Once we had checked into our hotel, we re-acquainted ourselves with Interlaken. Our primary objective was to check that the Die Baeren in Unterseen was still in business and had Rosti on the menu. We also hoped for a pink sunset on Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau but it didn't happen. On our way back down into Interlaken we had to wait at the road crossing by Interlaken West station while this very extended train passed by



If you look very closely, you can count a driving trailer and three coaches attached to the front of an IC2000 push pull set. I've not seen that many carriages added to an IC2000 before. A previous train had just a driving trailer and a single coach. There was a lot of building work going on at the west end of Interlaken West, which suggests that they are lengthening the platforms.

The following morning we arose reasonably early and made our way to Interlaken Ost to catch a Jungfrau Bahn train to Lauterbrunnen. The Golden Pass tour gives you a free day in Interlaken and the suggestion is that you take the train to Jungfraujoch - Europe's highest railway station. Since we had made this trip a few years ago and there is snow there all year round, our plan was to visit Piz Gloria, made famous by the Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

Whilst waiting at Interlaken Ost, I took this photo of a freight train.



I've not seen a freight train in Interlaken Ost before. Although it is a terminus for standard gauge passenger trains, the line does extend to Bonigen on Lake Brienz, where there must be some industry which makes use of the tankers seen in the picture.

Almost as soon as I had taken the photo of the freight train it was obscured by a push pull set made up of a motley collection of rolling stock and powered by the rather old looking red loco seen in this photo.



Our train was soon under way and headed for Wilderswil where we were joined by a lot of skiers. The train then entered the narrow valley which leads to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. At Zweilutschinen the train divides with one portion going to Grindelwald and the other to Lauterbrunnen. The journey is often rack assisted and the final approach to the station is particularly steep. Our arrival would have looked something like this.



On arrival most of the passengers crossed the platform to board the Wengernalpbahn train to Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg



A few of us headed for the cable car station which would take us up to Grutschalp. This cable car run was opened in late 2006 and replaced a funicular railway. On our trip a large amount of freight was loaded onto a platform below the passenger cabin. The old funicular railway shared the same gauge as the Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Murren and freight wagons could be transferred back and forth. The new cable car system retains the freight link which is probably the only way goods can be delivered easily to Murren. You can read more here on Wikipedia.

When we reached Grutschalp, we transferred to the BLM for the 4.2 km journey to Murren. The freight palette which had come up with us from Lauterbrunnen was loaded onto an open wagon at the rear of the train. The route of the BLM follows the twists and turns of the valley sides offering fantastic views down to Lauterbrunnen and Wengen. Unfortunately the weather was overcast, so we did not get any views of Eiger, Monch or Jungfrau.



There is a passing loop at Winteregg which seems to be little more than the start of a ski lift and the end of several ski runs.



The BLM station at Murren is at the northern end of the village. The cable car to Brig and thence to Schilthorn / Piz Gloria is at the southern end. Since Murren is 1650 metres above sea level (~5,400 feet) and there are no private cars, the streets are covered in packed snow, so it was time to attach our crampons for a brisk walk in the crisp mountain air. It's like walking through a Christmas card.





A couple of cable car rides and we arrived at the top of the Schilthorn which is topped by Piz Gloria. The weather still had not cleared, so there were no views to be had. The temperature was about -4 C but the wind made it feel a lot colder.



The restaurant was open and is instantly recognisable if you have seen OHMSS.



The outer ring of tables rotates so that you get the chance to see all the views.

Once we had had our lunch we made our way back down to Lauterbrunnen to catch a train to Kleine Scheidegg. We had some time to wait for a train and then three arrived at once, including this one which had a truck for carrying skies attached.



Our train was quite full and at Wengen a large number of people with sledges got on for a lift to the start of a sledging trail. It was quite cold and snowing at the terminus in Kleine Scheidegg (2061m, ~6700ft), so there aren't too many photos. This is one of the trains which goes to Jungfraujoch via a tunnel through the Eiger.



We went for a short walk along one of the hiking trails but it was getting close to 5pm when the pistes close and patrols end, so we returned to the station to catch a train down the other side of the mountain to Grindelwald. There is a depot at Grindelwald Grund but by this time it was too dark to take photos. We stopped in Grindelwald for something to eat and a demi litre of Rugenbrau before catching a train back down the valley to Interlaken and our hotel for the night.

The following day we would set off on the second leg of the Golden Pass Panoramic journey, travelling to Zweisimmen with the Bernese Lotschberg Simplon and then to Montreux with the Montreux Overland Bahn. Each of these has panoramic coaches but little did we know quite how panoramic one of them turned out to be. Come back in about a week's time to find out more....