We woke up to pouring rain in Lausanne. Of course it’s the day we need to walk to the train station. I opened the door and it was coming down hard, but smelled really fresh.
By the time we started walking it stopped and the humidity cranked up off the charts. No worries it’s train travel day.
It’s time for another famous Switzerland train trip, this one called the Golden Pass Express
Everyone’s excited
Goodbye to Lake Geneva
HELLO RAIN. This terrain is gorgeous and you can almost hear the flowers and grasses and vineyards singing soaking up the showers. GLORIOUS relief for Switzerland 🇨🇭 (and the 🌎) in desperate need of rain.
You’ll get to see what we see along today’s adventure to Lauterbrunnen (near Interlaken)
The rain slows and 💥
We stopped and the Swiss Train conductor advise we were switching gauges. The showed the process on the video monitors. Once again amazing Swiss engineering. We found more detail & share below…
MONTREUX, Switzerland — Concerns over excessive track wear have led the innovative Swiss Golden Pass Express trains that switch from meter gauge to standard gauge to be temporarily restricted to meter-gauge operations.
The Golden Pass Express, or GPX, trains, began operating late last year on the route between Montreux and Interlaken. The $95 million trains use new gauge-changing technology to operate on the 39-mile (62.4-kilometer) meter-gauge line from Montreux to Zweisimmen operated by Montreux Berner Oberland Bahn, or MOB, which owns the trains. They also run on the 33-mile (52.9 km) standard-gauge line between Zweisimmen and Interlaken run by Switzerland’s second largest mainline rail company. BLS (formerly the Bern–Lötschberg–Simplon railway but now just known by its initials).
The trains broke new ground when launched, as the 435-millimeter (or 17.1-inch) difference between meter-gauge (1000 mm) and standard gauge (1435 mm) is the greatest of any gauge-changing system in the world. For wheels that are used on only one gauge, the wear inflicted on both wheel and rail is relatively predictable, and with maintenance of either train or track, any areas of excess wear can be managed. For a wheelset that operates on both meter and standard gauge, the contact points will vary, potentially affecting different parts of the wheel and/or the railhead.
Prior to this engineering marvel passengers would have to get off and switch trains. Not anymore it’s seamless and only a slight delay.
Onward 🚂
Interlaken and our tracks are on the edge of this enormous lake
Rainy days & Mondays don’t always get me down when there’s popcorn
They rarely check tickets but you’d better have one….big fines
Sometimes pronouncing cities 🤪
We arrived and only need a short bus ride. It’s pouring again but only have a short wait.
We arrive at the Airbnb we’ve been so excited about…
We are surrounded by stunning magnificent mountains. The air is cool and oh so fresh.
It’s gorgeous and a skylight view from the couch
The rain is subsiding and the skies have snippets of blue…looking forward to our time here. Might be pulling out clothes we haven’t touched but brought for these kind of days…
Welcome to Lauterbrunnen with its 72 breathtaking waterfalls…tomorrow is exploring day 💥
