European Railroad Discussion > The Bernine Express ar Alp Grün

On the Bernine Exprss on Wednesday, August 25, 2021, at Alp Grün.  Alp Grüm railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Poschiavo, in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is located on the south side of Bernina Pass, on the Bernina line of the Rhaetian Railway. It serves the hamlet of Alp Grüm, which, except in summer, is accessible only from the railway. From the station, thanks mainly to the 180° curve immediately to the south, there are far-reaching views of the Palü Glacier, Lago Palu and the Puschlav



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/21 21:15 by edsaalig.

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Much preferred the older cars. Not nearly as much glass but the windows all opened. 

This is the 180 degree curve at Alp Grüm. The space is so limited that the main track and siding track have to be laid within each track's clearance zone (the switch is off to the right, where things straighten out).

And yes, the view is terrific when the weather is clear.

(Screen capture from a cab-ride video by Paolo).

Ray

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I got that same screen capture, plus views approaching and leaving the "not gantlet but like it" track. I plan to use it as a non-graded puzzle for my student. The Swiss are much less reluctant to use curved switches than RRs in North America. Apparently the arrangement there has nothing to do with avoiding a curved switch or maintaining a minimum radius for the inner track, but instead relocating a switch that was in a spot subject to drifting snow.

Nice pics.  Good to see some mid-pandemic photos showing that the world is still operating.  

Alp Grum is on a promontory overlooking two canyons coming together.  Very exposed!  

It is just a little below the elevation of Lago Bianco (White Lake?) at the summit -- the lake covers the summit, with dams at both the south end (Po River watershed to the Adriatic Sea) and north end (Inn River watershed, to the Danube and Black Sea).  

Looking at the maps, the tracks have 6 horseshoe curves within a km or two of the station, as they go down from the promontory into the canyons.  Then another 4 horseshoe curves to get down to the next level area at Poschiavo.  

Lago Bianco is at 2200 m, Poschiavo is at 1000 m, and they are only 5 km distant from each other.  This is certainly one of the larger elevation drops of any rail line in the world -- 1200 m in a 5000 m lateral distance.  

I rode this line in 2015, my first trip to Europe.  Early October, trains were nearly empty, I sure enjoyed the open windows!  

Maps 
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.3750512,10.0293996,1175m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e4
https://goo.gl/maps/Vy9Thz7qQpwywmBk8 (Google StreetView has coverage of all the narrow gauge lines in eastern Switzerland!
https://goo.gl/maps/TEnuNgSsQsDY9Q9y5
https://en.mapy.cz/zakladni?x=10.0253063&y=46.3789503&z=15
https://www.openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=46.37524085149466&lon=10.031450986862183&zoom=16
https://opentopomap.org/#map=17/46.37423/10.03140
https://opentopomap.org/#map=13/46.37323/10.02108 (zoomed out, showing Lago Bianco (elev 2230 m) and Poschiavo (elev 100 m))

https://goo.gl/maps/JYk3W3VKAZ3wEPde6 -- about 1/4 of the StreetView coverage lines are trains!  (Click on "Layers" --> "More" --> "StreetView"  
For instance, dual gauge tracks along the Rhein River near Chur
https://goo.gl/maps/fXBs4PKLSZbGcfFN7
& the Landwasser Viaduct 
https://goo.gl/maps/Zn3SsyVtRxJDgn8W6
https://goo.gl/maps/Tnh7jCw1bhDX3ZoL6 (spin 180)

Ted in OR



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/21 00:53 by gobbl3gook.

New topomap!
=14pxhttps://s.geo.admin.ch/9342058379