Welcome to Vitznau in the Canton of Lucerne, on the shores of lake lucerne in Switzerland. Just up ahead you see the main depot for the famous Rigi cogwheel mountain railway, next to the boat stop for rides on idyllic paddle steamers on lake lucerne. We're riding on board this brand new flashy Stadler Bhe 4/6, purpose built for this railway by the rail manufacturing giant and delivered in 2021-2022.
Enjoy this ride up the famous "Queen of the Mountains" as I'm going to tell you a lot about this magnificent mountain railway. As we progress up the mountain, we will first encounter snow, then break through the clouds to appear on top of a snowy alpine landscape in full sunshine! The Rigi is one of Switzerland's most visited sights nowadays, with many visitors coming from Lucerne by boat and connecting onto the railway with Kulm as destination. The railway from Vitznau isn't the only way to get up though, as a second line climbs the mountain from Arth-Goldau, as well as a cable car from neighbouring Weggis. This railway runs along the nearly 7km stretch of track every hour with extra services depending on the amount of tourists waiting at Vitznau. The line has a maximum gradient of 25%, nowhere near as steep as neighbouring Pilatus, yet the Rigi railway still holds one title - Europe's first mountain railway. Trains are allowed to ascend the mountain at a speed of 23km/h, yet only descend at 14km/h, so it's no fast line.
The train type that we're on can however go up to speeds of 40km/h up hill, but this max speed isn't achieved on regular services. The Rigi stands at the foot of the alps looking over the vast Mittelland and can be seen from almost every canton in the country. It has long been a destination for travellers as far back as the early 1800s, with the first guesthouse on the mountain opening in 1816. Very quickly, travel agencies planned guided tours for visitors from England to discover the beauties of the mountain. Very soon after, more and more hotels were built, as well as a mountain spa, as many people came as a health retreat to the alps. Pay attention to the track up ahead, as you will see a small squirrel leaping across the tracks. Our next stop Mittlerschwanden shows how far Rigi has come today. Like many other stops along our route, this stop is mostly used by a few locals who call Rigi home.
Rigi Kulm, our destination is located at 1797m elevation above sea level, and we started at 438m in Vitznau. A nice fact about this stunning mountain is that Rigi is one of the richest areas of the country for wild orchids - 37 species are found naturally on Rigi of about roughly 60 that are native to Switzerland. In recent decades, RigiBahnen AG has partnered with the SBB to allow Halbtax and GA users to receive discounts/free rides up the mountain. This makes this railway now part of the wider Swiss public transport system, as it is used by many people in their daily lives.
Mittlerschwanden is just a request stop, and the station platform is just about long enough for one door to alight at it. Rigi is not only Europe's oldest mountain railway (second in the world too), but also the highest standard gauge railway in Europe. We're just approaching the only tunnel on this stretch of line, the 67m long Schwandentunnel, followed by the 80m long Schnurtobel viaduct. At around an elevation of 830m above sea level, the landscape starts to turn to a winter wonderland and this will only get better, so keep watching :) In 1863, in France, the Riggenbach Cogwheel system was patented, the foundation of this railway. Niklaus Riggenbach, the Swiss mastermind behind this technology, and a team of engineers submitted planning application to the canton of Lucerne for a railway from Vitznau to Rigi Staffelhöhe.
In 1869, construction was granted and by 1871, the railway was open for business. The Rigi cogwheel system is relatively simple - a rack with tooth-shaped edges is bolted to the middle of the track. The train climbs up the steep gradient with a cogwheel as a 3 wheel that interlocks in each gap between teeth in the rack, pulling the train up the mountain. Riggenbach also designed and developed a counter-pressure brake system for steam locomotives to descend the moutain. This works by using driving cylinders to apply a high brake rate, whilst reducing the stress exerted on the wheel brakes.
At our next stop Freibergen, the track is doubled all the way up to Rigi Kaltbad. This is the regular scheduled passing spot for trains coming down the mountain. In the past, Freibergen was also used a water tanking station for steam trains. The double track section here was already built back in 1874, right at the beginning of this mountain railways history. Many different cable cars also operate up to different spots dotted around the mountain. In 1992, all these separate companies joined to become the RigiBahnen AG corporation. The mountain has many ski installations, that with sufficient snow, can accommodate many skiers. Additionally, there are a couple of sledge runs on Rigi, where you can ride down the mountain along the iconic rail line.
Just up ahead, we're going to pass another Bhe 4/6 coming down the mountain. There are 6 of these new vehicles, that are exclusively used on the Vitznau line. The Vitznau line is much more popular with tourists, as it offers magnificent views of the lake and connections on boats to Lucerne. The other line from Arth-Goldau will also soon feature on the channel, which is more easily accessible from the big SBB interchange station there. Romiti-Felsentor is the last stop before the main village of Rigi Kaltbad.
