Thursday 29 August - Train watching at Liestal and the Waldenburgerbahn

We like to visit Liestal because we can watch safely from the platform, all the trains running out of or into Basel, either the passenger station or the massive freight yard at Muttens. Liestal is currently a bit of a bottleneck as there is only one southbound track,  (platform 1) and two northbound tracks, one of which is the platform for passenger trains for Basel. In addition there is the 750 mm gauge Waldenburgerbahn with its two trains an hour - shortly to be regauged to meter and equipped for service at 15 minute intervals. Work has already commenced on adding an additional track.

We took a direct train from Zurich and within the first hour we saw seven freight trains, a work movement and lost count of the number of passenger trains,

The German ICE trains work through to Zurich and Interlaken

A BLS Traxx locomotive hauls a Hupac train of trailers plus a car for the drivers

THis work crane was making track speed

The SBB 6/6 locomotives seem to get most of the tank train assignments. This one blew my cap off my head.

SBB 4/4s were much in evidence on both passenger and freight

BLS 465s

A hired in TRaxx and a Vectron

We then took a break and rode the Waldenburgerbahn to Waldenburg, possibly the last time we will ride the 750 mm gauge. The trains are getting old and metre gauge replacements are on order from Stadler

At Liestal

We came straight back from Waldenburg and stopped off at Talhaus where the WB steam locomotive is "on display". It is certainly preserved but the building is only opened half a dozen times in the year.

The WB steam locomotive is stuffed and mounted in this building

Talhaus

Back at Liestal the freight action had intensified - there were four northbound freights within ten minutes and they had to be wound around the passenger trains.

Two BLS Vectrons equals 16,000 hp!

TGV bound for Paris

Light engine movement

After a quick sandwich and cappuccino we decided to go on to Basel and the first thing we saw was a brand new Stadler built Giruno unit on a train to Lugano.

A quick trip on tram 14 revealed a model shop not previously visited then back to the Basel Markitplas before returning to the station.

We had hoped to find another Giruno but had to settle for an ICN as far as Olten. It was here that things started to go pie shaped as there was a problem between Olten and Aarau.

This 10/10 combination paused on a freight in the platform which was due to hold the next train to Zurich

Trains were being cancelled or turned back at Olten and we decided that discretion was the better part of valor and took the first train we could find that would take us to Zurich. It wasn't a bad run but the conductor was almost falling on his sword when he shamefully announced that his train was eleven minutes late into Zurich.