coucou de la Corrèze natale egletons France 🇲🇫 région Limousin 🌹 nouvelle Aquitaine 💖💖💌💌 sentiments dévoués milles foix merci à bientôt Merci 💓❤️👍
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Bonjour, je suis heureux que vous ayez apprécié la vidéo. La Suisse est un beau pays et voyager en train est la meilleure façon de le voir😊😊😊
Boa noite 😴🌃🏡 23:02 isso é uma Obra de Deus paisagem e quem planejou ferrovia parabéns 👏💐🌺😘🌹🙏🥰 prá Suíça, abraço Jaú SP Brasil 🌹🙏🥰😬
Paradise of earth planet
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
"Yes" it is a beautiful place 🙂.
A beautiful place "GODS COUNTRY" thanks tim for the wonderful pictures.😇🍺
Sencillamente una hermosa excurcion.
Tudo MT lindo.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
🙂
OBRIGADO PELA CAROLA. BRASIL.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Olá. Fico feliz que tenha gostado do vídeo 😊.
It looks like this is all limestone. All I can find online is "Cretaceous sediments." We pass through at least four microclimates, based on the plants I can see. At 8:50 you see a cattle underpass. I wonder if that spot where that one family got picked up a little later is a cattle loading platform.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi, I looked online to find more out about the makeup of the mountains and this wikipedia article gives a short, but reasonably comprehensive answer - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Alps The difference in elevation and the depth of the valleys naturally creates micro climates, it is a lot warmer by the lake than it is at the top of the mountain. I think the place where a group of people joined the train is a request halt for hikers to use. The railway is on a raised platform across the valley creating a barrier to to the movement of wildlife, it makes good sense to have an underpass to allow the movement of wildlife from one side of the railway to the other.
Thanks for the breathtaking views. Incidentally, it was all downhill, and once the train is in motion, gravity takes over, so... do these trains have regenerative braking,?
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi, I'm pleased you enjoyed the views. The trains featured here used the drive motors as a generator on the downhill run and the power generated is dissipated using heat sinks, but I believe the new trains entering service ready for next year do use regenerative braking.
💓👍🙏
16:15 Прекрасный вид
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Да. Я рад, что вам понравилась поездка.
Yeah, I enjoyed that! Funny thing with me, I can put on a mock German accent to speak English, but if I speak German(I learned the language for an interest), I do so with my Australian accent. Funny, that!
@top40researcher31
Жыл бұрын
@neilforbes416 here is some advice from Colonel Wilhelm Klink, du weißt nichts
Surang in lights
Light
Odwrotne założenie zębatek na następne 100 lat !!! Dlaczego kolejka zatrzymała się na trasie? Czy zabierała pasażerów? Przepiękne widoki. Spotkania silnych skał z silnym metalem są fascynujące. Dziękuję i pozdrawiam.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Witam, inżynierowie, którzy odkryli, że zębatki można odwrócić i użyć ponownie, zaoszczędzili firmie dużo pieniędzy. Pociąg zatrzymał się, aby zabrać pasażerów, a skały ustabilizowano za pomocą stalowych wzmocnień w kilku miejscach wzdłuż linii kolejowej. Cieszę się, że podobała ci się jazda. Z poważaniem. Tim.
@panikrystyna1
Жыл бұрын
@@Timsvideochannel1 😀
The tunnel needs an animatronic yeti.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
I'd love to see that 🙂.
Maravilha
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Fico feliz que tenha gostado do vídeo.
Assistir TimsvideochanneI1 em: 02/12/2022, ás 11:30 minutos, Sexta-Feira, estado de Pernambuco -Brazil. Mais um passeio, pela Europa... A Suíça, hoje, é o palco do turismo. Boa sorte á todos que assisti este bom vídeo.
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Olá e bem-vindo à ferrovia Pilatus Bahn.
Zwei Züge in so kurzem Abstand ?? Das ist sicherheitstechnisch aber sehr bedenklich 🤔, gerade wegen der Tunnel fehlt die Sicht , wenn beim vorderen Zug ein Notfall eintritt
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Die Züge fahren langsam und können mit der Zahnradbahn fast sofort anhalten. Die Bahn hat eine sehr gute Sicherheitsbilanz.
Pensiunan PLN pst yes god
👍👍👍🤝🏽🤝🏽🤝🏽🇲🇦🇲🇦
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
🙂👍.
Does it generate energy and turns it back in a system??????
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi, the old railcars don't return power to the overhead electric cable and I'm not sure about the new ones. Please click on this link to lean more - www.calag.ch/en/blog-en/cabin-construction/neue-wagenaufbauten-fuer-die-pilatus-bahn/
Stone break and work athar saide
where is the country?
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Hi, this video was filmed in Switzerland.
Two line athar saide make bridges two line road make
Which country is this
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
Switzerland.
@bajindernath1122
Жыл бұрын
@@Timsvideochannel1 so beautiful country 🙏
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
@@bajindernath1122 Switzerland is awesome, wherever you look there is a photograph just waiting to be captured.
@bajindernath1122
Жыл бұрын
@@Timsvideochannel1 exactly sir...🙏
Krutskalnudzelzscels😉🥰🚈.
🙏💛🙏💚🙏💓🙏💖🙏🤍🙏🧡🙏❤🙏💞🙏🤎🙏💌🙏💙🙏💜🙏💕🙏
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
😊😊😊
Not so much points as traversers...
@Timsvideochannel1
Жыл бұрын
The points presented something of a challenge because of the unusual cog rail system used. The traverser style point works well and it is simple.
Ja, und now ve go *down* in de vorld, ja?! (Yes, and now we go down in the world, yes?!) Just putting in a bit of fake German accent - from a fake German! LOL😁
@top40researcher31
Жыл бұрын
its actually Ja, und jetzt gehen wir in die Welt, ja
@neilforbes416
Жыл бұрын
@@top40researcher31 Where is the reference to direction? In this case, *"Darunter".*
@top40researcher31
Жыл бұрын
@@neilforbes416 well thats what it is isnt it
@neilforbes416
Жыл бұрын
@@top40researcher31 Not quite. If you leave out reference to direction, the sentence makes no sense. So you say "Wir gehen in die Welt *darunter.*
@top40researcher31
Жыл бұрын
@@neilforbes416 We go into the world below.