Reichenau-Tamins – Disentis / Mustér railway line

Reichenau-Tamins-Disentis / Mustér
Regio Express to Disentis in the entrance of Versam-Safien
Route length:	49.31 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Power system :	11 kV 16.7 Hz  ~
Maximum slope :	27  ‰
Legend from Landquart 23.57 Reichenau - Tamins 604  m above sea level M. Hinterrhein (151 m) to Thusis Farsch (Vorderrhein, 57 m) Wackenau Lehnen Viaduct (Maliesbach Bridge) (90 m) Dabi (299 m) 28.26 Trin 609  m above sea level M. Ransun (423 m) Isla Bella (Vorderrhein, 62 m) Chrummwag (83 m) 32.73 Versam-Safien 635  m above sea level M. Carrerabach (42 m) Valendas Gallery (202 m) 36.86 Valendas - Sagogn 669  m above sea level M. Rütlandtobelbach (32 m) 40.74 Castrisch 705  m above sea level M. Glenner (41 m) 42.91 Ilanz 698  m above sea level M. Lehnen Viaduct (47 m) Ilanz (Vorderrhein, 56 m) 45.43 Schnaus-Strada 716  m above sea level M. 47.96 Rueun 733  m above sea level M. Rueun (Vorderrhein, 62 m) 50.07 Waltensburg / Vuorz 744  m above sea level M. Tscharbach (95 m) 54.87 Tavanasa-Breil / Brigels 788  m above sea level M. Tavanasa (front Rhine, 72 m) Val Plaunca (110 m) Tiraun (227 m) 60.82 Trun 852  m above sea level M. Gravas (8 m) 64.00 Rabius-Surrein 928  m above sea level M. Val Mulinaun (52 m) 66.25 Sumvitg Cumpadials 982  m above sea level M. Ava da Cauns (63 m) Lehnen Viaduct (38 m) Pressure line Patvag (31 m) Val Russein Viaduct (89 m) Lehnen Viaduct (60 m) Lehnen Viaduct (38 m) Lehnen Viaduct (31 m) Lehnen Viaduct (38 m) Lehnen Viaduct (38 m) Val Lumpegna Viaduct (150 m) Val Sogn Placi (53 m) 72.88 Disentis / Mustér 1130  m above sea level M. Furka-Oberalp-Bahn to Brig

The Reichenau-Tamins – Disentis / Mustér line , also known as the Oberland line , is a meter-gauge Swiss narrow-gauge line operated by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB). It connects the Reichenau - Tamins train station with the Disentis / Muster train station .

history

Oberland line Reichenau-Tamins - Ilanz

The first plans and ideas for the Oberländerlinie or the Vorderrheinlinie go back to 1890. At that time, engineer Marchion asked for a concession to build and operate a railway line from Reichenau to Disentis . At that time Marchion tested a total of four variants for the route from Reichenau to Ilanz . The variants began either in Reichenau or in Bonaduz :

• Bonaduz - Versam - Valendas : 14.7 kilometers in length, two large viaducts, estimated construction costs: 6.2 million Swiss francs
• Reichenau - Trin - Flims - Laax - Ilanz : 25.5 kilometers in length, apex tunnel near Flims, estimated construction costs: 5.5 million Swiss francs
• Reichenau - Trin - Conn - Laax - Ilanz : 23.7 kilometers in length, several viaducts and two tunnels, estimated construction costs: 6.2 million Swiss francs
• Line through the Rhine Gorge : 19.3 kilometers in length, advantageous alignment, estimated construction costs of 4.3 million francs

Finally, in 1894, Marchion received a concession for the Reichenau – Ilanz line, but sold it to the Rhaetian Railway on November 27, 1897 . This in turn commissioned chief engineer R. Moser to check all four variants. Finally, a commission headed by Professor Albert Heim from Zurich recommended building the latter variant, through the Vorderrhein Gorge. The Board of Directors of the Rhaetian Railway decided on July 11, 1898 to build this line. The RhB also considered an option to extend Ilanz further along the Vorderrhein to Disentis.

