Click on the camera to see the photographs with this article.   Click on the BOB logo to view some older Berner Oberland Bahn rolling stock.   Click on the WAB logo to view some Wengernalpbahn rolling stock.

The Jungfraubahnen       Introduction Probably the best known mountains of the Bernese Oberland, or perhaps even Switzerland, are the Eiger (monster), Mönch (monk), and the Jungfrau (young girl). The Jungfrau was first climbed in 1811 followed by the Mönch in 1857 and the Eiger in 1858. Today you don't have to climb but you can ride in comfort to the top of the Jungfrau. With the Swiss love of tunnels and narrow gauge rack railways they have tunnelled their way to the Top of Europe, the Jungfraujoch. The three primary Jungfraubahnen are the Berner Oberland Bahn, the Wengernalpbahn, and the Jungfraubahn which connect Interlaken Ost (east) with the facilities at the Top of Europe. Examine the map below by clicking on it to see a larger version:   The Three Railways     A rack railway, or cog railway, contains a toothed rack between the running rails. Trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels that mesh with this rack. This allows trains to operate on very steep grades. The Berner Oberland Bahn (BOB) is a metre gauge rack railway in some locations where the grade is steepest but also operates without a rack section on many sections of the railway. Transition from adhesion running onto a rack section is barely noticeable but the train does slow to engage the rack. I'm told some sort of clutch arrangement provides this smooth transition onto the rack. This photo shows an adhesion to rack transition mechanism at Lauterbrunnen at the summit of the grade leading to Lauterbrunnen station. The BOB connects Interlaken Ost with both Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald by a junction located at Zweilütschinen (pronounced z-vy-LOOT-shee-nen).   At Lauterbrunnen the BOB shares a platform with the Wengernalpbahn (WAB), an 800 millimetre gauge rack railway. It appears all of the WAB contains rack rail and there are no transitions to conventional trackage. From Lauterbrunnen the WAB climbs up to Kleine Scheidegg (Kline-a Shy-dig) at an altitude of 2,061 metres (6,762 feet) then descends to Grund and back up again slightly to reach Grindelwald. This brings us to the Jungfraubahn which operates only from Kleine Scheidegg to an altitude of 3,454 metres (11,333 feet) near the summit of the Jungfrau known as the Jungfraujoch or the Top of Europe. Strictly a rack railway the Jungfrau does most of it ascent tunnelling inside the Eiger and Mönch to reach the Jungfraujoch bahnhof (station) complex located inside the Jungfrau mountain.       Adolf Guyer-Zeller The Jungfrau Railway was built by Adolf Guyer-Zeller, a colourful and charismatic figure in the history of Swiss transport. A contemporary described him as "a man of bold daring who always had ambitious plans. His strangely complex nature combined cold ruthlessness, aimed at getting his own way, with a childish soft-heartedness and deep religious persuasion". He was both an adventurer and an artist.   Adolf Guyer-Zeller was a textile magnate, who had already travelled the world and successfully expanded his father's spinning mill. He served twice as a liberal member of the Zurich Cantonal Parliament. A financial speculator, he invested successfully in both the Gotthard Railway and North-Eastern Railway and joined the latter's board of directors in 1892. Two years later, the Swiss Parliament granted him a concession to construct the Jungfrau Railway. The spectacular project was to prove the crowning achievement in the career of Adolf Guyer-Zeller, a pioneer committed to technological progress. The Jungfrau Railway has since opened up the high-Alpine landscape to thousands of travellers.       Jungfraubahn Construction Construction of the Jungfrau Railway was estimated to take seven years at a cost of 10 million Swiss Francs. But due to technical difficulties, supply problems, extreme environmental and climatic conditions, both forecasts were wide of the mark. Construction instead took 16 years and cost 15 million Swiss Francs.   