Railway Brig - Zermatt

Planning, Building, and Opening Traffic

The mountain village of Zermatt was first widely known in Europe for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. Starting this year, the number of tourists has grown steadily, although the villages could only be reached by a long hike through the Zermatt valley. Even a simple mule ride to St. Nicklaus took a long time. However, in the 1880s. there have already been up to 12,000 tourist visits in Zermatt each year. ^[2] Soon plans appeared to build a railway line designed to connect with the Rhone Valley .

On September 21, 1886, the Swiss Federal Council granted the initial concession to the banking house of Masson, Chavannes & Co. in Lausanne and Basler Handelsbank . The original plan was for a 750 mm narrow gauge railway from Visp to Zermatt, using a mixture of conventional and notched sections. At the insistence of the Bundesrat, the track was changed to meter . The railway was supposed to be operated from the beginning of June until the end of September, since the participants did not want to take the risks of operating the line in the conditions of the Alpine winter. In addition, only in the summer were the prospects for a significant number of passengers, as in those days winter tourism was not yet of great importance. However, the Bundesrat reserves the right to extend the working season, and it was envisaged that preferential rates would be offered to local residents.

The planning and construction of the line was entrusted by banks to the railway company Suisse Occidentale-Simplon (SOS), which in the summer of 1887, conducted extensive research at Mattertal. On October 10, 1888, the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer de Viège à Zermatt SA was established as a management company.

The exact route and mode of operation was initially the subject of intense debate. Suisse Occidentale-Simplon offered a gearless line with a maximum gradient of 4.5%, while engineer Ernest von Stockalper, who worked on the Gotthardbahn construction, suggested combining regular and gear railways as originally planned. A special commission established to determine the ideal operating mode visited numerous cog railways in Switzerland and Germany, including Brünigbahn and Rübelandbahn in the Harz Mountains, which were equipped with the Abt system. These visits led to the decision to equip the line with the system used at Rübelandbahn and use a maximum gradient of 12.5%. Only six sections of the track (a total of 7450 m) were to be laid along the cog railway .

Construction began on November 27, 1888 in Visp. The acquisition of necessary land was difficult, especially in the municipalities of Stalden and Sant Niklaus, as the local population was not interested in the sale. A complicated expropriation procedure was required. Complicating matters was that the land was divided into small plots, and not all the owners of these plots were recorded in official documents. The lack of roads has led to the need to transport building materials almost exclusively on already prepared sections of railway tracks.

On July 3, 1890, railway traffic on the first part of the line, between Visp and Stalden, began. On August 26 of that year, the first trains reached St. Nicklaus. In the following months, however, an unusually harsh winter delayed the completion of construction. Only on July 18, 1891 the entire line to Zermatt's life is open.

Early Years

At Visp-Zermatt-ban (VZ), he transferred control of the Suisse Occidentale - Simplon line, as in accordance with this agreement it was possible to use its employees elsewhere during the annual winter break. This management agreement was subject to SOS's successor, Jura-Simplon-Bahn (JS), and was maintained with the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) until 1920.

Since the opening of the line, passenger flow has been constantly increasing, and after some time has already significantly exceeded forecasts. But at the same time, the railway had to deal with countless storms that paralyzed work again and again. The opening of the Gornergrat in 1898, the Simplon tunnel in 1906 and the Lötschbergbahn in 1913 brought the Visp-Zermatt-ban new passengers. However, the uptrend ended abruptly with the outbreak of World War I. Foreign tourists stopped coming to Switzerland, while coal prices increased dramatically. Passenger traffic fell to the level of 1891. The traffic schedule was significantly reduced, and tariffs increased significantly, but it was no longer possible to cover the cost of operation. In the summer of 1914, there were six pairs of trains per day between Visp and Zermatt. After the war began there were only three of them, and in 1918 - two. In 1918, the total damage amounted to about 971,000 francs . ^[3]

Bridging Gaps, Electrification, and Year-Round Work

Furka-Oberalp-ban rescue

Visp-Zermatt-ban survived the First World War unscathed. The situation in Brig-Fourka-Dizentis-ban (BFD) , which was not completed at the beginning of the war, was completely different. By 1915, only the Brig- Gletch stage was completed, and in 1923 the company had to file for bankruptcy. The director of VZ Auguste Marguerat then took matters into his own hands to maintain and complete the line. The syndicate was formed, with the support of the Swiss Confederation and the cantons of Valais , Uri and Graubunden . April 4, 1925, railway facilities and rolling stock of the bankrupt line were acquired for 1.75 million francs. ^[4] April 17, 1925 - Furka-Oberalp Ban AG foundation (FO), with a registered capital of 3.3 million francs. ^[5] July 4, 1926, traffic begins on the entire line to Disentis . FO is initially operated by VZ, and only January 1, 1961 is separated.

