15 June 2010
15 June 2010
31/07/12 17:58
After catching the 06:00 Swiss flight from Heathrow to Zürich, I picked up my hire car and headed out to Frick on the Basel - Zürich main line, or to be more specific, the northerly route via the Bözberg Tunnel. The weather was totally overcast with occasional light rain so I spent the first three hours just watching the traffic. In three hours there were no fewer than 25 movements, 12 passengers, 12 freights and one light engine.
In the early afternoon I moved a few km east to the village of Zeihen to look at some potential photo positions and missed a few trains in the process. Overall, traffic levels remained at similar levels to those seen earlier.
The passenger service on the line consists of two trains each way an hour between Basel and Zürich. Destinations at the Zürich end alternate between HB and Flughafen. Other trains between Basel and Zürich run via Liestal and Aarau. The Flugzüge, as the trains to/from Z-Flughafen are known, were all worked by class 460s on push-pull sets of all sizes and shapes. the locos were consistently at the Zürich end of the formations. The trains to/from HB were a mixture of one third 460s at the Zürich end of push-pull sets and two thirds Re4/4iis on hauled stock. Only one unit was seen, a class 521 Flirt heading east ECS in mid afternoon. The biggest surprise was seeing 103.184 heading towards Zürich in the early afternoon, hauling a matching set of red and cream coaches.
Most freights were worked by SBB Cargo locos, as expected, with Re4/4iis and Re6/6s predominating. There were also a few 482s and a couple of Ae6/6s. Other operators were represented by two Crossrail 185s, two DB 185s (on separate trains), a BLS 486 and a TXL 189.
If only the sun had been out, it would have been an excellent day.
(p) = propelling
I spent the night at the Hotel St. Fridolin, just across the German border in Bad Säckingen. Several trains were seen on the Basel Bad - Waldshut line, all of them DMUs.
In the early afternoon I moved a few km east to the village of Zeihen to look at some potential photo positions and missed a few trains in the process. Overall, traffic levels remained at similar levels to those seen earlier.
The passenger service on the line consists of two trains each way an hour between Basel and Zürich. Destinations at the Zürich end alternate between HB and Flughafen. Other trains between Basel and Zürich run via Liestal and Aarau. The Flugzüge, as the trains to/from Z-Flughafen are known, were all worked by class 460s on push-pull sets of all sizes and shapes. the locos were consistently at the Zürich end of the formations. The trains to/from HB were a mixture of one third 460s at the Zürich end of push-pull sets and two thirds Re4/4iis on hauled stock. Only one unit was seen, a class 521 Flirt heading east ECS in mid afternoon. The biggest surprise was seeing 103.184 heading towards Zürich in the early afternoon, hauling a matching set of red and cream coaches.
Most freights were worked by SBB Cargo locos, as expected, with Re4/4iis and Re6/6s predominating. There were also a few 482s and a couple of Ae6/6s. Other operators were represented by two Crossrail 185s, two DB 185s (on separate trains), a BLS 486 and a TXL 189.
If only the sun had been out, it would have been an excellent day.
E of Frick
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Re4/4 | IR1969 | 10:13 Basel SBB - Zürich HB | 10:44 |
| Re6/6 Re4/4 |
EB Freight | 10:47 | |
| 185.xxx (Crossrail) | WB Containers | 10:52 | |
| 460.xxx (p) | IR2068 | 10:04 Zürich HB - Basel SBB | 10:55 |
| Re4/4 Re6/6 |
EB Containers | 10:59 | |
| 460.xxx | IR2071 | 10:40 Basel SBB - Zürich Flughafen | 11:06 |
| R4/4 | IR1968 | 10:36 Zürich HB - Basel SBB | 11:16 |
| Re6/6 | WB Oil Tanks | 11:25 | |
| 460.xxx | IR1971 | 11:13 Basel SBB - Zürich HB | 11:44 |
| 482.xxx | EB Containers | 11:46 | |
| 460.xxx (p) | IR2070 | 11:04 Zürich Flughafen - Basel SBB | 11:55 |
| 482.xxx | EB Car carriers | 11:58 | |
| 482.014 | WB Containers | 12:03 | |
| 460.108 | IR2073 | 11:40 Basel SBB - Zürich Flughafen | 12:06 |
| 11157 | IR90 | 11:36 Zürich HB - Bruxelles Midi | 12:15 |
| 11357 420.186 |
EB Containers | 12:22 | |
| 11299 | EB DB Nachtzug ECS | 12:30 | |
| 11219 | IR1973 | 12:13 Basel SBB - Zürich HB | 12:44 |
| 460.085 (p) | IR2072 | 12:04 Zürich Flughafen - Basel SBB | 12:54 |
| 482.033 | EB Containers | 13:00 | |
| 185.581 (Crossrail) | EB Containers | 13:02 | |
| 460.022 | IR2025 | 12:40 Basel SBB - Zürich Flughafen | 13:08 |
| 482.007 | WB Car carriers | 13:09 | |
| 460.034 (p) | IR1972 | 12:36 Zürich HB - Basel SBB | 13:15 |
| 11171 11668 |
WB Light Engines | 13:28 | |
| 11304 | IR1975 | 13:13 Basel SBB - Zürich HB | 13:44 |
Zeihen
| Loco | Train No. |
Train Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103.184 | EB Special | 14:14 | |
| Re6/6 | EB Car carriers | 14:20 | |
| Re4/4 Re6/6 |
WB Light Engines | 14:33 | |
| 185.132 (DB) | EB Freight | 14:38 | |
| 620.012 11322 |
EB Scrap | 14:40 | |
| 460.058 | IR1977 | 14:13 Basel SBB - Zürich HB | 14:47 |
| 460.022 (p) | IR2076 | 14:04 Zürich Flughafen - Basel SBB | 14:51 |
| 521.007 | EB ECS | 14:53 | |
| 460.108 | IR2079 | 14:40 Basel SBB - Zürich Flughafen | 15:09 |
| 11158 | IR96 | 14:36 Zürich HB - Bruxelles Midi | 15:11 |
| 185.123 (DB) | WB Freight | 15:16 | |
| Re4/4 Re6/6 |
EB Freight | 15:16 | |
| 189.996 (TXL) | EB Freight | 15:20 | |
| 11668 11171 |
EB Freight | 15:28 | |
| 11244 | EB Light Engine | 15:30 | |
| 610.486 | WB Containers | 15:36 | |
| 11118 | IR1979 | 15:13 Basel SBB - Zürich HB | 15:47 |
| 460.085 (p) | IR2078 | 15:04 Zürich Flughafen - Basel SBB | 15:51 |
| 486.502 (BLS) | EB Freight | 16:06 | |
| 460.022 | IR2081 | 15:40 Basel SBB - Zürich Flughafen | 16:10 |
| 460.058 (p) | IR1978 | 15:36 Zürich HB - Basel SBB | 16:15 |
| 620.065 11277 |
EB Containers | 16:16 | |
| Re4/4 | IR1981 | 16:13 Basel SBB - Zürich HB | 16:50 |
| 460.xxx (p) | IR2080 | 16:04 Zürich Flughafen - Basel SBB | 16:52 |
| 11202 | IR1980 | 16:36 Zürich HB - Basel SBB | 17:12 |
| 460.065 | IR2085 | 16:40 Basel SBB - Zürich Flughafen | 17:12 |
(p) = propelling
I spent the night at the Hotel St. Fridolin, just across the German border in Bad Säckingen. Several trains were seen on the Basel Bad - Waldshut line, all of them DMUs.
