With little prospect of seeing any Ae6/6 action over the weekend I needed something else to keep me occupied. My original plan was to spend most of the day on the Spiez - Zweisimmen line photographing the few trains worked by BLS class Re4/4s then switch to the Spiez - Interlaken line for more of the same in the afternoon. I’d last been to these lines 12 years ago and thought I knew how everything worked but hadn’t realised how much had changed in the meantime.

Don’s message a few days previously alerted me to the new units arriving on the Zentralbahn but what I hadn’t appreciated was that the ancient class 110 motor coaches were being used on the IR trains between Interlaken and Meiringen. Last time I was here they had been relegated to the Interlaken - Meiringen locals and appeared to be on borrowed time. Zweisimmen suddenly dropped off the agenda.

I travelled from Solothurn to Bern via Burgdorf, then continued to Interlaken Ost via Thun and Spiez. Ae6/6 11501 was stabled at Thun, presumably waiting for it’s next job on Monday. Also there were a couple of 3-coach sections of new ZB class 150 units on transporter wagons. From Interlaken I took the IR to Meiringen, hauled by 110.021 - I could still barely believe it - then backtracked to Brienzwiler on a local, worked by a 130 unit. The other local turn was covered by a 160 unit. At Meiringen, 110.003 was stabled in the yard on a short push-pull set. 110.001 was also outside the depot but it was difficult to tell whether it was operational or not. The late morning and early afternoon were happily spent photographing the ancient class 110s trundling back and forth on the hourly IR trains in glorious sunshine (that’s another beer I owe you Don!).

I left Brienzwiler mid afternoon and returned to Spiez then walked out to Faulensee. This was another location I’d done 12 years ago but in those days all the local passengers were units and the IC trains were formed with the loco at the Interlaken end, useless for photography. With the locos now usually on the Spiez end of IC trains and BLS class 425 “Brownies” on over half the locals, I was looking forward to a busy end to the day but it was not to be. After one 460 and one 425, the sun disappeared into a bank of cloud, never to return.

That was my signal to return to Solothurn, this time via Bern and Olten, just for a change.

Solothurn

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
500.000	ICN1510	05:44 St.Gallen - Lausanne	07:58
500.043 500.002	ICN515	06:14 Genève - St.Gallen	08:00
566.238-BLS	RE3424	08:01 Solothurn - Thun	08:01 (travelled Solothurn - Burgdorf)

Burgdorf

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
460.049 propelling	RE3212	07:30 Zürich HB - Bern	08:40 (travelled Burgdorf - Bern)

Bern

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
460.066 propelling	IC961	07:59 Basel SBB - Interlaken Ost	09:04 (travelled Bern - Interlaken Ost)

Thun

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
11501		Stabled	09:22
150.102-ZB 150.202-ZB		on SG Transporters	09:25

Spiez

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
436.112-XRAIL 436.114-XRAIL		NB Intermodal	09:32 (Walter)
163-BLS	RE3115	09:08 Interlaken Ost - Zweisimmen	09:32
460.046	IC812	06:38 Romanshorn - Brig	09:33

Interlaken Ost

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
110.021-ZB	IR2217	10:04 Interlaken Ost - Luzern	10:04 (travelled Interlaken Ost - Meiringen)

Meiringen

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
110.003-ZB 110.001-ZB		Stabled	10:40
101.965-ZB	IR2217	10:04 Interlaken Ost - Luzern	10:41 (from Meiringen)
130.010	7440	10:46 Meiringen - Interlaken Ost	10:46 (travelled Meiringen - Brienzwiler)

E of Brienzwiler

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
110.021	IR2218	09:55 Luzern - Interlaken Ost	11:27
110.022	IR2219	11:04 Interlaken Ost - Luzern	11:32
160.002-ZB	7442	11:46 Meiringen - Interlaken Ost	11:50
130.010	7445	11:33 Interlaken Ost - Meiringen	12:03
110.022	IR2220	10:55 Luzern - Interlaken Ost	12:27
110.021	IR2221	12:04 Interlaken Ost - Luzern	12:32
130.010	7448	12:46 Meiringen - Interlaken Ost	12:49
160.002	7449	12:33 Interlaken Ost - Meiringen	13:05
110.021	IR2222	11:55 Luzern - Interlaken Ost	13:27
110.022	IR2223	13:04 Interlaken Ost - Luzern	13:32
160.002	7452	13:46 Meiringen - Luzern	13:51

Brienzwiler

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
110.022	IR2224	12:55 Luzern - Interlaken Ost	14:28
110.021	IR2225	14:04 Interlaken Ost - Luzern	14:30
130.010	7456	14:46 Meiringen - Interlaken Ost	14:52 (travelled Brienzwiler - Interlaken Ost)

Interlaken Ost

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
566.233-BLS	6125	15:29 Interlaken Ost - Spiez	15:29 (travelled Interlaken Ost - Spiez)

Interlaken West

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
195-BLS propelling	6126	15:09 Spiez - Interlaken Ost	15:33

Spiez Depot

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
485.008-BLS		Stabled	15:59

Faulensee

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
460.006	IC982	16:00 Interlaken Ost - Basel SBB	16:23
163-BLS propelling	RE3126	15:38 Zweisimmen - Interlaken Ost	16:28
460.020 propelling	IC977	14:59 Basel SBB - Interlaken Ost	16:37
195-BLS	6127	16:20 Interlaken Ost - Spiez	16:44
401.073-DB	ICE1082	16:30 Interlaken Ost - Basel SBB	16:49

Spiez

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
460.104 propelling	IC1079	15:31 Basel SBB - Interlaken Ost	17:04
465.016-BLS 173-BLS		SB Intermodal	17:04
185.592-XRAIL 185.579-XRAIL banked by 185.601-XRAIL		SB Containers	17:19
460.039	IC986	17:00 Interlaken Ost - Basel SBB	17:21
460.051 propelling	IC10837	16:41 Brig - Bern	17:21 (relief - travelled Spiez - Bern)

Bern

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
460.086	IR2537	16:01 Geneve-Aeroport - Luzern	17:54
460.039 propelling	IC982	17:00 Interlaken Ost - Basel SBB	18:04 (travelled Bern - Olten)
460.064 propelling	IC981	16:59 Basel SBB - Interlaken Ost	18:04

Olten

Loco	Train No.	Train Details	Notes
460.114 propelling	IR2036	17:09 Schaffhausen - Bern	18:36
500.014 500.032	ICN536	16:48 St.Gallen - Genève-Aéroport	18:40