The World’s Most Unconventional Rail Line? | Zurich Uetliberg Bahn S10 

And it worked fine. One of them at least os in preservation, sadly the electric part was removed after the war

Early '40s is during WWII. Lots of coal was needed to produce the steel needed for armaments as well as airplanes and ships.

@@pauly5418 yeah, that was his point…

@@pauly5418 Not in Switzerland, but these two teakettles could save the coal for a regional train locomotive.

I do wonder if this sort of conversion will become necessary for preserved steam locomotives in the future.

Haha, I am happy to share this tidbit!

And now you can never unsee it ;)

How can you miss that?! I noticed it within 5 seconds of seeing it. haha

@@mdhazeldine when you travel/commute you don’t usually notice the details of the transit. Also the only reason why you have noticed that is since the stock footage is the only focus at that time.

@@breenseaturtle no. Some people notice this every time 😉

of 150CFH half fare card, which stays valid 1 year

Yeah, the half fare card is nice, but probably not worth it of you’re only visiting once a year. Also you’ll still have to buy individual tickets with it

@@axolotl938 yeah my friend did HFC on her visit and it didn’t exactly work out as planned. Buying tickets and stuff wrecked the seemlessness

@@FortuneZer0 oftentimes they also offer a trial GA for a month for 340Fr in 2nd class. I'm on that right now and it's great to hop on a train just for a meal and then end up in another region

You can also buy Saver Day pass well in advance from 52 CHF a day or consider EuRail/InterRail travel pass which is sometimes cheaper but does not include ferries and cable cars (and requires some extra paperwork). Oh there are many different tickets for the same trains over here.

It's something I recommend anyone visitng Zurich does!

There's a great MB trail and if enough snow a sledge trail is open

I agree! So well run!

@@RMTransit so maybe you can talk about our S18 or better known Forchbahn (Frida)

From the 11th of December 2022 (opening "Tram" Number 20 or Limmattalbahn") there will be a new impressing fun fact: Then you can travel from Esslingen in the East of Kanton Zurich through Zurich to Wohlen in the East of Kanton Aargau (over 40 Kilometer) on Meter gauge. => S18 =>Tram 2 =>Tram 20 =>S17

My favorite line is the Sognsvann, it used to be my daily walking trip back in the day.

Stay tuned for an Oslo Metro video!

@@RMTransit Oslo wouldn't be a city if it didn't have a metro. It's a city built up of tiny villages and places that it owns now. It is a very widespread city.

Just scaled Kolsåstoppen last week! Great views 👍🏻

Yeah true, I live next to the S4 Line and that's truly appreciated since the S4 trains (i think theyre dostos) are pretty loud. They only run at night during the weekend though, every hour that is. And one annoying part about this is that they use only one train of the B510 (not 2 linked together) when they run them at night, and because a lot of people enjoy the nightlife in Zurich on weekends, the train is often extremely packed at the earlier hours of the night. But ey, it's a better option than taking the Uber, especially now that the night tax is gone too, I just get the halbtax abo for zones 110 and 150 for 93 fr a month and I know im covered whenever I go to work, school, or out to party. I think they also use the B510 for the train that goes to Sihlwald, which is one train every hour on the S4 line, probably cause the train is usually a bit delayed since the driver has to run to the other side of the train and switch cabs at Sihlwald, and he has basically no time to do that since Langnau to Sihlwald and back plus switching the cabs must happen within 10 minutes (I think the route takes about 8 minutes to and back). So they use the B510 since it has faster acceleration. They also use the B510 I think in case that one of the older trains on the s4 line has a malfunction, which sadly happens quite often. Lately the s4 line has had major delays due to malfunctions in either train or line, imo they should really think about fixing that first before they implement their new 7.5 minute tact instead of the 10 minute one we have now. But at the same time in peak hours I guess since a train comes every 10 minutes delays arent really a problem haha.

right, the suttgart rackraily way sees incines of 17,8%, and the regular Stadtbahn (U15) sees inclines of 8,5% (this is the steepest bit of normal gauge track in europe if i`m not mistaken)

Stay tuned for a video on some of these . . .

@@RMTransit if you need some information on the Stuttgart stadtbahn feel free to ask

The Lyon line C was actually mentioned in the unconventional railways video and Stuttgart line 10 isn't a Stadtbahn line since it lacks the U symbol found on the other lines. Nonetheless, a video about rack railways should definitively be made sooner or later with these two as an example for urban rack railways.

