European Railroad Discussion > Servicing the Top of Europe

I’ll complete my look at the Jungfraubahn (JB) operation to the Top of Europe with some images of the equipment the railway uses to service the tourist attraction, which draws a million visitors a year. Trains are the primary way to transport  supplies to the high-altitude location (helicopters are used only in very special circumstances).

I don’t have any relevant photos from my trip last year, but on September 24, 2019, I spent several hours around Kleine Scheidegg, where the JB connects with the Wengernalpbahn (WAB), a sister company, and saw a variety of work equipment.

(1-2)  In a style closely resembling the passenger trains delivered in 1992 and 2002, Zekt 95 is an unpowered watertank car with a control cab that enables it to be positioned at the front of a train.

(3)  This four-wheeled open wagon was on the rear of a passenger train that had come down the grade to Kleine Scheidegg.


 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/26 13:23 by railsmith.

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(4-5)  BDeh 2/4 No. 206 is one of three former passenger units still on the roster, in a design dating back to 1955. These are used exclusively for work trains. Here, it’s departing Kleine Scheidegg pushing a flatcar with loading ramps at the end.

(6) Just 40 minutes later, it’s back, with a different load on the flatcar. In that time it couldn’t have travelled up to Jungfraujoch and back, so perhaps it swapped loads at Eigergletscher, the only other station.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/26 13:24 by railsmith.

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(7-8) These are actually action shots. An unmanned remote-controlled battery unit is doing some switching at Kleine Scheidegg.

(9)  Here the unit is shoving a flatcar, with the operator of the remote control system riding the latter.

 

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(10)  To round out the set, some views of the JB’s facilities at Kleine Scheidegg. JB’s passenger equipment spends the night in the facility below. There's a two-car set on the steep incline that gives access to the building on the far side. Above, a Wengernalpbahn train passes behind the modern building with light wood siding, which can store a few WAB trains.

(11) I took this photo from a WAB train in the same position as the one in photo 10.

(12) This one was taken a few seconds later, showing the doors to the facility, with an overall view of Kleine Scheidegg in the background. The joint JB/WAB station at left is one of the larger buildings. There are some hotels and chalets here for skiers and hikers, but that’s it – no permanent residential community.


 

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(13) My first two postings didn’t include any roster shots of JB’s most modern trains, the articulated NFTZ type built by Stadler in 2016. These four units have a maximum speed of 33 km/h, making them the fastest in the JB fleet. In this shot, unit 221 is running solo as the first section of the 15:00 departure to Jungfraujoch.

For their delivery, these metre-gauge vehicles had to be mounted on 800mm-gauge trucks in order to ride the WAB up to Kleine Scheidegg, where they could be re-united with their own trucks to enter service.

(14) Here’s unit 222 departing in the second section of the 15:00 train, with a two-car unit of 1992 vintage leading, as the Eiger looms above.

(15) A last look at the JB from the same WAB train I was riding when taking photos 11 and 12. I was lucky to get a JB train inside the long snowshed near the end of the steep 2-km outdoor section just below Eigergletscher station. This angle  emphasizes the steep grade.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/26 13:22 by railsmith.

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Thanks for showing the interesting equipment.  Gerry

Very interesting and colorful photos, in all your recent posts from Switzerland.

Rich

Another excellent report. Good to see the unique freight operations.. Chris uk.

Thanks for the great photos.

It looks like there is a unique dual overhead electrification / pantograph scheme. Wikipedia says that this is one of only four lines in the world with three-phase overhead electrification. Presumably the tracks form the third phase. Does anyone have more details on this unique arrangement?