Switzerland
Welcome to the Swiss railroads section of the FUNET Railway pictures archive
WAB - Wengernalpbahn
Wengernalpbahn takes people and goods from the villages of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald up to the carless villages of
Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg and further to the Jungfraubahn railroad from Kleine Scheidegg (2061m) up to Jungfraujoch (3475m).
Three track, cog wheel train is still today the only way to reach Wengen, a famous ski village with even Europe Cup ski events;
there is also a marked need for goods transport, which is all handled by the WAB trains.
This modern freight train locomotive He 2/2 no 32 of the Wengernalpbahn WAB is one of the two built in 1995 to replace old
and unreliable He 2/2´s from the year 1909. It weighs 16 tons. Maximum speed is a modest 22 km/h. Photo in Lauterbrunnen, May 1999 by
Ilkka Siissalo, ilkka.siissalo(at-sign)iki.fi
(11k)
Uploaded May 24, 1999
The car free village of Wengen can only be reached by the the cog wheel, three track
Wengernalpbahn from Lauterbrunnen. It operates like a tram, just slower. Here a WAB
BDhe 4/4 2. series no. 123 from 1970 in pair with a more modern 1998 BDhe 4/8 3.series
EMU no. 243 at Lauterbrunnen station, just about to leave to Wengen. Photo in May 1999
by Ilkka Siissalo, ilkka.siissalo(at-sign)iki.fi
(10k)
Uploaded May 24, 1999
This BDhe 4/8 no 133 of the WAB is built in 1988. It consists of two coaches, permanently
attached to each other. Both coaches are motorised but only the one shown here has an aerial for
electricity. The two coaches weigh together 43 tonnes and this combination can climb the steep
slopes at a maximum of 28 km/h. There´s a large department for skis and other goods.
Photo at Lauterbrunnen station in May 1999 by Ilkka Siissalo, ilkka.siissalo(at-sign)iki.fi
(16k)
Uploaded May 24, 1999
The Wengernalpbahn BDhe 4/8 2. series no 243 is like its predecessor a unit consisting of
two coaches, permanently attached. This brand-new train was built in November 1998 and it is
the first low floor, tram-like train of the WAB. Climbing on the snowy, steep hillsides
along WAB´s cog wheel 3-track railroad it looks like a thing of the future in the wrong place.
Photo at Lauterbrunnen station in May 1999 by Ilkka Siissalo, ilkka.siissalo(at-sign)iki.fi
(13k)
Uploaded May 24, 1999
Wengernalpbahn WAB BDhe 4/4 2.series cog wheel electric motor unit no. 121
from 1970 at the Lauterbrunnen station. These EMUs were almost identical
to the 1964 built 1.series wagons, except for a bigger windscreen and a
bigger compartment for skis and luggage. Five of these EMUs operate to
the Kleine Scheidegg sking resort, 2061 m above sea level. Photo by Ilkka
Siissalo ilkka.siissalo(at-sign)iki.fi
(11k)
Uploaded May 24, 1999
The old Wengernalpbahn WAB He 2/2 1.series locomotive no. 54 from 1909 is still in use, but
mainly only for switching wagons at the Lauterbrunnen valley station or when its two newer
siblings, He 2/2 31 and 32 from 1995 are busy. WAB bought 8 of these in 1909 and a further
five in 1912. The speciality of this box-like locomotive is that its two engines are placed
very high up, which helped when they were used as electric brakes while descending the slopes.
Photo in May 1999 by Ilkka Siissalo, ilkka.siissalo(at-sign)iki.fi
(14k)
Uploaded May 24, 1999
Wengernalpbahn WAB BDhe 4/4 2.series with a trailer wagon at Lauterbrunnen station.
Photo in May 1999 by Ilkka Siissalo, ilkka.siissalo(at-sign)iki.fi
(14k)
Uploaded May 24, 1999
One of the Wengernalpbahn WAB He 2/2 locomotives, no. 55 from 1910 is kept as a museum piece
on the yard of the Elektra Birseck, the electricity company of Kanton Baselland. It operated
until 1969 at the Lauterbrunnen-Kleine Scheidegg-Grindelwald route, 1969-93 as no.15 at the
Schynige Plattebahn railroad, 1993-97 as a switcher engine at the WAB Lauterbrunnen station,
like its sibling no. 54 still does. Photo May 1999 by Ilkka Siissalo, ilkka.siissalo(at-sign)iki.fi
(5k)
Uploaded Jun 5, 1999
The WAB He 2/2 no 55 museum engine shown sideways. It was built mechanically at SLM,
Winterthur, in 1910 with all electrical parts from Elektrizitätsgesellschaft Alioth,
Münchenstein - a predecessor of the company whose yard it now stands on. It´s 5,75 m
long, weighs 16 tons, had a maximum speed of 12 km/h on cog wheel track and used
1500 V DC current, which is still used by WAB. Photo May 1999 by Ilkka Siissalo,
ilkka.siissalo(at-sign)iki.fi
(9k)
Uploaded Jun 5, 1999