@@youmightnotknowme9861 second steepest. Sheffield Supertram in England has a steeper section, at 10%.

why? the prices aren't so high.A GA 2.Klasse kosts 3800 yearly.

I shall not!

Are you referring to a line near Dresden? I've seen its terminus while on the train from and to Berlin a few years ago

@@LucaPasini2 yes thats one of the three

Well, tbh, the main purpose of these lines is attracting tourists and not serving as public transport for the people living along the line. There may be a pupil train on the Lößnitzdackel, but frequency and speed is rather low as the operation of steam engines demands more staff and time. If it was really wanted, one could surely transform these lines into modern Swiss-like narrow gauge commuter lines, but then, their historical character would have gone for sure. E.g. getting from Dresden city center to Dippoldiswalde is faster and more frequent by direct bus line 360 than taking S3 to Freital-Hainsberg and change to the steam train, where you even have extra tarifs. Some 20 years ago before the disastrous flood, the Hainsberg-Kipsdorf line had a 2 hour frequency with 2 train sets regularly operating, nowadays, it's normally only one train set that runs 3-4 back and forth the whole day. The attempt on the Oschatz-Mügeln line by using former Austrian rail buses for the week day service is more modern public transport style, but only on a low level. Unfortunately, except for some peripheric networks like the RNV that were integrated in the tram networks, most narrow gauge lines in Germany only have a historic and touristic purpose nowadays as modernisation mostly halted at the end of the 50s when typically individual motorization became also affordable in rural areas.

@@Schnaitheimer you are obviously completely right, but I'd find it nice if rmtransit would make a video about these because other than in the UK or US these narrow gauge railways at least pretend that they are public transport and in the Harz and on the Döllnitzbahn there are commuters who use them.

Do you have a link for this? I love steam trains and would love to test this one

I agree!

I used to work in IT for SBB and it is true. They try to do a lot using IT in order to avoid more construction. Not only is construction expensive, it is very hard to do in a country with little space and with a very democratic fabric.

Unfortunately for you the conversion to 15000 AC is already taking place. I think it is due to be finished in August.

Worth it!

@@Fan652w wait really? Aah I thought they started the work after summer.

Achten sie aber auf die Zeiten. Die S10 ist ein Teil des Service Public. Darum am besten über den Tag fahren, nicht am Morgen oder Abend. Zwar sind in der Hauptverkehrszeit am meisten Fahrten bestellt, wobei der Zug zu dieser Zeit extrem voll ist. Zwischen 9 Uhr und 16 Uhr ist es empfehlenswert. Sie können auf dem Uetliberg wandern gehen. Mit Kinderwagen oder Rollstuhl ist es zwar ein bisschen anstrengend, ist aber alles Barrierenfrei. Zirka 1 bis 2 Stunden wandern bis Felsenegg. Sie müssen dann nicht mit der Seilbahn runter, sondern zirka 400 Meter weiter laufen. Dort finden sie das Restaurant, welches extrem gute Dessert anbietet. Mit der Seilbahn runter ins Tal und von dort mit der S4 zurück zum Hauptbahnhof

@@Ms_1977 Danke! Some very good tips

Yeah the ideas of the 50s and 60s for some mayor European cities were crazy. Also for Amsterdam. Everybody wanted to build city highways like the US. We were also on a path like the US to bulldoze our cities.

Now hardbrücke acts like a highway. Also being elevated. lol

For sure! Especially Banff.

Isn't the Ontario Northland sort of like that?

A one seat rail service from Vancouver international airport to whistler would be cool, although I am aware that this is not going to happen any time soon. These bus transfers through downtown are absolutely annoying and take forever

First we need passenger line to better serve the cities. But VIA should look into it.

Well there is a bit, but not nearly enough!

It's a common thing that happens to people when they get Twitter

Thank you! Will do!

This is also the case in Zurich and perhaps elsewhere as well. In Zurich, one of the trolleybus lines even has a level crossing with the S10 at Friesenberg (with the wires crossing), although I don't know how they'll handle this with the S10's switch to AC.

