Driver’s Eye View - Plus (Switzerland) - Part 2 - Furka Steam Railway - Furka Tunnel to Oberwald

With the hard climb to the summit conquered, we arrived at Furka DFB station where our locomotive was serviced ready for the onward journey. Passengers had time to stretch their legs, grab a bite to eat or get something to drink before the Realp bound train pulled into the passing loop. Photographers took the opportunity to get that special photo of the two vintage trains set against the magnificent mountain scenery. We watched the Realp train depart before boarding our train to Gletsch and Oberwald. Peace and quiet descended on Furka Station after all the hustle and bustle caused by the need to service two trains. Our locomotive eased its train out of the passing loop as it headed towards the 1,858 metres (6,096 ft) long Furka Summit Tunnel. Soon we were engulfed in darkness with just the odd wisp of steam visible as we passed the occasional tunnel light. The light from the carriage windows danced on the tunnel’s rock walls, most windows had been shut to stop the smoke entering the carriage, a little over 5 minutes later, day light began to light up the tunnel walls before we burst into the bright sunshine for a short photo stop at Muttbach Belvédère. The scenery from here to Gletsch was breath taking as we passed the Rhône Glacier (Rhonegletscher) source of the Rhône River. At Gletsch our steam engine was replaced by a diesel locomotive for last leg of our journey through the deep Rhône river gorge to Oberwald.

Country - Switzerland.

Track Gauge - metre gauge (3 ft 33⁄8 in) .

To learn more about the locomotives of the Furka Steam Railway, please click on this link - https://www.dfb.ch/en/stories/informa...

To learn more about the railway, please click on these links –
https://echo-trails.com/furka-cogwhee...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furka_S...

This link is useful for information about both the road and rail routes of the Furka Pass - https://www.raonline.ch/pages/ch/hike...

This visit was part of the Railway Touring Company’s 2022 “Alpine Steam Express” Tour. To find out more about future European tours, please click on this link - https://www.railwaytouring.net/europe