The base camp for the workforce was located at the northern edge of the Eiger Glacier. Up to 300 persons were accommodated in houses and barracks, and received regular deliveries of supplies. In winter the workforce in the "Sea of Ice" area was cut off from the outside world, necessitating advance delivery of the following provisions in the autumn: 12 tons of flour; 1,500 litres of wine (almost 1 litre per day, per worker); 2 tons of potatoes (for the Swiss); 800 kilos of macaroni (for the Italians); 3,000 eggs; 400 kilos of coffee; 50,000 cigars; 4 tons of meat; 30 tons of coal (for baking and for the toolsmith); (Perishable goods were preserved in the crevasses of the Eiger Glacier.)         The looping tunnel through the Eiger and Mönch mountains combined a number of major advantages: The gradual gradient (maximum 25 cm per metre) permitted progressive adjustment of the human body to the high altitude; The close proximity to the rockface facilitated the disposal of rubble during construction and the installation of observation points; The stage-by-stage opening of the route to the travelling public ensured continuity in the financing of the Jungfrau Railway.   Electric Power When the Jungfrau Railway was being planned, electrically-operated trains were still in their infancy. The first experiments were carried out on streets, and 1888 saw the first tram enter into service. The builders who pioneered the Jungfrau Railway opted for electricity from the beginning, citing four main reasons: availability of vast quantities of cheap water; the light weight of the rolling stock when climbing steep gradients; steam operation would be impossible inside the Jungfrau Railway tunnel; increased comfort (travel without smoke). Electricity was (and still is) used in all phases of construction and operation: for the drilling, ventilation, and lighting of the tunnel; for cooking and accommodation heating; for the melting of snow for drinking water. Since the beginning of the tunnel construction, the Jungfrau Railway has produced its own electricity. The Lauterbrunnen Power Station (located in the valley) started producing electricity when the first stretch of the railway from Kleine Scheidegg to the Eiger Glacier began operation. The Lütschental Power Station opened later in conjunction with other railway operations. Since 1923, the electricity network has been operated in co-operation with the Bernese Electricity Board. Today's rail cars are mini-power stations in themselves. The braking energy is converted into current and fed back into the overhead line. In this way three descending trains are sufficient to power a fourth train up to the top. Overall energy-saving is approximately 15-20 percent.       Equipment On peak days more than 4,000 passengers travel up to the Jungfraujoch. To meet demand, Jungfrau Railway capacity has been increased over the years as follows:   Year Locos Cars Dual Cars 1898 2 4 - 1912 10 18 - 1930 12 23 - 1950 12 28 - 1960 12 28 - 1970 5 22 - 1995 5 18 4   Year Cars Seats Passengers 1898 4 164 * 1912 18 820 38,705 1930 23 984 51,122 1950 28 1,404 74,185 1960 28 1,404 156,245 1970 22 1,520 162,256 1980 20 1,520 248,341 1990 20 1,520 490,270 1995 18 + 4 1,992 479,853 * The railway extended only to Eigergletscher in 1898. Jungfraubahn locomotive He 2/2 built in 1912 currently stored at Kleine Scheidegg.     Rack Rail and Braking The Jungfrau Railway was the first cogwheel railway to use the "Strub" system. Today the 100-year-old racks are gradually being replaced by Lamella racks made by Von Roll.   All rail cars have four brakes: two mechanical band brakes to stop the train; an electrical resistance brake, independent of the main system; a regeneration brake (dynamic brake), which feeds current back into the main system.   Associated Web Sites Jungfraubahnen   Wikipedia - Berner Oberland Bahn (Link fails 22 Jun 2024)   Wikipedia - Wengernalpbahn (Link fails 22 Jun 2024)   Wikipedia - Jungfraubahn (Link fails 22 Jun 2024)   Railfan Europe Picture Gallery - BOB   Railfan Europe Picture Gallery - WAB   Railfan Europe Picture Gallery - JB   Gear and Rack Meshing Mechanism Patent (.pdf) (Although the rack is off to one side of the track this invention seems somewhat similar to the photo of the transition mechanism located at Lauterbrunnen - Gesellschaft Brown Boveri Patent.)   Rack, Pinion, and Adhesion Drive Patent   Driving Device for Rail Vehicles having Friction and Cog Drives Patent   Kotarski Gear Engagement Device Patent   FAG Gearbox Bearings in a Zermatt Rack Railway Train (.pdf)   Rail Info Switzerland