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ZCochrane — Gotthardtunnel
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Published: 2009-09-29 08:50:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 1833; Favourites: 32; Downloads: 109
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Description
The railway line through the Gotthard mountain with the Gotthard tunnel as the counterpoint was opened in 1882, when the international european railway network already existed in many areas. Nevertheless, it is probably the most important line for european railroading ever, as it was the first and still is the most important useful, all-year available answer to the 2,000 year old question: How do I come from Italy (and the economic area of the Mediterranean) to Germany (and the economic areas of the North and Baltic sea)?Among other things, the huge traffic through the line also led the swiss government to invite other european governments to the swiss capital of Berne, to create a comprehensive set of standards for rolling stock, as incompatible vehicles were quite a problem in international traffic then (1877). The contract about the "Technische Einheit im Eisenbahnwesen" (technical standardization in railroading) was abolished in 1999, but modern UIC standards, the COTIF agreement and most recently the TSIs, which are technically EU law but also applied in many non-member countries, can all trace their roots back to this.
The mountainous lines towards the Gotthard tunnel (known as the Gotthard ramps) are spectacular, but with high gradients also a problem in international freight traffic. Hence, a new Gotthard Basistunnel is currently being built, much further down the mountain and much longer. Whether the current historic line will remain is currently not clear. There are hopes for UNESCO world heritage status, which it certainly deserves in my opinion.
The train appearing here at the north end of the tunnel in Göschenen is hauled by a classic Re 4/4II. This InterRegio from Lugano to Basel has just about every type of single-decker passenger car you'll find in Switzerland, including EW I from the 1960s, EW IV from the 1980s, EuroCity carriages in Cisalpino paint scheme and even a panorama car with raised floor and huge windows. As I neither know too many railroad car enthusiast, nor am one myself, I decided to ignore this, though.
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Comments: 24
Die sind wenigstens besser als der autobahn tunnel
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Klar, mit Tempolimit macht eine Autobahn doch sowieso keinen Spaß.
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Naja stell dir in der Schweiz ne Autobahn ohne Limit vor? 
Da gibste in Zürich 200 und dann musste schon wider bremsen weil an Bern vorbeigerauscht bist
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There are some villages along the line, also a connection to the narrow gauge MGB at Göschenen, so I don't think they will close it or change to historic line after the opening of the base tunnel. I expect the same mode as at Lötschberg. While the direct trains uses the tunnel there will be still regional trains over the pass. But of course not so many as now.
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Well, it’s one train an hour (per direction) that stops in Göschenen, I don’t think it will matter much to the ones living how the through trains will travel. I certainly hope that it remains like the Lötschberg, as I’d really like to be able to travel it again some day, even after the tunnel opens. A truly amazing railroad.
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I like the distance you kept. Most pictures of these tunnel portals are taken much close.
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That was more coincidence than anything else. We actually planned to get on to this train, so we deliberately stayed away from the edges of the platform.
Thank you for the 
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Funny how coincidence can sometimes work in favour of a good picture
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The old line wouldn't be the first touristic line in Switzerland, and I imagine it could serve as a backup in the case of accidents or traffic overflow.
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That certainly sounds like a good idea. There is already a similar precedent, although in narrow gauge: When the Furka Basis tunnel was opened, bypassing the Furka pass, the old line was kept open (after some tugging by rail enthusiasts) and is now a museum line, operated with steam.
Considering that the Gotthard line is so beautiful, and also so historically important (swiss locomotives can be divided in "bought specifically for the Gotthard" and "other"), I'd be very surprised if people really tore it down.
Thank you for the
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This is a very nice picture. Perhaps when the lower tunnel is built, this route should be used for a tourist train operation.
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I certainly hope so!
Thank you for the
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In other words, it's a rainbow train...just like the first couple years of Amtrak, when their cars were still painted in the colors of the private railroads from whence they came.
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What I find surprising is that not even ten years ago, german passenger trains looked just as colorful. The recent repaints really were extremely fast and thorough, compared to earlier, when you could still see cars in paint schemes from the 1970s and 1980s.
Thank you for the
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The quality of the repaints has been rather inconsistent though. Some silberling cars look like they're 50 years old, whilst some look like they came out of the factory yesterday...even if the doors are still clunky and loud. Sometimes the two extremes will end up in the same trainset.
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That's true, but I get the feeling that's true for all vehicles to some degree. Class 612 tilting DMUs generally look bad, 628 regional DMUs look great, 425s EMUs look bad, 424s EMUs (which only differ in the steps they have in the doors) look good, class 110 locomotives will be deep red, class 139s (which only differ in the gearing) tend to be pink… I have really no idea what's up with DB's paint suppliers.
Still, it's all red or reddish today. I'm pretty certain model railroad companies hate DB for that.
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Oh, I think the model railroad companies appreciate it for the lower production costs of uniformity, but modelers hate it.
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Oh, but if all cars are red, then you need one train at five wagons (which can and will cost more than $200, though). If they have different colors, then you can have two, three or four trains that all look different.
Companies like Märklin and Roco have in fact repeatedly paid for locomotives to be repainted in interesting paint schemes, with their logo on it somewhere, large enough that one can see it clearly in H0 scale. A recent example is GySEV's Haydn locomotive . You can see the "Roco" script above the front truck.
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That's cool. 
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As a matter of fact, I have a UP heritage unit on my layout, the Rio Grande one. 
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