On my web site of the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway (DFB), a new page devoted to some old pictures of the Furka Oberalp (FO) circulating on the section Oberwald – Gletsch – Realp in 1980, a few years before the digging of the Furka tunnel and the abandonment of this section. Follow the link below:
Anciennes photos du Furka – Oberalp (1980)
Sur mon site de la Ligne Sommitale de la Furka (DFB), une nouvelle page consacrée à des anciennes photos du Furka Oberalp circulant sur le tronçon Oberwald – Gletsch – Realp en 1980, c’est à dire quelques années avant le percement du tunnel de la Furka et donc de l’abandon de ce tronçon. Suivre le lien ci-dessous:
DFB – The videos of the section Gletsch – Oberwald
Le 12 août 2010 était enfin mise en service la troisième et dernière section de la Ligne Sommitale de la Furka entre Gletsch et Oberwald.
En voici enfin les vidéos !
On August 12, 2010, at least, the third and last section of the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway was unveiled between Gletsch and Oberwald.
Here are the videos!
DFB 02 – From Gletsch to Oberwald (1/2)
At 1:00 level crossing on the Furka road
At 3:20 note, on the right, the track after the exit of the helical tunnel and the bridge over the Rhone river.
At 3:40 the entrance in the helical tunnel
At 4:30 the cylinder tank filled with water from the mountain and which is used to feed the sprinklers arranged all along the line in the wonderful Oberwald forest.
DFB 03 – From Gletsch to Oberwald (2/2)
The crossing of the Oberwald forest.
At 0:30 the bridge over the Furka road.
At 3:30 the sprinklers all along the right side of the track which are used in case of fire in the forest.
At 4:47 a marmot runs on the green grass and hides int the stones.
Note the…… arrival over Oberwald which is the first village of the wonderful Goms valley. Then
the level crossing (with retractable cog) on the Furka road before the
final arrival at Oberwald station where Dampfbahn Furka Bergstrecke
(DFB) joins the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) (Glacier Express).
DFB 04 – Level crossing with retractable cog at Oberwald (1/2)
The section Gletsch -Oberwald at least was opened on August 13, 2010 after quite 30 years of the association. A level crossing with retractable cog has been installed at Oberwald to cross the Furka road.
DFB 05 – Level crossing with retractable cog at Oberwald (2/2)
DFB 06 – On section Gletsch – Oberwald
The locomotive HG 3/4 DFB 1 Furkahorn, recovered from Dà-Lat Vietnam, pulls the train along the Gletsch – Oberwald section.
The bridge over the Rhone river and the twisting Furka road.
At 0:17 the train exits from the helical tunnel…. you can see the wooden doors of the helical tunnel.
At 3:14 the same traingoes up to …Gletsch.
At 5:21 the diesel Tmh 985 cog tractor follows the train to keep an eye in case of fire in the forest.
DFB 07 – From Oberwald to Gletsch
DFB 08 – At Oberwald station
At Oberwald station, the locomotive HG 2/3 no. 7 Breithorn maneuvers to be at the head of the train for the next departure to Gletsch.
DFB 01 – Diesel Locomotive HGm 4/4 from MGB at Gletsch
The Diesel Locomotive HGm 4/4 lent by MGB to DFB… arriving at Gletsch after passing the Furka pass.
Note the Rhone glacier at 0:10 behind the chapel.
My first travel on the new section from Gletsch to Oberwald.
At 3:20 note, on the right, the track after the exit of the helical tunnel and the bridge over the Rhone river.
At 3:40 the entrance in the helical tunnel
At 4:30 the cylinder tank filled with water from the montain and which is used to feed the sprinklers arranged all along the line in the wonderful Oberwald forest.
Afin de prévenir tous risques d’incendies lors du passage des locomotives à vapeur dans la forêt de la section Oberwald – Gletsch, l’Office Fédéral des Transports a donné son accord pour la mise en place d’un système d’arrosage tout le long de la voie et cela avant le passage des locomotives.
