The Sernftal tramway (german: Sernftalbahn, SeTB) was an
electrical
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
narrow-gauge
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
way in the
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
canton of Glarus
The canton of Glarus (german: Kanton Glarus rm, Chantun Glaruna; french: Canton de Glaris; it, Canton Glarona) is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus.
The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German.
The majority of ...
, which was operated by a private company. The line linked
Schwanden railway station
Schwanden railway station (german: Bahnhof Schwanden) is a railway station in the municipality of Glarus Süd in the Swiss canton of Glarus. It is an intermediate stop on the Weesen to Linthal railway line, and serves the village of Schwanden ...
, on the
Weesen to Linthal railway line, with communities in the valley of the
Sernf river
The Sernftal or ''Kleintal'' is an alpine valley within Glarus Süd, in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland. It is formed by the Sernf, a right tributary of the Linth. Situated in the Sernftal are the villages of Elm (977 m) and Engi (812 m). T ...
including
Engi
, also known as Entertainment Graphic Innovation, or Studio ENGI, is a Japanese animation studio founded by Kadokawa, Sammy Corporation, and Ultra Super Pictures, and is a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation.
History
On April 4, 2018, Kadokawa e ...
,
Matt and
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North ...
, where the line terminated. The line served a total of 13 stations, and its depot was situated at
Engi-Vorderdorf, at roughly the half-way point of the line.
In 1879, the valley of the
Linth river
The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Swiss river that rises near the village of Linthal in the mountains of the canton of Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee section of Lake Zurich. It is about in length.
The water power of the Linth ...
was connected to the Swiss railway network by the opening of the Weesen to Linthal line, but the side-valley of the Sernf river remained unserved. This impacted the local economy, and various proposals were brought forward to provide rail service to the Sernf valley. The eventual result was the Sernftal tramway, which opened on 8 June 1905.
[
The line was largely constructed immediately alongside the road, with some narrow street running sections through the villages. This resulted in a difficult to operate line, with a minimum curve radius of and a maximum gradient of 6.8%. The line was constructed to ]metre gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
( gauge), and was electrified using direct current (first 750, then 800 V) generated from the line's own hydro-electric power plants and diesel engine generators.[
The line closed on 31 May 1969. Although the line closed, the operating company survived, changing its name to Autobetrieb Sernftal AG. This company still operates the bus service that replaced the railway, as well as several other bus services in the area, under the name ''Sernftalbus''.][
Some rolling stock from the line still exists. One four-wheeled motor coach of 1928 (BDe 2/2 4) is preserved at the ]Blonay–Chamby museum railway
The Blonay–Chamby Museum Railway (french: Chemin de fer-musée Blonay-Chamby, BC) is a short steep but adhesion worked metre gauge heritage railway operated as part of the Blonay–Chamby Railway Museum using vintage steam and electric locomot ...
, as is a trailer (B2 13) and a freight car (K31), both of 1905. The three more modern bogie railcars of 1949 (BDe 4/4 5-7) were sold to the Aigle–Ollon–Monthey–Champéry railway when the Sernftal line closed, and then resold in 1985 to Stern & Hafferl in Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
for use on their Vöcklamarkt to Attersee line. One of the cars (variously reported as 6 or 7) was destroyed in a fire in 1987, but the other two remain in use. It is expected that they will be retired in 2016, and a preservation society, the Verein Sernftalbahn, is campaigning for their return. The same society runs a museum, including two further freight cars from the line (K35 and K36), at Engi-Vorderdorf.[
The railcar BDe 4/4 6 has been relocated to the Verein Sernftalbahn's museum in October, 2016.]
References
External links
*
Verein Sernftalbahn web site
Swisstopo map showing route of line in 1944 and today
{{Authority control
Metre gauge railways in Switzerland
Closed railway lines in Switzerland
BC