Closing the Brig-Fisp gap

The beginning of the FO operation revealed a drawback - the gap between the VZ end point in Visp and the FO in Brig, in addition, since the opening of the Letchberg railway line in 1913, passengers arriving from Bern had to change trains in Brig and then in Visp.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, numerous meter-gauge railway line designs from Visp to Brig have already been proposed. Most of them also included a continuation in the direction of Fourka or Grimsel , but in the end only this continuation will be realized by Fourka-Oberalp-Bahn, with its starting point in Brig.

In 1919, hotelier Alexander Seiler suggested opening a meter-long tram from Visp to Brig, which would serve small towns between the two cities. This project was discontinued after the SBB said it would put in two stops on its standard gauge road. As the SBB did not keep its promise, the concession application was resent in 1925 .. In 1925, a committee of VZ., FO and the Lonza Group company operating in Visp took up the project. It was transformed into a narrow gauge railway running parallel to the SBB line. Initially, there were no planned stops at it, it was only to connect the VZ and FO lines, but the cantonal government approved the project on September 28, 1928 only if at least one intermediate station was included. After the completion of this project, the movement from Brig to Zermatt was started on June 5, 1930. It is curious that the opening of a new branch did not lead to a change in the name of Visp-Zermatt-ban. Only on June 1, 1962, it was renamed the "Company du Chanmen de Fer-de-Vries-Viège-Zermatt (Brig-Visp-Zermatt-ban).

Three connected narrow gauge lines Visp-Zermatt-ban, Fourka-Oberalp-ban and the Reti Railway - took advantage of the opening of a new connection and introduced an express train from St. Moritz to Zermatt. On June 25, 1930, the now world famous Glacier Express set off for the first time from Zermatt Station.

Electrification

Under pressure from the huge rise in coal prices during World War I, shortly after the war ended, a decision was made to electrify the railway to make it independent of expensive imported coal. A study conducted in 1919 recommended the use of direct current , with voltages between 1500 and 3000 volts . In order to save money, spare parts from steam locomotives were to be used for the construction of electric locomotives, and the possibility of acquiring auto tracks was considered. Since copper prices and the necessary electrical systems were still extremely high right after the war, the electrification plan had to be postponed due to financial problems.

The experience of the Reti Railway, which since 1913 has been using 11,000 volts of alternating current on the line in the Engadine, led to the decision to use 11,000 volts also at Visp-Zermatt-ban. In addition, the use of single-phase alternating current made possible the free through movement in the case of electrification Fourka-Oberalp-ban.

For the electrification of railway facilities and the purchase of electric locomotives, a budget of 1.7 million francs was created. ^[6] Responsibility for the supply of energy was assigned to the SBB, which, according to the contract, was obliged to issue alternating current with a voltage of up to 15,000 volts in Visp. This current was then transformed into the required voltage. For the transportation of trains, five electric locomotives of the HGe 4/4 type were purchased. From October 1, 1929, VZ trains could finally follow electric traction. Of a total of eight existing steam locomotives of the HG 2/3 type, the five oldest were decommissioned. The rest were transferred to the reserve and used for snow removal.

Introducing the winter movement

Already in 1907, there were requests from the population and hotels to start the winter movement. SBB and VZ. refused because of the high cost and the associated lack of profitability. There was also a risk of accidents due to avalanches and floods. In addition, VZ has long held the position that Zermatt was not adapted to be a winter resort. The Cantonal Council of Valais, which viewed the prospect of winter traffic positively, considered the possibility of obliging VZ to work during the winter months, at least in the section from Visp to St. Nicklaus. Since the concession text limited the time of work, and in the absence of any precedents, amendments to the concession against the will of the holder were not feasible.

October 30, 1928, VZ first began work on the winter schedule, to St. Nicklaus. The following winter, one train ran every day to Zermatt, in fine weather. This mode of operation was maintained until the end of the 1930s. In January and February 1931, however, numerous avalanches made movement impossible. With the financial assistance of the canton, protective structures were completed in the autumn of 1933. Thus, the following winter, continuous winter movement began along the entire route.