Sur d’autres lignes, comme par exemple sur le réseau des chemins de fer Rhétiques, les locomotives à vapeur touristiques sont suivies d’un train un wagon avec citerne d’eau. Ici la solution qui a été choisie consiste en un arrosage fixe, de type sprinkler, le long de la voie qui se déclenchera avant le passage du train. Pour cela deux réservoirs d’eau ont été construits… un en béton de 9 m3 près du tunnel hélicoïdal et du pont sur le Rhône et qui est alimenté par un ru sur la rive droite du Rhône et dont l’eau est filtrée par gravité pour ne pas obstruer les tuyaux par des sédiments. Le deuxième réservoir est en plastique et d’un volume comparable et situé entre le sentier pédestre qui rejoint le restaurant Rhônequelle sur la ligne et le pont de Lammen. Il est chargé de l’arrosage par gravité de la voie sur la partie inférieure jusqu’à Oberwald.
The preventive watering of the DFB
To prevent any risk of fire during the passage of steam locomotives in the forest section Oberwald – Gletsch, the Federal Office of Transportations has agreed to set up a sprinkler system throughout track and that before the passage of locomotives.
On other lines, such as the network Rhaetian Railway, steam locomotives are followed by a train with a tank of water. Here the solution that was chosen is a fixed sprinkler along the track that will spray water before the passage of the steam locomotive. For that two water tanks have been built … a 9 m3 concrete tank near helical tunnel and near the bridge over the Rhone river, which is fed by a brook on the right bank of the Rhone and the water is filtered by gravity to prevent blockage of the pipes with sediment. The second tank is plastic and of a comparable volume and located between the footpath which joins the restaurant Rhonequelle on the line and the bridge Lammens. He is responsible for watering the track by gravity on the bottom until Oberwald.
C’est dans la nuit du 6 au 7 mai 2010 qu’a été installé le passage à niveau qui permet au train Dampfbahn Furka Bergstrecke (DFB) de franchir la route du col de la Furka à Oberwald.
Ce passage à niveau a été construit et assemblé à Münchenbuchsee, près de Berne, dans les locaux de Baumgartner AG. Une fois terminé, vérifié et qualifié, la pièce de 36 tonnes a été transportée par route jusqu’à Oberwald.
Rappelons que ce passage à niveau est unique puisqu’il est équipé d’une crémaillère rétractable. En effet, la crémaillère Abt est rétractée de telle façon que ses dents ne dépassent pas le niveau de la chaussée de la Furka afin de ne pas gèner la circulation des voitures et des motos. Lorsque la barrière se ferme pour le passage du train, alors la crémaillère se met en position haute pour permettre à la locomotive un engrènement continu sur la pente. Une fois le que train a franchi la route, la crémaillère se rétracte sous le niveau de la chaussée et les barrières se relèvent.
Oberwald, level crossing with retractable cog
During the night May 6th/7th 2010, the level crossing was installed across the Furka road at Oberwald. So now the Dampfbahn Furka Bergstrecke (DFB) is able to reach the final station of the line after quite 30 years of work! The level crossing was built and assembled at Baumgartner AG, Münchenbuchsee near Bern. When it was finished, verified and qualified, the 36 tons part was moved on a truck to Oberwald.
This level crossing is really unique because it is made up with a retractable cog. The Abt cog is retracted so its teeth are under the level of the Furka road so that the cars and bikes can cross the level crossing. When the level crossing gate is closed, the cog is raised above the road so the train can have a continuous cog on the slope. When the train passed through the road, the cog is lowered under the road and the barriers are raised.
A Oberwald, la ligne DFB rejoint enfin la gare MGB d’Oberwald. Il ne reste plus qu’à terminer l’embranchement menant à la plaque tournante qui permet de tourner les locomotive de 180°.
At Oberwald, now the DFB railroad is going to the MGB station. There is one branch line left to do, those which leads to the turntable.