Alpine Steam Express 22

‘Tigerli’ 8501 or brown ‘Tiger’ 8463 will be in steam and haul a rake of vintage coaches, pausing for pictures and run-pasts along the way. After a nice Mediterranean dinner in Biasca, you return to Solothurn by train. (B D)

Saturday 8th July Steam over Mount Brünig with Engine No.1068; sunset cruise on Lake Thun A tour highlight awaits today as you travel steam-hauled along the banks of Lake Brienz from Interlaken to Meiringen and then ascend the mighty Brünig Pass with the recently overhauled rack-tank Nr. 1068. This rugged rack and adhesion locomotive was built in 1926 as the last steam locomotive for the Brünig Railway and was later plinthed for decades outside Meiringen station. It only returned to active service in 2022 and you’ll experience one of its first private charter trips. Crossing the Brünig Pass to Giswil, the locomotive works hard to climb the steep inclines, while you enjoy sweeping views of the Bernese Oberland. Later you transfer by service train to Thun, where you embark on a delightful dinner cruise aboard the venerable paddle steamer ‘Bluemlisalp’ from 1906. As the sun sets over the Bernese Oberland, you’ll savour this remarkable steam and landscape highlight. (B D)

Sunday 9th July Steam with standard gauge Mallet engine; Brugg steam shuttle; Schinznach steam railway Today a trio of steam attractions at three different locations awaits! Built by Maffei in 1893 as an unusual standard gauge Mallet locomotive for the Hauenstein line, old No. 196 is a core member of the Swiss national collection and one of the most beautiful tank engines in Continental Europe. This elegant green machine will be in steam just for today to haul your private charter train on the scenic branch line from Oensingen to Balsthal and back. With photo stops along the way, a shed visit to see other steam locomotives in Balsthal and lunch on the train, it will be a great day out. Ornate and luxurious salon coaches are an additional attraction of the programme. After your private charter, you continue on an SBB service to Brugg, where a rarely steamed, SLM-built 0-4-0 industrial tank engine takes you by private steam shuttle to the local roundhouse for a privately guided visit. The shed includes most of the Swiss national collection and several privately owned steam locomotives. Your steam charter will also traverse the ‘freight-only’ Brugg flyover, which is built as an avoiding curve of the main station and constitutes a bit of ‘rare track’ rarely used by main line steam trains. After some turntable photography, you transfer to the nearby Schinznach garden railway, the largest 600 mm gauge park railway in Switzerland. The attractive steam collection of industrial engines includes tank, tender and tramway locomotives dating from the early 20th century. Your private steam charter will traverse the attractively landscaped circuit and pose for photos and staged run-pasts. (B L)

Monday 10th July Steam with a Mallet locomotive in the Franches Montagnes The hills of the Swiss Jura Mountains form the backdrop to today’s steam excursion on the extensive Chemins de Fer du Jura narrowgauge network, hauled by a powerful Henschel Mallet locomotive. You journey via Saignelegier and Le Noirmont to Tavannes through remote landscapes in one of Switzerland’s most isolated regions. Your locomotive battles several gradients and poses for pictures at attractive locations. Lunch is taken on the train in the bistro coach before you return over the same route to the shed at Pré Petitjean. For the return to Solothurn, you are free to use your complimentary Swiss Travel Pass, with the option to travel on the other CJ narrow-gauge line to La-Chaux-de-Fonds. (B L)

Tuesday 11th July Freedom of Switzerland with your Swiss Travel Pass Today, you make the most of your First-Class Swiss Travel Pass to fully explore Switzerland on its amazing public transport network. You could venture on the Old Gotthard Route and Centovalli Railway to Ticino and even Domodossola in Northern Italy, head to Zermatt or enjoy seven different paddle steamers on Lake Geneva. Rural railways off the beaten path or delightful narrow-gauge trains also beckon. The Rigi rack railway is also included in the pass. The choice is yours and your tour manager will be happy to advise you of the options. In the evening you enjoy a delicious dinner at your hotel to wrap up a memorable tour. (B D)