Post-war period and restoration

The outbreak of war in 1939 had a much less significant impact on rail transportation than it did in 1914. Although this time, foreign tourists did not come to Mattertal, there were nonetheless Swiss, who, thanks to income compensation, could afford to travel even during the war, along with military transport providing a full load of the road. Thanks to electrification, an increase in the price of coal also had no further effect on rail transport. During the war years, passenger traffic was constantly increasing, and in 1945, with 265,473 passengers, it reached a new maximum. ^[7]

After the Second World War, passenger traffic continued to grow strongly. In 1961, he exceeded the millionth mark for the first time. Cargo traffic also increased. VZ took advantage of a lift for modernization: between 1958 and 1989, all bridges (except Kipfenbrücke, which, after its destruction under an avalanche in 1947 was rebuilt as a steel bridge) were replaced with reinforced concrete structures.

The rolling stock has also been updated.

Anti-avalanche defenses along the entire line were continuously expanding. The destruction of the Zermatt station on January 4, 1966 provided an opportunity for the complete reconstruction of the entire station, and the installation of an avalanche-resistant roof. In the same year, an avalanche gallery was erected on the northern part of the station.

The opening of a road to Tasha in the valley in 1971 also increased passenger traffic. Since then, many tourists drive their own cars to Tasha, where they must change trains from, since the road to Zermatt remains closed to the movement of cars to this day. To cope with the additional passenger flow from Tash, a suburban train between Tash and Zermatt was launched in May 1972. It carries about two-thirds of all passengers arriving in Zermatt.

Further Upgrade

The 1980s were marked by an even greater number of passengers.

To cope with increased traffic, the station in Zermatt was completely rebuilt between 1982 and 1989. All platforms received avalanche protection, the station building, which has been at this place since the line was opened, has been demolished and replaced with a newer building.

A second major construction project followed between 1983 and 1984, with the construction of the Glisergrund depot near Brig, this depot partially replaced the cramped depot at Fispe station. By 1998, Fourka Oberalp Ban expanded the Glisergrund Depot, adding another room ^[8]

Landslide in Rand

The biggest disaster in the history of BVZ occurred on its anniversary year, 1991. On April 18 at 6.45 in the morning, about 15 million cubic meters of stone split off from Wartfluh northwest of Rand and blocked Vispa and part of the village of Lerc , as well as 100 meters of the railway track. People were not injured, since Lerc was uninhabited, and at the time of the landslide there were no trains on the affected section of the track. Passenger and freight traffic was temporarily carried out along a road that remained intact. Since April 22, freight traffic has been restored. Passenger traffic was not carried out, as further landslides could not be excluded.

May 9, large stones fell into the valley once more, blocking the railway tracks for 250 meters, as well as the highway. In addition, debris blocked Vispa , causing flooding of the valley. After heavy rains on June 18, 1991, the station was just the same gone under water. Immediately began planning a new route for rail and road to go through the disaster area. A new railway route, 2860 m long, was ready to be opened on August 1, 1991. However, severe thunderstorms on August 8 led to the blockage of the recently excavated Vispa channel , which meant that the station was flooded a second time. After the water flowed away, rail traffic was resumed on August 10.

The total damage to the railway was estimated at 16.5 million francs, of which 13.59 million dollars were compensated in accordance with the Swiss Federal Law “On Rail Transport”. ^[9] Due to the rupture of the track, which was closed for 105 days, the anniversary events, originally planned for July 1991, had to be postponed until October. In the anniversary year, Brig-Visp-Zermatt-ban was renamed the BVZ Zermatt-ban to highlight the most important city on the line.

Converting to the Matterhorn-Gottard Railway

January 1, 2003 BVZ merged with neighboring Fourka Oberalp Ban. ^[ten]

The merger of the two railways made it possible to carry out numerous development activities. By the end of 2006, the shuttles to the Tash terminal were radically transformed, and the number of indoor parking spaces increased to 1700. In connection with the opening of the Lechberg base tunnel, the Visp station was completely rebuilt. Since 2005, MGB tracks have been moved from the forecourt to platforms adjacent to existing European gauge tracks to minimize walking distances for passenger transfer.

