GLACIER EXPRESS
Another of the Swiss tourist train trips, this one is probably the most famous. It has been in operation since 1930, connecting two main winter sports areas, Zermatt (Matterhorn) and St. Moritz.
It is self-billed as the world’s slowest express train, and at 7 hours for covering less than 200 miles, it surely is a correct title.
One of the best parts of the route is shared with the Bernina Express that I already wrote about, but this adds the Oberalppass experience, a 6 mile long tunnel, and gradients so steep that the addition of cogs in the track line is required.
And, it is the coolest way to get to Zermatt at the base of the Matterhorn. (If you go, Zermatt is without cars and only accessible via train, so why not arrive in style?)
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| A fort along the way |
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| My version of one of their classic marketing photos. |
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| Going from the Landwassser viaduct into the tunnel. |
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| The Landwasser viaduct from below |
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| Well above the village we just left. You can see the lower tracks here. |
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| Some sort of a storage barn |
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| Seemed pretty appropriate with the Swiss flag, huh? |
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| This is the cog system that allows for steep grades. In some cases the train grade was like the street up to my house! |
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| Near Oberalppass. |
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| Oberalppass |
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| Train exiting the snowshed at Oberalppass. |