RigiBahnen operate a large fleet of different vehicles, as well as many historic trains and wagons that can be seen on the the two lines. The original steam trains run on occasion in the summer, with 2007 being the year of the steam train, where 3 historic steam locomotives were used on regular services up and down the mountain. It is very common for the mountain to be covered in clouds, as is the Mittelland, but for the top peak of the mountain to stick out. This offers a breathtaking experience of emerging out of the clouds in just a few moments.
Our next stop Rigi Kaltbad is the most important along the line. Here passengers can start on many mountain paths or head onto the slopes. It is also the largest inhabited settlement on the mountain, with a large variety of hotels and restaurants too. From here, passengers can connect onto the cable car down the mountain to the lakeside town of Weggis. For a few years now, there has also been a large Spa and Baths complex that has completely changed the look of Rigi Kaltbad. Kaltbad is joined onto Rigi First, the next biggest settlement with many holiday homes, which is also served by the Arth-Goldau line with a station near there.
Between 1875 and 1931, a third railway existed starting from Rigi Kaltbad. This rail line wasn't a cogwheel train, but just a normal steam locomotive and heads along the path to Rigi Scheidegg, which is located just above Vitznau, but roughly the same altitude as here. Today, the old train line is used as a dirt track for vehicles to drive along between settlements. A viaduct remains from that railway which people can still walk across today.
The Rigi railway rapidly grew in popularity over the years and eventually the Arth-Goldau line was built and operated from 1875. Both lines have been fully electrified as of 1937, but the decommissioned steam locomotives can still be seen in the Transport Museum of Lucerne. Since the closure of the Kaltbad - Scheidegg line, Scheidegg is reachable by a cable car that heads up from a stop along the Goldau line. The Arth-Goldau line started by building the extension from Staffelhöhe to Kulm. Trains run alongside each other from Staffel to Kulm nowadays. We're heading up to Staffelhöhe, which has the Rigi Kräuterhotel Edelweiss, a Michelin star award winning restaurant and hotel that grows many of their produce in their garden just next to the hotel.
The name "Queen of the Mountains" comes from a misinterpretation by Albrecht von Bonstetten in 1479 who believed the local name of Rigi referred to the latin of Regina montium, meaning queen of mountains. This next stretch is the most scenic which on clear days gives you views of Zurich, Lucerne and far beyond. Rigi is engrained into popular culture with many artists and others admiring the splendid mountain. In 1868, famously Queen Victoria rode up the mountain on horseback, just a few years before the railway was built.
In the early 1800s, J.M.W Turner used the Rigi as inspiration for one of his famous paintings, the Blue Rigi and many other Rigi paintings, that are in the Tate Gallery London collection. Mark Twain also visited the mountain and wrote a short story about it too, in the late 1800s. Our train is currently navigating around Rotstock, a small peak separating the two railway lines going up Rigi. Up ahead on the right is a replica of one of the more famous locomotives than ran up the Rigi - Lok 7. This locomotive is part of the original steam locomotives used back when the line launched, as it was acquired in 1873.
Today, the locomotive resides in the Transport Museum in Lucerne, but on special occasions runs up the mountain again! We've arrived at Rigi Staffel, we're both lines join and continue up the mountain to the final destination side by side. In the past, trains running on the Vitznau were coloured red, and those on the Goldau line were blue. However, since the acquisition of the Stadler trains and a Rigi rebranding to green colours for the whole mountain railway company, red trains have also been operating on the Goldau line. One of these trains can be seen up ahead that has just come up from Goldau and will follow our train up to Rigi Kulm.
These vehicles are of the Bdhe 4/4 type that were acquired in the late 1980s, back when the two companies were still running separate operations. Rigi Kulm is famous for 3 things mainly - firstly, the tall communications tower that's located at highest point on the mountain just above the final train stop. This Swisscom aerial is 96 meters high and is visible from as far as Zurich or even Bern. Secondly, Rigi Kulm is known for its hotel and restaurant, a driving force in the popularity of Rigi over centuries.
It opened in 1816 back when it was only reachable by foot, but the 125 summits that are said to be visible from it surely made it worth the climb. And thirdly, Rigi Kulm is well known for the incredible views it offers with a panoramic view of all 3 landscapes found in Switzerland - Alps, Jura and the Mittelland. I will now leave you to enjoy the last climb and breath-taking views on this fabulous day!
2025-01-27 07:40