Warehouse Wednesday: Swiss goods sheds

The Swiss seem to like moving things by rail. I lost count of the number of rail-served factoreis and businesses we passed travelling around. Many looked like the sidings were still in use too. 

However, the subject of this post is the traditional, wooden, Swiss good shed. There are plenty of these around too. I'm not sure many are used as much as the one at Lauterbrunnen, but some certainly are. 

Interlaken Ost's isn't railway, but it's still in place. At the other end of the town, near Inerlaken West, the shed is larger, but taken over by a sort of market style trader that reminded me of Jurby Junk on the Isle of Man many years ago. I suppose it's a tribute to these buildings that they are still standing, and ideal for his business. 

Working narrow gauge freight

Tuesday of my holiday involved a trip up the Jungfrau, an impressive series of trains and an incredible view from the top of the mountain. However, on the way back, as we passed through Lautebrunnen, I was amazed to see an ancient electric locomotive - shunting!

Since the next day was free, thanks to the Schynige Platte railway having closed for winter the week before, I decided to head back and see if I could get a proper look at this anachronism. To be honest, I didn't expect much luck, but as it involved a trip through the mountains, I was happy with a gawp at the scenery. 

On arrival, I spotted another target for my camera, and old-looking railcar tucked in a shed. Working my way along the street, and using the car park of a hostal, I bagged the photo above. It turns out that overhead electrification equipment gets in the way as much on the real thing as it does on models!

It didn't take long loitering on the station platform for me to get a better look though, as these things are still working. It seems that there are communities on the mountain without road connections - so everything has to be sent up by rail. The result - a parade of short goods trains running on narrow guage rack track!

It seems that these are the original railcars that have since been displaced by more modern, and less stylish to my mind, units. 

The little green loco, a WAB He 2/2 51–58, is over 100 years old. The class used to be used on the mountain, but this one is now kept as the shunter in the small yard. A yard which would make a nice model, apart from the knitting. 

Nowadays, more modern machines have taken over the mountaineering, but they are no less interesting. They are also very busy, in three hours, I saw a good train depart at least every 30 minutes, alternating with the passenger trains. 

You can tell the photo above is Switzerland - look at those corner protectors on the plasterboard. No strapping it down and wreaking the top couple of sheets here!

It was interesting that some trains had a proper driving cab at the front, but the plasterboard service was driven by someone standing on the front of the wagon, presumably using radio control. I saw this on the standard gauge a few days later, as a freight diesel shot through Thun station at speed with a couple of orange-clad guys on the front of a two bogie train. 

So, a fun morning on a day to misty to go up any mountains. Until this point, I'd never actually seen narrow guage railways earning thier keep with freight, and certainly not as much as this, on such a modern system.

Bühler AG, Interlaken

 

If you go down the Bahnhofstrasse today, you are in for a slight disapointment. They don't open on Mondays. Yes, you can look at the somewhat faded items in the display windows, and it's still more interesting than a lot of the shops in Interlaken, but frustrating. 

Get past of the odd opening hours, a feature of many Swiss model shops, and you are rewarded with a cornucopea of models. 

Four rooms and the corridor are stacked with models. Mostly HO scale trains, but plenty of other stuff too such as RC models and construction kits. There are paints and modelling materials, it really is well stocked. 

This being Switzerland, there aren't any obvious bargains, but for the UK enthusiast, it's the breadth of product on display that appeals, at least it diud to me. I came away with a pack from the Faller Basic Range, which weirdly, isn't on their website, and a Marklin Christmas wagon, which you can be sure will appear on this blog at some point. 

Well worth a visit, especially if you get bored of endless shops selling watches, penknives and fridge magnets. 

Buhler website.

Great British Model Railway Show 2024

 

Did I mention I've been on holiday? Well, due to my incompetance with a calendar, on the Saturday of the GBMRS, I was on an epic trip from the middle of Switzerland to home. 

Plan B had been to recruit a couple of people to stand in for me on the first day, but those I had in mind weren't available. So an embarassing email was sent to the organiser, promising that I'd be there on the Sunday only. 

This is despite not arriving at the local station until 11:25pm. Fortunatly, a mate gave me a lift back home, in return for some chocolate, but this still meant an early start on the Sunday. Thank goodness the clocks went back. 

I had prepared most of my display before leaving, and wrote a list of stuff I'd forgotten, while away. So I was waiting for the doors to open at the show, and quickly, with the aid of the building manager who found me a table, set up ready for some chat. 

And chat I did. Like any good demo, hardly any modelling was achieved - two bits of a Metcalfe building were glued together. 

Thanks to everyone who dropped by for a chat. Sorry if I wasn't at my absolute best, but the previous days trip was catching up with me by the end of the day. 

I didn't have time to take photos of the layouts either, so here's a land speed record motorbike that was by the door we walking an out of for loading. 

Saturday Film Club: The Story Of The Real FAB 1!

The story of the real, iconic, pink Rolls-Royce, used to promote the Thunderbirds films. This film covers bit the original, proper one, and the more modern version. Some nice behind-the-scenes photos and films too.