Brig Visp

Since 1930, the beginning of the line in Zermatt was Brig. Before the merger of the two railways, this station was owned by FO, and BVZ had to pay a fee for its use. Built in 1915 by Brig-Furka-Dizentis-ban , Brig Metro Station consists of three tracks and is located on the Brig station square, in front of the standard gauge station, where there is a change to BLS and SBB in the direction of Lechberg, Lake Geneva and the Simplon tunnel . With the opening of the Lechberg base tunnel, most of the travelers to Zermatt are now changing to Visp. Brig Meter Station is now a through station. Its previous configuration, as a dead end from Turkey, came to an end with the opening of a new route leading directly east towards Goms. The new route, first used on December 1, 2007, replaced the route through Naters, on which many crossings were equipped. Currently, the city of Brig is seeking the complete removal of narrow gauge tracks from the forecourt, and their inclusion in the main station.

In the past, along the line to Visp there were the FO depot and the hangar for BVZ trains, which were closed in 2001. Following the line crosses Saltin along the 1930 iron bridge. After that, the line runs mainly parallel to the SBB line, along the South Rhone coast. To the west of Brig, a suburb of Glis there is a Glisergrund depot, built between 1984 and 1998, and workshops of the same name, which together accommodate most of the MGB rolling stock. About four kilometers west of Brig is the Gamsensand junction, which also has freight access roads for loading tank wagons. The former Gamsen station was about 300 meters east of the junction. This station was abandoned in the early 1990s, after the closure of the Mund cable car, which started from there.

The next stop, Eyholz , is already in the municipal district of Visp. This stop was established in 1999 and serves mainly to serve the nearby shopping center. Shortly after Eyholz, the line enters Visp, crossing the production areas of the Lonza Group and, after about nine kilometers, reaches Visp Station.

Visp-Stalden

The Visp meter gauge station was originally located, as in Brig, on the forecourt of the SBB station. The southern of the two paths used to be connected to an extensive depot and workshops. For passenger traffic, a wooden canopy was erected on VZ by the start of movement in 1890, and all other necessary amenities, such as toilets or a waiting room, were provided in the building of the Jura Simplon station.

The fundamental reconstruction of the station complex began in 2006. As was envisaged, after the completion of the Lechberg base tunnel, most passengers began to change trains at Wisp to Zermatt, and the narrow gauge and standard gauge tracks were moved closer to each other. Since then, three platforms have been available for MGB trains. Narrow gauge track 3 is located directly next to the new standard gauge track 4. The station building and depot in the square were demolished. The grand opening of the new station took place on May 16 and 17, 2008.

The track leaves Visp Station in a steep curve to the left and goes into a steep decline to go under Highway 9. The underpass built between 1972 and 1975 is the lowest point on the entire line. The track soon leaves the Rhone Valley, and enters the Mattertal leading to the station in Zermatt. Here, the road rises slightly, parallel to the highway on the east side of the valley, to the village of Ackersand. A local stop no longer serves the community, but is still required for rail traffic as a junction. For a long time, the neighboring hydroelectric station was served by a branch from a local stop.

Immediately after that, the railway crosses Vispa over the concrete bridge erected in 1974. Soon after, the first serrated section begins, which runs along the western edge of the valley with a maximum gradient of 12.5 percent , and the line quickly reaches the station in Stalden-zas.

Stalden-St Nicklaus

The station in Stalden, about 799 meters above sea level, extends in an s-shape along the southwestern edge of the village. For a long time, the station itself was of great importance as a departure point by post bus to Saastal. Therefore, it is equipped with a train station building of impressive size, the second largest on the line after Zermatt. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were plans to build another railway line in Saas Fee , with a branch here from the existing line, unfortunately, the First World War thwarted these plans. The importance of the station (which, since 1931, has the official name Stalden-zas ) has decreased since the 1950s, since the departure point for buses was moved to Brig. Nevertheless, the buses still stop at the Stalden station, and there they connect with trains to Zermatt. Also directly adjacent to the railways is the lower cable car station to Staldenried. Since 1986, the two tracks to Stalden have been equipped with a continuous toothed rail, since the tone is used immediately before and after the station. In addition to the two passenger tracks, there is also a freight track.

The serrated section that begins at Ackersand extends several hundred meters beyond Stalden. Further, the line with a slight rise along the right side is increasingly stronger than the narrowing valley, while Vispa flows about 150 meters below, through a narrow gorge. Then the path passes through several relatively short tunnels, as well as the largest bridge on the line. The 67-meter Mühlebach Viaduct crosses the waters of the same name, at an altitude of 43 meters. Its original steel truss was replaced in 1959 by a reinforced concrete arched bridge.

