★ 4K 🇨🇭 Oberwald - Furka - Realp rack railway diesel cab ride [08.2021] Führerstandsmitfahrt

In this video we'll be looking at the wonderful Furka mountain pass rack railway. We've been here once before. This time you have the chance to view it in the opposite direction. Here's the first video in case you missed it:    • ★ 4K 🇨🇭Realp - Furka - Oberwald rack ...  

The line used to be the heart of the Furka Oberalp railway (FO), a narrow gauge rack railway connecting the SBB station of Brig in the canton of Wallis with the RhB network in Disentis/Mustér (together hosting the glacier express), with a branch line connecting to Göschenen of the Gotthard railway.
Construction of the line commenced in 1911. As a result of World War I, funds and workers were no longer available, putting a stop to progress. In 1926, the remainder of the line was finally finished.

Due to large amounts of snow and the danger of avalanches, the line had to be closed during winter months. This included removing catenary wires and other pieces of infrastructure prone to damage, closing the tunnels and even folding a specially designed bridge down into the valley. The viaduct which once stood in its place was destroyed by an avalanche in 1916 before a train even got to drive on it.

The high costs involved with this procedure, as well as the inconvenience of the line being divided for 5 to 6 months of the year led to the development of the Furka base tunnel. This was completed in 1982, upon which the mountain pass was decommissioned and planned to be removed.

Thankfully, railway fans formed an association, aiming to preserve the line, which they were successful in doing. Finally by 2010, the line had been restored to the extent that trains could once again travel all the way from Realp to Oberwald.

Special thanks the the DFB for allowing us to film and share this special experience of a former electric line with diesel and steam traction. In Gletsch we cross 2 steam trains. Apparently departures are only possible from track 1, which meant shunting to track 1 after the first steam train had left and then waiting for the second on to arrive.

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