All action at Morgues with (wikipedia reckons) the entire BAM loco fleet involved in one freight. It had arrived off the narrow gauge with the ridiculous looking (standard gauge buffers above the headlight!) 21/22, shunters 147/152 involved in the gauge changer and just visible ex-BLS 420506 ready to take the train out on the mainline. Typically all passenger trains are some cart rubbish.

11199 and a rake of bangers with 11197 powering on the rear make the station call at Montreux working a Geneve-Brig IR vice the usual 460 and IC set.

“Jellymould” 460058 is the booked form for Geneve-Brig services and seen here propelling out of Montreux.

Being a total amateur in Switzerland and a far too high number of dud 460s appearing when “MOB” 6003 dropped out on the narrow gauge out of Montreaux I leapt on for a run up the hill to Chernex. I think its a loco…

End of November, so doom bashing of some high order on SOB, a private Luzern-St Gallen route which was going over on totality to some flirt deathtraps the following weekend. Three of six sets were hauled including lurid 446018 seen here.

BLS 420504 arrives at Erlanbach with a Zweisimmen to Interlaken service last week. Given BLS are supposed to have six of these available for two diagrams, i was unimpressed with the swines providing a cart to come here instead of the other diagrammed 4/4 hauled set…

Baden is the spin shack for Re 4/4 moves on the xx36 Zurich-Basel services, which are now the most concentrated work for the class. 11139 is seen here at dusk.

And an hour later 11153 and 11146 paired for a bigger load on the 1736 Zurich – Basle commuter. Double decker doom carts have now made significant inroads into passenger work for these locos on SBB mainline passenger.

619 in advertising livery at Chur waiting to work a late evening departure to Landquart. Due to engineering work on the Disentis line these trains were starting short at Chur with a mixture of locos and carts.

A horrendous alarm to be up for 701 on the 0510 Chur – Samedan mixed. A whopper of a train, one coach, two wagons and a Bo’Bo’Bo narrow gauge electric. These locos are RhB’s freight heavyweights and are not as threatened by the introduction of new carts although likely to lose passenger work again if trains like this drop off.

The move back of 701 was a very unexpected kick out of 1947 (yes, 1947) vintage Ge 4/4 of the original batch on the 0511 Samedan – Chur. This is a one way diagram with the loco returning on a freight so a right fall on and justifying the early alarm! These locos had all been withdrawn from traffic in 2010, but some have returned in connection with additional freights created by the building of the second Abula tunnel.

The weather completed changed the other side of the Verenia tunnel, Landquart and Klosters being in thick fog. 611 & 614 pass at Sagliains. The main driver of the trip, introduction of new Stadler deathtraps is delayed so much of the RhB should remain loco-hauled further into next year however these locos are now firmly in their twilight, although 611 itself is earmarked to enter the heritage fleet.

615 at S-Chanf on the 1102 Pontresina – Scoul

614 departing S-Chanf on the 1202 Pontresina – Scoul

642, one of the 1990s built 641 class, at Landquart with an afternon Disentis – Scoul train which it was working vice 611. These locos are being overhauled to work with newly delivered push-pull sets of plastic coaches to work primarily Chur – St Moritz with basically everything else due to be turned over to carts within 12-18 months sadly.

A weekend trip to Switzerland is about all I can afford! Thoroughly enjoyed a first taste of the RhB though.

650 had the honour of opening my RhB account working the 0847 Landquart to Davos as far as Schiers where we leapt to double back and pick up the plan with the 0920 Landquart – St Moritz. The plan was then duly detonated by said train being a Stadler shitbus instead!

This means Plan B was to take 614 on the 0950 Landquart – Scuol (being denied a further engine to by another unit on the 0947 Davos!) as far as Saglians where thankfully the connection was held despite delays in the Vereina Tunnel (which would last all day) due to additional car shuttles being operated.

612 shoves out of S-chanf with a Scuol to Pontresina stopper. Three locos are employed on this hourly circuit and they were at least all working as per the diagrams with these ‘baby 4/4’ dating from 1973

619 in a nice blue advertising livery was working the 1134 off Scuol again at S-Chamf as they cross at the next shack

As i had some time to wait for the following St Moritz service, took a wander into the snow to get 612 returning on the 1202 Pontresina – Scuol

This was a bit of a bonus, vice a 641, this time a nice green 621 working the 1302 St Moritz to Chur via the Albula line which I took over the top to Filisur. Despite appearances the blue restrurant car wasn’t a hauled train as the units also drag around coaches (and wagons as mixed trains) presumably a reason why so much is interchangeable!

To get a couple of these ‘641’ more modern locos in the book did an out and back from Filisur to Davos Frauenkirch where 648 arrives with the 1431 off Davos Platz. Not exactly the colour loco to make the most of the photo but at least it wasn’t in the middle like a few had been!

622 was on Sledgex duties between Bergun and Preda and is seen here getting underway back downhill out of Preda. On paper these go back ECS but no bother taking it back if you wanted to. This runs as there is a 10km sledge run which this then returns you to the top of, with the additional mileage of the railway as it twists and turns to lose hight you could certainly race if it you wanted, stopping for phots might be a bit challenging though!

Sunday was aimed at getting some SBB 4/4 in the book as they currently have much more weekend work than in repvious years. However some late running and a few duds scuppered it being as productive as hoped but did manage to pick up 11111 on the 0908 Zurich – Basel (via Aaruu)

and 11300 storms into Baden working the 1224 Basel – Zurich IR.

Weeks Austrian trip harvesting OBB electrics, mainly around Vienna and then Graz to have a day out covering the Citadella and GySev 651 turn in Hungary for a blast of diesels more interesting than 2016s!

Three day trip, flew to Basle on Friday but straight into Germany via Basle Bad to hit Freiburg which should have all been new, and was until Stuttgart’s 146201 turned up. On Saturday elected to stick with plan and head east to the Gaubahn hoping to pick up a 181 and maybe a 115 – my luck was in and 115383 dropped me onto 181209 then a top prize of 115114! Then into Switzerland for a brief first visit to fly back picking up locos along the way…

Link to erg post for more detailed loco/train gen