At 19.8 km, the train reaches Kalpetran station. There are only a few buildings here, the main purpose of the station is to connect with a cable car that goes to the mountain village of Embd. Behind the train station, a railway line crosses the Mattervispa, and runs along the left side of the valley. The Kipfen bridge located here has been rebuilt several times: the original 30-meter steel truss was destroyed in 1945 under an avalanche. The subsequent interim solution was replaced in 1947 with a steel girder bridge, which, in turn, was itself destroyed by an avalanche in 1999. The new steel girder bridge, erected as a replacement, was replaced in the fall of 2007 with a 146-meter concrete bridge downstream, which also serves as the highway bridge on Kalpetran. With the discovery of a new 1.2-kilometer track here, the last 80 meters in the radius of the curves remaining on the open line have been eliminated.

A few meters after the Kipfen bridge, the second toothed section begins. The next part of the route, via Kipfenschlucht , is considered the most picturesque section of the line. The railway and Vispa pass here in the most limited space, next to each other. This entire site has been repeatedly damaged by floods and avalanches, sometimes severely. To avoid further damage, Vispa has been increasingly regulated since the end of the 19th century, and the line is protected by solid masonry. In the middle of the gorge, in 1999, the fully automatic Kipferwald detour was created. At the upper end of the Kipfenschlucht is the Selli Bridge, on which Vispa crosses for the third time. Soon after, a jagged area rises along the right side of the expanding valley to St. Nicklaus, at 1126 meters above sea level. The climb from Stalden is a total of 327 m.

St. Nicklaus - Rand

In St. Niklaus, the station extends along the western edge of the city, and has two ways at the passenger platform and a branch with a loading platform. The station building is of a standard type, the same as in Tash. St. Nicklaus is the terminal station of the postal bus to the resort of Grachen, which runs along a plateau along the left edge of the valley, and is connected to the valley by a winding road.

Shortly after St. Nicklaus, the next toothed section begins, leading to the Blattbach tunnel, which runs through the 130-meter avalanche defense structure erected in 1931. The initial open section of the line had to be abandoned, as the railway bridge across the Blattbach River was repeatedly destroyed by avalanches and floods. To get around the problem area, a protective tunnel was created in the form of an open path, and then covered with earth. Also, this path was protected from the weather.

Further, the road moves again through the valley, and passes the Herbriggen hydroelectric power station. In close proximity is the Mattsand junction, which was built in 1956 for the construction of a power plant, and has been used since 1964 as a junction. The nearest station, Herbriggen, has a connecting path to a substation connected to a power plant. The first station building no longer exists; It was rebuilt in 1966 on a new project.

The next section of the line to Randa was formed, first of all, by the landslide of 1991, which buried itself 250 meters of the previous line and demanded the construction of a new line. Beyond Herbriggen, the line initially follows the Vispa bed in the middle of the valley. Shortly before the landslide, the line turns sharply to the left and goes along the highway along the edge of the valley, in order to avoid the threat of possible further landslides. South of the landslide, the road descends with a slope of 120% and returns to the original route along Vispa . The entire detour is equipped with a toothed rail.

Randa Zermatt

In Randa, a railway line runs along the western edge of the city. The station has two tracks at the platform and a freight route. The station building dates from the opening of the line in 1891. South of Rand, the line runs through the village of Wildi , where from 1960 to 1966 there was a freight track for the construction of a power station in Grande Dixence . The line meets Mattervispa again, and goes further towards Tisha parallel to the river along the bottom of the valley.

The station in Tish has been especially important since the 1970s, as the end point of the part of the road accessible by road. The original simple double-track station Tisch was expanded in 1975 by adding a separate shuttle train platform to Zermatt. At the same time, the station building in 1891 received a modern extension with ticket offices, and the fields around the station were converted into parking spaces.

Since 2005, the entire Tisha station complex has been comprehensively reconstructed. Under the name Matterhorn Terminal Tash , a three-story garage with 2,000 parking spaces, and a ticket office appeared. ^[11] Meanwhile, the original station building and platform were demolished. The new station consists of two tracks for through traffic, and two tracks at the platform for commuter trains. To the east is a covered parking space for buses.

