Day 2 - Basel SBB - Wassen
Having spent the night in Basel we had pre-booked our tickets for onward travel to Luzern. The 09:17 service departs from Platform 15 and is formed of locomotive and stock. The efficiancy of the Swiss Railway system has to be seen to be believed as at 09:17 the train wheels were rolling towards Luzern. After an hours train journey to Luzern we collected our hire car. Conveniently Europecar have a hire center about five minutes walk from the station adjacent to the Raddison Blu Hotel. Upon leaving Luzern we took the north bank of the Urnersee and south bank of the Zugersee calling in at Imensee, Schwyz, Fluelen, and Erstfeld before the final drive onto Wassen. our hotel for the week could not be of been better situated and came with a railway view.
The impressive station building of Basel SBB is leads from the tram stops into a huge ornate waiting hall before passengers depart with connections all over Europe.
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SBB Class 460 No.460 075 prepares to depart from Basel SBB with the 09:17 to Luzern.
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Class 500 No.500036 stands at Basel SBB ready to work the 09:03 Basel - Beil-Bienne.
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Two Class 560 EMU's are pictured at Imensee on local stopping services.
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Class 420 No.11245 passes Immensee with an Inter-regional passenger service to Locano.
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Class 420 No.11295 passes Immensee with a south bound postal service in tow.
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A Class 560 EMU departs Schwyz heading south towards Ersfeld.
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Class 610 Pendilino No.610014 rolls through the curve at Schwyz with the 11:04 Basel - Lugarno service.
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Class 620 No.11634 passes Schwyz with a loaded ballast train heading south towards the Gottard route.
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DB Schenkers Cklass 185 No.185111 passes Schwyz with a mixed freight heading South.
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Class 420 No.11270 leads classmate No.420170 on route north with a mixed freight at Schwyz.
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Class 185 No.185113 hauls No. 843004 through Schwyz with a mixed freight heading north.
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Swiss Class 523 No.523002 departs from Schwyz working the 13:02 Baar Lindenpark to Erstfeld stopping service.
Class 420 No.11341 and Green Class 460 No.11663 pass through Schwyz with a north bound Intermodal.
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Class 420 No.11246 leads the 12:05 Basel - Lugano away from Schwyz, Operating Train 2323.
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Having already passed Schwyz earlier in the morning No.11634 was located at the Fluelen terminal unloading ballast.
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Having unloaded its wagons No.11634 shunts rakes of ballast hoppers back onto the main line at Fluelen.
Class 420 No.11164 passes Fluelen with the 12:47 Locarno to Zurich (Train 2426).
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Class 523 'Flert' Unit No.523001 departs from Fluelen with an S2 service to Erstfeld.
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No.523001 returns north from Erstfeld with an S2 stopping service.
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Class 420 No.11181 passes Fluelen with the 14:09 Zurich to Locarno (Train 2425) service heading south.
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Class 420 No.11195 pases through Fluelen with the 13:47 Locarno to Basel SBB (Train 2328).
11195-13-06-16-1347-LOCARNO-BASEL-TRAIN2328-FLUELEN
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Pictured at Erstfeld is one of the new Tunnel Rescue/ Service trains which are now outbased at Erstfeld in connection with the new Goattard Base Tunnel. No.843015 is seen nearest the camera.
Bombardier Trax AC No.187008 is seen stabled at Erstfeld awaiting its next duty over the classic spiral route via Wassen.
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DB Class 185 Trax Locomotives No.185138 and No.185129 climb the highest level of the Wassen spirals with a south bound freight heading for Italy.
Wassen is set in the heart of the Gottard and is instantly recognizable by its classic styled church which sits aloft of the main village. The church grounds also provide stunning views of the surrounding valley. In order to pass through the area the SBB built a series of spiral tunnels which allow trains to gain and loose elevation. This mainline became an important link into Italy from Switzerland, but with the completion of the 57 km Gottard Base Tunnel (which starts north of Erstfeld) the route will soon fall silent apart from an hourly passenger service. The spirals which were ground breaking for their time have now been superseded by other technological project to tunnel longer and deeper through the Alps than has ever been achieved before.
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Class 620 No.11685 leads No.11337 along the upper level of the Wassen spirals while a Basel bound passenger train uses the mid leave with a train heading north.