Oh, my favorite train line of all train lines! Some more facts: The exit at Aareschlucht Ost (Aare river gorge east) can only be opened by the train driver. In a way, the "elevator door" works like a platform screen door. Kirchet tunnel, where the latter stop is located inside, was used by the Swiss Army during WWII as a supply bunker. Even weirder is the next station after that in the Meiringen-Innertkirchen line: Innertkirchen Unterwasser. I have seen no one exit on this station on videos here in RU-vid. This stop basically serves Kraftwerk Oberhasli (KWO) workers since adjacent to the station is the Innertkirchen 2 power station. Also it has the shortest ever platform length that I've seen in any Swiss staiton: it looks as if it's under 20 meters long (enough to fit one car of the Be 2/6 EMU). The whole MIB line was meant actually as a work service for the employees of KWO; they actually owned and operated the line until 2021, when they sold it to Zentralbahn. ZB is now planning to have through trains running the line from Interlaken Ost; currently this is not possible because of the different voltages between ZB and MIB networks. Both Aareschlucht stops serve the similarly-named tourist attraction, operated by KWO. Yes, a power station operates tourist enterprises (under the brand name "Grimselwelt"), of which the MIB was a part of. Similar to the Schönbuchbahn, the last station (now called "Innertkirchen Kraftwerk") is connected to the workshop of MIB and main offices of KWO, its former owner. Besides the Be 2/6 train that runs the line, MIB also sees cargo traffic from ZB, as upon the request of KWO, they deliver turbine parts and other pieces of heavy cargo to the Innertkirchen depot and power plant. Meiringen was also served by a tram line that went between Meiringen station, the Alpbach stop, and the Reichenball falls funicular was its terminus, basically connecting the latter with the Aare gorge. Just beyond the Reichball falls funicular is a cable car that connects the town to upper valley villages of the Oberhasli up to Reuti. And finally, Meiringen is a pilgrimage site for Sherlock Holmes fans: the Reichenbach falls was the location of the supposed murder of the beloved detective by Professor Moriarty, his arch-nemesis. Also - though disputed - Meiringen was where meringue was invented (the name supposed derived from the French pronunciation of the town's name). Schönen Grüß aus der Philippinen :))

Correction on the last part: Sherlock was not murdered, but rather, he and Moriarty fought at the falls' ledge, resulting to them slipping into the falls and killing them. Also: Meiringen has a Sherlock Holmes museum, and the old English church has a sculpture of the detective with his smoking pipe.

We have a few, but not nearly enough and with far too little service

Our old railways used to have park lines, to Algonquin, Banff, Jasper, with people staying in large resorts. But only the last two parks still have these resorts I believe.

@@longbranchmike7846 and @RMTransit I think shuttle buses exist some places as well, but I don't know how much they run (Summer weekends only is great... if you don't work on the weekends...).

My greatest transit dream is a line running through Algonquin parallel to Highway 60, branching off the Northlander in Huntsville and then continuing onto Arnprior and the National Capital Region. At the same time, I would have Ontario parks build a series of resorts and cabins on the heavily visited lakes along the route, like Smoke lake, Lake of two rivers, and Canoe Lake. This would allow the park to avoid building parking and maintain more environment, while building a very large and accessible user base. At the same time, it would provide connections to Ottawa for several near by communities, and increase connection to several cottage tourism centers like Huntsville for day trips.

Thank you! I need to do more Swiss videos!

Der Gotthard sollte noch interessant sein mit den Spiraltunnel und der Kirche von Wassen. War gerade im Tessin, aber ich fuhr leider unten durch

Just took the rigi Bahn the other day. Really fun.

30 minute headways work quite well in Switzerland - but only because the network is extensive and it uses a lot of interlining.

It sounds very convenient for a spontaneous visitor. One can decide at any point if they want to change their plans and take the continue the journey up or down by foot or train!

@@TheEpicAppleEater01 Not exactly. If you start down on foot, you’re basically committed to ending the descent on foot, there’s no bailout option. (Caveat: I’ve never done it on the (much longer) paths on the same side of the mountain as the railway. The vastly more popular, lake-facing descent has no bailout options.) What the OP means is that every descent option ends at some kind of connection to public transit.

As an American living in Zurich, I could not agree more! When it comes to any kind of effort to improve things for citizens, the US has an incredibly defeatist attitude nowadays, very unlike the early-mid 20th century. What’s frustrating about the “it could never work here” attitude is that that retort is not used as a challenge to be overcome, but as a way to shut down the discussion entirely.