Wednesday 12th July Return to London After breakfast, you transfer from your hotel to Basel. Here you take the high-speed train to Strasbourg before changing trains and continuing to Paris Gare de L’Est. There you transfer to Paris Gare du Nord and take a Eurostar service back to London St. Pancras International. (B)

Tour Summary

Tour price £2795 Single supplement £435 Ground only £2550 (Solothurn – Solothurn with First Class Swiss Pass)

Price includes:

• Standard premier travel on Eurostar services from London – Basel and return. • 7 nights accomodation at the H4 Hotel

Solothurn in comfort room including porterage • 7 breakfasts and a 3-course welcome dinner at the hotel • Swiss travel pass First Class for Switzerland journeys • Seat reservation throughout (where possible) • All rail trips and excursions as detailed in the itinerary • The services of a tour manager

All prices shown are per person based on two persons sharing. Please be advised that First Class travel will be allocated in Standard Premier carriages on Eurostar services. Meals included each day are shown as: B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner

July 2023

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Georg Trueb

Georg Trueb Georg Trueb

Swiss Bernese Oberland

Wednesday 5th July to Wednesday 12th July 2023

Discover the outstanding natural beauty of Switzerland on this tour to the Bernese Oberland, famed for its shimmering lakes and soaring Alpine peaks, including the towering Jungfrau and the magnificent Eiger. • Based in the mountain village of Wengen, you’ll explore the Bernese Oberland on Switzerland´s outstanding railway system. • Enjoy extensive scheduled travel on famous mountain rack railways, including the Brienz Rothorn Railway and Jungfrau

Railway to the ‘Top of Europe’. • Discover the Swiss capital Bern on a two-hour steam tram tour, and enjoy peaceful boat cruises on Lake Brienz and Lake

Thun. • There’s also a thrilling excursion to the Schynige Platte mountain area to enjoy, famous for its outstanding views and wildflower gardens. • Experience unrestricted travel on Swiss trains, trams and buses in tour free time thanks to your complimentary Bernese

Oberland Regional Pass.

Wednesday 5th July London to Wengen via Basel You travel First Class by Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord. Transferring to Paris Gare de l’Est you then journey to Basel in Switzerland via Strasbourg. You join a high-speed service at Basel to Interlaken Ost, before continuing on the narrow-gauge lines of the Bernese Oberland Railway (BOB) to Lauterbrunnen and the Wengernalp Railway (WAB) to the mountain village of Wengen. Here you check into the 4-star Sunstar Alpine Hotel, your base for the tour. A light dinner will be served at your hotel this evening. You’ll also receive your 6-day Bernese Oberland Regional Pass for easy exploration of the surrounding areas. (D) Thursday 6th July Free day for exploration in and around Wengen After breakfast, you can either relax at the hotel and make use of its wonderful facilities or take a stroll through the village where the British allegedly ‘invented’ downhill ski racing. A more energetic option is to hike to one or more of the incredible local viewpoints. Another alternative is to use your Regional Pass to visit the Trümmelbach Falls, a series of ten illuminated glacier-waterfalls inside a mountain, accessible only by a tunnel-lift. Yet another option is to visit the car-free village of Mürren by cable and mountain railway from Lauterbrunnen, with views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Dinner is served at your hotel this evening. (B D) Friday 7th July Lake Brienz Cruise; Steam on the Brienz Rothorn Railway This morning you travel by train to Interlaken to enjoy a leisurely steamship cruise on Lake Brienz to Brienz at its eastern end. You join a steam train on the 800mm gauge Brienz Rothorn Railway (BRB), Switzerland’s oldest rack railway and climb 1,678 metres (5,505 ft) from Brienz to Rothorn Kulm Station, just below the summit of Brienz Rothorn Mountain. After free time at the summit to enjoy lunch, you return to Brienz for an exclusive visit to the BRB depot to view the locomotives and workshop facilities there. In the afternoon you return to Wengen by train where you can relax before dinner is again served in your hotel restaurant. (B D)