Behind Tisch the railway line continues to follow the progress of the Mattervispa. Directly in front of the Täschsand bridge, erected in concrete in 1964, on which the road for the last time passes to the right side of the valley, there is the Täschsand junction, which was introduced in the summer of 2007 to increase capacity. ^[12] From there begins the last serrated section, rising to Zermatt. The river is increasingly disappearing into the gorge, the railway line runs along the right side of the valley. Between Tisch and Zermatt, most of the line is protected by avalanche galleries: out of 5,612 meters of the track, 2,221 meters are covered with structures or tunnels.

About halfway between Tash and Zermatt, there is a Kalter Boden junction, opened in 1972 at the same time as the shuttles. Here ends the serrated portion. Due to the heavy use of this section of the line, almost all trains should expect an oncoming train here.

After about two kilometers, the path finally reaches the northern border of Zermatt. There is a freight track for concrete and other building materials, the nearby Spissfluh tunnel runs below the Air Zermatt helipad, and shortly afterwards, the line reaches Zermatt Station.

Zermatt Station

Zermatt Railway Station was built in the 1980s. In 1989, a massive concrete canopy was erected to protect passengers and rolling stock from avalanches. Route 1, which is located on the west side of the station, is equipped with a viewing pit and is not open to the public. Here, the main task is to service shuttle trains to Tish. Route 2 was created for shuttle services to Tisch, and is equipped on both sides with platforms to allow quick boarding and disembarking (the so-called Spanish solution). Routes 3, 4, 5 serve for regular transport in Brig, and each has its own platform. Path 6 is used mainly for freight traffic, and ends in the luggage room of the station building. It is shorter than the rest of the paths, but has a common platform with path 5.

Today's station building was erected in the early 1990s in a local style. In its proportions, it resembles the former station building of 1891 and is divided into three zones. In the southern part there is a station restaurant, in the central part - ticket offices and luggage compartment. On the north side is the luggage room, which is in a concrete structure. Gornergrat station is located on the opposite side of the road. It is linked to the MGB via a railway line, which carries out freight and rolling stock transfers.

There are tracks to the north, which are mainly used for freight transportation and storage of rolling stock. Shortly after the avalanche of 1966, the neck of the station was closed by a massive avalanche of galleries. This so-called Schafgraben gallery (grave of sheep) covers two paths, allows you to store rolling stock. To the east of this gallery are open access roads, which, in winter, can only be used to a limited extent due to the risk of avalanches.

There are 15 train pairs per day between Brig and Zermatt. ^[13] In addition to trains early in the morning and late in the evening, hourly trains stop at all stations. Since 2009, trains sometimes run at half-hour intervals, usually on Saturdays in winter.

The total travel time from Brig to Zermatt is 79 minutes, in the opposite direction 81 minutes. In the high season from May to October, in addition to the usual train, four Glacial Express trains go in each direction. (One in the winter season) They stop only in Zermatt, Fispe, Brig, and in some cases also in St. Nicklaus.

Shuttle trains between Tash and Zermatt run from 5:50 to 2:20 hours with a 20-minute interval.

The line still has a very intensive cargo flow. However, these are exclusively deliveries to Zermatt, which, now, as before, can be carried out by trucks only to a limited extent.

The rest of the municipalities in Mattertal can be served by road and rail freight, as a rule, does not play any role for them. The only exception is the transportation of the so-called Embder Steinplatten , which are used in the region as a traditional roofing material. These stone slabs are transported by freight cable cars from the Embd quarries to the two loading routes at Kipfenschlucht, from where they are transported further by train to Visp.

The most important goods transported to Zermatt are food, building materials and fuel oil . Some other consumer goods are likewise transported by rail as well as travel luggage. Transshipment services are provided in Visp, where containers from trucks and standard gauge wagons are loaded onto narrow gauge wagons. East of Visp, there is a terminal for filling railway tanks. In Zermatt, the station has been equipped since 1983 partially with underground facilities for transshipment of petroleum products.

Most goods in Zermatt are transported in standard containers. Goods not transported in containers are loaded at Visp in wagons with sliding walls. Open wagons may be used for moisture-insensitive goods. Oil is transported in tanks. In high season, up to three pure freight trains can operate daily in each direction, and some wagons cling to passenger trains. ^[14]

Some wagons are suitable for use at Gornergrat . With their help, goods can also be transported to Gornergrat without transshipment in Zermatt.

