The remaining photo galleries have now been reformatted and uploaded with a number of additional photos added, mainly images that appeared in trip reports but failed to make it to the galleries for some reason. A photo index page in the new style has also been added. Your browser should redirect you automatically but if it doesn't, use the link below.

The new photos page has been moved into a new section called Collections, which will contain collections of photos that are linked by a common theme but don't fit neatly into the country based structure.

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The second and final batch of pictures from my August trip to the Gotthard have been added to the photo galleries. These feature many of the classic Re4/4ii and Re6/6 locos as well as a few more modern engines and EMUs. As well as the Gotthard itself there are also a few shots taken around Zürich HB.

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The first batch of photos from my August 2016 trip to the Gotthard are now available in the photo galleries. More to follow.

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A final visit to the Gotthard, one of Europe's great mountain main lines, in August 2016, before traffic is syphoned off into the new base tunnel. The report covers passenger and freight services, the latter operated by SBB and several foreign or independent operators. Naturally in Switzerland, electric traction prevailed but diesels were not entirely absent.

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The Swiss photo galleries have now been transferred to the new format and an additional 33 photos added bringing the total to 479 pictures. As with the other new format galleries, it's possible to view the 56 galleries by category, i.e. line, class, traction and train type, operator or gauge. A wide range of pictures are included, from heavily trafficked freight arteries to narrow gauge rack railways, from 100 year old rack engines through 70 year old motor luggage vans to the latest Traxx locomotives and Flirt EMUs, all in the attractive Swiss landscape.

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Added a new photo gallery with 10 pictures of the Simmentalbahn taken in 2013, the last year that BLS Re4/4 "Brownies" hauled passengers on the line. The Spiez - Interlaken gallery has been updated with 6 new pictures and 1 new shot has been added to the Lötschberg gallery.

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This illustrated report covers a six day trip to the Berner Oberland in central Switzerland in July 2013. The region is famous for its mountains and lakes and the report contains details of visits to a number of mountain railways, including the Wengernalpbahn, the Jungfraubahn and the Schynige Platte Bahn.

The Zentralbahn's 70 year old class 110s (strictly speaking motor luggage vans but locomotives in all but name) are covered, as they work out their last miles before withdrawal, and the BLS's iconic Re4/4 "Brownies" also feature.

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A brief visit to Switzerland in early May 2013 The aim was to get some shots of loco hauled trains between St. Gallen and Chur before new EMUs take over in June and to see the recently resurrected Ae6/6s on stone trains around Bülach.

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Seven new galleries and over 120 photos have been added to the Switzerland photo section. These were taken on a couple of autumn trips in 2012 and feature the Gotthard main line, various routes in western Switzerland that were likely to have a few Ae6/6 workings and metre gauge operations on the Furka-Oberalp and Brünig routes, including 70 year old class 110s on InterRegio services.

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Despite numerous trips to the Rhätischebahn over the last few years, I hadn’t really done much photography in the rest of Switzerland. With the veteran class Ae6/6s in serious decline it was time to address the photographic deficit. This report covers two trips in late summer and early autumn 2012. The main objectives were the Gotthard and Ae6/6s, but I also wanted a good selection of shots of Swiss main-line operations generally.

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47 photos taken on my March 2012 trip to the Rhätischebahn have been added to the Swiss photo galleries, virtually all of them in the galleries covering the Albula (Chur - Bever) and Surselva (Reichenau - Disentis) lines.

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A trip to the RhB for the last week of the Winter Timetable with its additional trains for skiers, snowboarders and sledgers. The continued use of a handful of the venerable Ge4/4is provided the incentive for this visit and, fortunately, the last three locos were more active than expected, covering a wide variety of workings and routes. Other classes weren't ignored but the Ge4/4is took priority.

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The Swiss photo galleries have been updated with 27 shots from my February 2011 trip to the RhB, many of them featuring the veteran Ge4/4is in action a couple of weeks before they lost most of their booked work.