Not good! In all seriousness though it's definitely way less efficient

I still can’t believe that actually happened. Over $100 million for a useless hole in the ground. Nothing else was ever built for the express train to the airport project. The Hyperloop was a later idea, by about 10 years, to use the already built hole for the downtown station. Nothing has come of that either.

@@rapjul Yeah, that was kind of my point. Chicago realized way too late that the Blue Line wasn't sufficient for the airport link demand (and it won't get any better when the new airport expansion work is completed). Then they built a bunch of stuff, and couldn't figure out what to actually do with it. Then they picked the most hair-brained idea to try to make use of that existing debacle, negating anything actually practical, and now here we are. What sums it up perfectly is there's even a disused tunnel between Block 37 and the Red Line that literally ends in a door on the side of the tracks next to the third rail, between Lake and Monroe stains, in the abandoned section of that decrepit subway. That's just one example of the many that the CTA has screwed up using flawed logic and processes.

Switzerland just generally does rolling stock so well . . .

That's a beautiful comparison haha

I think it has been "invented" in Zürich (if I remember correctly by Prof. Brändli at the ETH)

In Graubünden right now. I’ve been really impressed by the Rhb. Especially how many trains they run on such crazy dingle track lines like the bernina and abula lines

single:)

So I've heard, while it will be less unique more service is good!

Before the Stadler Trains were in Service the old Trains were with two Be 4/4 Railcars and inbetween them an B with wheelchaire entrance in Service with the inteoduction of the first Stadler Trains the old Trains were prolong with an additional Be 4/4 or B.

Ins crossing have also Trolleybuswires

I'm excited for it too!

Tipp: Mit der S10 auf den Uetliberg fahren, danach nach Felsenegg wandern und von dort mit der Luftseilbahn ins Tal. Von dort ist der S4 zurück nach Zürich Hauptbahnhof

How does that work?

@@runeodin7237 I don‘t know the technical details, sorry. I just know this crossing exists, since my grandparents live near the terminal of linie 32, witch is 4 stations from that crossing

@@marcor815 it will become much more complicated when S10 is AC!

@@runeodin7237 "like a tram - trolleybus crossing"… The trolleybus wires go through, but the actual crossing section is insulated. The rail power line has guide bars, pressing the pantograph down. But this section is also insulated. With the conversion to AC, it is essentially the same, just with bigger insulators. (FWIW, I am a bit surprised that they do keep the crossing, because any trolleybus has sufficient battery capacity to cross off-wire to the next stop.)

@@maxwyss7447 According to ZVV the VBZ don’t have enough trolleybusses which could drive using battery power, though they are planning to replace the older Hess busses after 2023/24. Im Rahmen der Planung der SZU-Sanierung wurde geprüft, ob die Linie 32 in diesem Abschnitt ohne Draht fahren kann. Dies ist nicht möglich, weil auf der Linie 32 hauptsächlich Trolleybusse ohne Batterie fahren und das verbaute Notfallaggregat im Regelbetrieb nicht sinnvoll einsetzbar ist. Nicht die gesamte Trolleybusflotte ist mit Batterien ausgestattet. Batterietrolleybusse werden auf denjenigen Linien eingesetzt, die nicht durchgängig aber abschnittsweise mit Fahrdraht ausgestattet sind und daher mit dieser Technologie besonders effizient elektrifiziert werden können.

Haha yeah that's the issue, you need the infrastructure too

Nein, in der Schweiz gibt es auch andere tolle Bahnunternehmen. Wie eben die SZU, die die S4 und S10 in Zürich betreibt. Aber auch für einige Buslinien verantwortlich ist (sie fährt sie nicht, macht aber die Fahrpläne und verhandelt mit den Gemeinden über das Angebot)

btw the Dolderbahn isn't a funicular but a rack railway, Polybahn is a funicular though.

@@RTSRafnex2 Oh your right. I mistook them. I was thinking about the Rigiblickbahn. That would be the funicular that is operated like an elevator. But yeah, you are right. Dolderbahn is a rack railway.

@@OnkelJajusBahn look, I completely forgot about the Rigiblick funicular myself. :D

There are two lines with 3-phase AC electrification: Jungfraubahn (Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch) and Gornergratbahn (Zermatt - Gornergrat). Both cog railways high up in the mountains.

Thanks! So happy you noticed!

Future video subject!

Swiss: Heb mis bi'er tiens ma bière tieni la mia birra