European Railroad Discussion > Appenzeller Bahn Switzerland

In September we visited Appenzell, Switzerland in the northeastern corner of Switzerland for two nights. We left Vienna about 8 a.m. on the Rail Jet equipment. Since this was my 2nd ride on Rail Jet, I had a better appreciation for the equipment. The train traveled west to Wies, and then southwest to Salzburg. Then the route enters Germany to Rosenheim; then south to Worgl, Austria and west to Innsbruck. Continuing west thru lovely mountains on single track to Feldkirche and finally north to Bregenz. Then we had to take a local train to St. Margaret, Switzerland and a 2nd local train to St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Travel writer Rick Steeves had recommended Appenzell as a nice rural antedote to urban Europe. We rode the Appenzeller Bahn from St. Gallen to Appenzell. Since it was 5 p.m., our three car train was a commuter train carrying home workers. The next morning we took a branch line train from Appenzell to Weissbad. The last two miles of the branch line were closed to rail traffic for some maintenance, but a bus was waiting to transport us to Wasserauen. We walked the six+ miles back down to Appenzell to enjoy the mountain scenery and get some needed exercise. On the way there were more pics of the Appenzell Bahn. Pic #3 is an intermediate station - Steinegg.

More pics coming.........of this narrow gauge electrified service.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/17 17:23 by MEKoch.

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#4 Walking through Switzerland is lovely, restful and always interesting. Farmers working their fields and the every half hour Appenzeller Bahn made my day, except for the rain....

#5 Bahn arrives at Weisbad

#6 Bahn near Steinegg

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#7 Bahn again near Steinegg

#8 As expected, concrete ties and an excellent right-of-way

#9 Carshop/carbarn in Appenzell



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/17 18:05 by MEKoch.

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Finally in St. Gallen where the Appenzell Bahn connects to the Schweitzer Bundesbahn (SBB) system. They are all in one station, so it was easy to transfer from SBB to AB.
#10 the train awaits
#11 lead unit
#12 trailing coach

There are yet two other branches of the Appenzeller Bahn which I did not ride, but all in all, a great experience.

My only complaint about Switzerland were the prices of food/beverage etc. VERY expensive compared to Germany or Spain.

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Thank you for posting all of those beautiful photos.  Oddly enough, # 9 caught my eye.  With everything seemingly in perfect condition, those rails left in the pavement surprised me.  Nice to see something not perfect. 

ʎɹɹɐl