Locomotives and wagons

Initially, four steam locomotives of the HG 2/3 type, manufactured in 1890, were used. Between 1893 and 1908, four more locomotives were added. When the line was electrified in 1929, the five oldest steam locomotives were decommissioned, and the remaining three were initially saved as a reserve. After 1941, only the steam locomotive No. 7 remained on balance, as a reserve that can be operated independently without electrical wires. Today it serves as a museum steam locomotive.

In 1929 and 1930, a total of five eight-wheeled HGe 4/4 electric locomotives were purchased. In 1939, a sixth was added with a new body design. These six locomotives were supplemented in 1960 and 1965 with five double-car ABDeh 6/6 and ABDeh 8/8. In 1975 and 1976, four Deh 4/4 heavy luggage trains were built.

The commissioning in 1990 of five modern electric locomotives of the HGe 4/4 II type allowed the gradual withdrawal of the HGe 4/4. Only locomotives No. 15 and 16 remain as museum vehicles and reserves. Further modernization has taken place since 2003, with the purchase of low-floor articulated wagons manufactured by Stadler. Since their delivery in 2003-2008, they have been operated as shuttle trains between Tisch and Zermatt.

Passenger cars

From the very beginning, only eight passenger cars of all three classes were purchased. Modernization began even before the First World War, with the construction of new cars. In 1931, the first two wagons for use on the Glacier Express .

After the Second World War, the process of complete modernization began. A total of 26 wagons with a central entrance of light alloy construction were commissioned from 1955 to 1963. They were a shortened version of the type originally used at Brünigbahn. In 1990, they were supplemented with some original length wagons purchased from Brünigbahn.

Between 1968 and 1975, the number of wagons was increased through the acquisition of the so-called Einheitswagen . Once again, I chose the type of wagon that was previously used in Brünigbahn. Combining these wagons with the four luggage wagons purchased between 1975 and 1976, BVZ launches shuttle trains for the first time.

The latest innovation was panoramic wagons, acquired in 1993 together with Fourka-Oberalp-ban, and used mainly in the Glacier Express. In 2006, in cooperation with the Rethiye Railway , a total of 24 additional panoramic wagons of a new design were acquired.

Coloring

The locomotives were originally painted black. Since the late 1980s, the museum steam train has been painted in green and black. Passenger wagons, electric locomotives and wagons were first painted one color, a dark tone of red, which gradually brightens with time. Since 1982, a narrow silver stripe has been added that runs the entire length below the window line.

In the anniversary year of 1991, the company changed the logo, which was gradually applied to the wagons, for about five years. After conversion to MGB, the side walls of passenger cars were covered in white. Locomotives and baggage cars were painted uniform red.

There is no single color scheme for freight cars. Wooden parts are usually painted dark brown, while components made of stainless steel tend to remain unpainted. Tank wagons are covered with dark green paint. The smooth sidewalls of modern boxcars are often used for advertising slogans.

Locomotive List

• Matterhorn - Gottard Railway
• Railway line Fourka - Oberalp
• Rhetian Railway
• Gornergrat (railway)
• Glacier Express
• Simplonsky tunnel

Notes

Further reading

• Jutta Giese, Carl Asmus: Eisenbahnen am Matterhorn. Über 100 Jahre Brig-Visp-Zermatt . Eisenbahn-Journal Special 2/91, Merker-Verlag, Fürstenfeldbruck 1991, ISBN 3-922404-18-9
• Beat Moser, Urs Jossi: Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (Teil 1) . Eisenbahn-Journal Special 1/2006, Verlagsgruppe Bahn, Fürstenfeldbruck 2006, ISBN 3-89610-157-9
• Remo Perren, Luzius Theler: Zermatt-Bahn. Vom Tal zum Berg. Herausgegeben von der Brig-Visp-Zermatt-Bahn . Rotten-Verlag, Visp 1991
• Theo Stolz, Dieter Schopfer: Brig-Visp-Zermatt. Geschichte und Rollmaterial . Wabern / Zürich 1983, ISBN 3-907976-00-2
• Bernard Truffer (Hrsg.): Der Bergsturz von Randa 1991. Eine Dokumentation . (2. Auflage). Herausgegeben von der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft Oberwallis, Brig 1999
• Autorenkollektiv: 100 Jahre Brig-Visp-Zermatt-Bahn . Eisenbahn-Kurier Special 22, EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1991

• Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn
• BVZ Holding AG