If God made a railway

It is said in the bible (first chapter of Genesis) God made the world in so many days. Two human beings were added. From the account it would appear God was satisfied with his effort. It has me thinking, what if God was to make a railway?

I suspect it would need to run a twisting course through wonderful landscapes. Landscapes would include mountains. Mountains typically have descending ice glaciers. Add-ons would include rushing rivers, larch forests and broad lakes. A bright red train would run through the wonderful landscape.  People might need to reside along the railway. They would live in neatly manicured villages with tall-spired places of worship. Undoubtedly, God would be satisfied with the effort.

God did not make a railway. He trusted that assignment to descendants of those first two human beings. God exercised remarkable patience. It took those descendants until the early twentieth century to create a railway of note. It happened with the opening of Switzerland’s Rhatische (RhB) Bahn. The railway’s remarkable engineering features combined with spectacular landscapes was eventually recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. God would have, indeed, been satisfied. And it has its bright red train running through it. Known as Bernina Express, it is arguably the world’s Number One scenic train ride.

My partner, Haruko, and I made a return trip on Bernina Express from Chur, Switzerland’s oldest town, to Tirano in Italy in September last year. It was the prefect autumn day. Each way is 156 km taking about 4.25 hours. Not exactly Express train timing but it’s still an Express train. Overhead electric power is 1000 V DC on the old Bernina line and 11 kV AC elsewhere. The leading three units on our train are an ABe 8/12 class railcar built in 2010. The railcar frequently operates independently but having a power of 2400 kW, also serves as a locomotive. The power unit operates seamlessly on both DC and AC supplies.  Swiss mountain railways are metre-gauge. The Bernina Express route is all adhesion with grades up to seven percent. Carriages are modern Panorama units. They ride exceptionally well. In the vestibule I discover a small window I can slide down. It is perfect for my photography. An early spectacle is Landwasser Viaduct built in 1902. Sixty-five metres high, it is along a 130 metre curve leading to a tunnel portal in the sheer rock face. The viaduct is supported on six graceful arches. They were built, precariously, without the use of scaffolding.  Each arch had an iron tower at its centre around which brickwork was made. Each pillar had a crane at its apex to haul up building materials.

The railway follows the natural landscape rather than the landscape being modified for the railway. Hence much of the railway comprises spirals within mountains. Inside mountains, the Bernina railway cris-crosses valleys several times. We are informed of details via a multi-lingual commentary. Of the many tunnels, Albula, under a pass of the same name, is the longest at 5865 metres. It was built between 1898 and 1903 utilising mostly manual labour. As with many engineering features on New Zealand’s railways, it was built with `pick, shovel and wheelbarrow.’

Bernina Express stops for 15 minutes at Alp Grum station. The station is also a restaurant and hotel owned by the RhB. We are able to alight to view the Palu Glacier.

It is also an opportunity for our train manager and entertainer, Renato to deftly demonstrate his pouring of Graff Piezo Schnapps. The glass is placed close to the open bottle top. As the pour starts, Renanto extends his arm full-length leaving the schnapps forming a long arch. I do not know if this is a Swiss tradition. It was introduced as entertainment in the dining car of another famed Swiss rail journey, the Glacier Express. Seems the idea simply extended to Bernina Express.  I pay six CHF for a glass to enable a photograph. I ask Haruko to hold the glass but when she returns it, it was empty.   Another six CHF is paid for more photographs. The Graff Piezo is so, so, good.

Alp Grum is in one of Switzerland’s rare Romansh speaking regions. Romansh closely resembles Latin. Principal Swiss languages and dialects are; Swiss German, French and Italian. Swiss are also competent English speakers. Bernina Express continues in climbing mode until we are skirting Lake Brianco (a water storage facility formed by damming two natural lakes) and Bernina Pass at a dizzy 2253 metres.

A key feature along the descent to Tirano is the 107 metre-long circular Brusio Viaduct. One of the railway’s most photographed features (albeit best viewed from above), it scribes a complete circle.

We have a one-and- a -half hour break at Tirano. Just time for a very Italian basil pasta lunch and gelato ice-cream. Then it is back on board to experience the magnificent train ride in reverse.

Note For best value be equipped with a Swiss Pass or Euro-Rail Flexi pass. Seats need to be pre-booked. A booking fee applies.