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The RhB’s oldest locos, the Ge4/4is dating from 1947, are due to lose all their booked work in early March 2011 and are expected to be withdrawn in May. This report covers a trip to Graubünden in late February 2011 to photograph them hard at work in the glorious alpine scenery only a couple of weeks before they were due to finish.



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A major update to the Swiss photo galleries with many more pictures from three trips to the RhB since mid 2009.



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A short trip to the Rhätischebahn in late summer to fill in some gaps in my photographic coverage of the line. The trip was made more interesting by an unexpected line closure and the resulting freight diversions. There was still plenty of work for the veteran class Ge4/4i electrics despite the arrival of more new units.



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After ten years a return to the Gotthard Pass was long overdue. The Gotthard is one of Europes busiest freight routes, carrying heavy traffic between Germany and Italy through the heart of the Swiss Alps. While in Switzerland, I also followed a tip off that there were some worthwhile photo positions around Frick on the Basel - Zürich line and had a look at the MGB’s metre gauge line around Andermatt and the Oberalp Pass.



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This report covers two trips to the Rhätischebahn in January 2010. The first of a large fleet of new EMUs has just entered traffic and the next couple of years will see big changes to the current fleet of locos and motor-coaches. This was probably the last chance to photograph a full winter service with the 60 year old class Ge4/4i locos playing a full part. The weather had other ideas though.



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An autumn trip to the Rhätischebahn in the mountainous south-east Swiss canton of Graubünden. The line is a photographer's dream with superb scenery, attractive liveries and frequent trains, many of them loco hauled. With new EMUs likely to enter service during the first half of 2010, this was a last chance to photograph the old order in the autumn.



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Almost forgot that I visited the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn as well as the RhB on my recent visit to Switzerland. A few MGB pictures from that trip have been added to the photo galleries.



MGB Photos

A selection of pictures from my recent trip to the Rhätischebahn have been added to the Photo galleries.



Swiss Photo Galleries

The Rhätischebahn operates a large network of metre gauge lines in the south-eastern Swiss canton of Graubünden. After a short visit in December 2007, I resolved to go back for a longer period in winter 2008/2009. This is the report of that trip, from 07 to 19 January 2009.

The railway serves the industrialised area around the regional capital, Chur, as well as the Alpine resorts of Klosters, St. Moritz and Davos and even reaches Italy via the Bernina Pass, the highest adhesion-only crossing of the Alps. There are regular passenger services, most of them locomotive hauled, and a surprising volume of freight traffic all running through superb alpine scenery.



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Pictures from my recent trip to the Rhätischebahn have been added to the following photo galleries :

910 RhB Prättigau Line
920 RhB Disentis Line
940 RhB Albula Line
960 RhB Engadin Line

Winter in the Swiss Alps attracts skiers and snowboarders in huge numbers but what would it be like for a railway photographer? In spite of doubts about the weather, I decided to visit the Rhätischebahn from 19 to 23 December to find out. Once again, the RhB exceeded all my expectations.



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Pictures from my October trip to the Rhätischebahn have been posted in the following picture galleries:

920 RhB Disentis Line
940 RhB Albula Line
950 RhB Berninabahn
960 RhB Engadin Line

The Rhätischebahn operates an extensive meter gauge electified network in the canton of Graubunden in south-eastern Switzerland. Its lines link the regional capital Chur with the alpine resorts of Klosters, Davos and St Moritz, passing through some of the finest alpine scenery en-route. This was my first visit to this splendid railway.



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The Lötschberg main line is a busy freight and passenger route across the Swiss Alps. As well as being a major trunk route, it’s a scenic delight and a real engineering marvel. Seven years had passed since my last visit and the imminent opening of the 35.6 km Base Tunnel provided the impetus for a return in May 2007 while the original route was still busy. The Base Tunnel will bypass the most scenic section of the old line and is expected to take increasing volumes of freight traffic after its official opening on 16 June 2007.



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Lötschberg photos