The construction works

The construction work started in the autumn of 1900 under the direction of chief engineer R. Hennings, who was also in charge of the construction work on the Albula Railway. He divided the 19.3-kilometer route into three lots: Reichenau - Versam, Versam - Valendas-Sagogn, Valendas-Sagogn - Ilanz.

The Rhine Gorge posed problems for construction workers and engineers, as the rock there is very brittle and the Vorderrhein in this area swells very strongly in heavy rain or when the snow melts. In addition, because of its instability, the rock from the Rhine Gorge could not be used for the construction of walls and routes, so all the necessary stones had to be brought from quarries further away. To make this easier, section engineer Peter Saluz built a steam-powered construction railway with a track width of 75 cm, which could only be opened in 1901.

Despite many interruptions due to landslides and floods, the construction work kept to its schedule. On June 1, 1903, the Reichenau-Tamins - Ilanz line was officially opened.

The complementary line Ilanz - Disentis

It took a total of nine years before the extension of the Oberland line from Ilanz to Disentis could be opened. This was because the other complementary routes Davos Platz - Filisur and Samedan - Pontresina had a higher priority and were therefore being built for the time being. Engineer R. Moser, who had been commissioned to draw up the plans for this route, relied on the plans of engineer Marchion, which provided for the route to Trun on the right bank of the Rhine and then on the northern slope of the Surselva up to Disentis respectively. The final project was worked out by the Batignolles company in Paris, whose planned route crossed the Rhine three times, but otherwise followed the existing project.

The construction works

Construction work began on April 10, 1910 under the direction of chief engineer Peter Saluz. The route was divided into four lots: Ilanz – Petersbach, Petersbach – Trun, Trun – Sumvitg-Cumpadials, Sumvitg-Cumpadials – Disentis. The first two lots did not cause any problems, as they ran along the valley floor and only required embankments and dams when the route approached the river. The other two lots required the construction of engineering structures and tunnels. In contrast to all other stations, the Disentis station was made larger, as plans were already being made with the opening of the Furka-Oberalp-Bahn in mind. Since the construction work on the entire route was progressing quickly, the route was officially opened on August 1, 1912 after just two years of construction.

Route

Elevation profile of the route

Two coupled Glacier Express in the Vorderrhein Gorge

The route begins at the station that separates the Oberländerlinie and the Albula Railway , the Reichenau - Tamins station . Behind the shared steel bridge over the Hinterrhein , it branches off from the Landquart – Thusis railway line . The route then crosses the Vorderrhein and leads to the entrance of the Rhine Gorge at Trin station . In contrast to the parallel road, which climbs over 500 meters to Flims and Laax , the railway line runs below in the narrow Ruinaulta . On this part of the route, engineering structures dominate the otherwise largely untouched nature. It crosses the gorge using two tunnels and several loops and passes the Versam - Safien , Valendas - Sagogn and Castrisch train stations . The route then leads through the now flatter and wider Vorderrhein Valley to Ilanz, where it meets the road again, and continues with a 16 per mille gradient to Trun. Between Trun and Ilanz, the route crosses the Vorderrhein three times, crosses two tunnels and passes through the stations of Rueun , Waltensburg / Vuorz and Tavanasa - Breil / Brigels . From Trun, the route leads up the northern slope of the valley with a gradient of 27 per thousand via the Rabius - Surrein and Sumvitg - Cumpadials stations to Disentis . Between Sumvitg-Cumpadials and Disentis the valley becomes narrower and steeper, so there are many engineering structures and bridges, such as the 106 m long Val Russein viaduct between Sumvitg-Cumpadials and Disentis.

Accidents

On August 24, 1987, a locomotive derailed at Versam due to a softening of the rail substructure and slid down the embankment.

On January 5, 2007, a rock fall near Valendas-Sagogn led to a train accident in which the locomotive and the baggage car were badly damaged, people were not injured. Rocks and rubble had fallen onto the rails, so that the locomotive hit the rubble cone on the way to Disentis at night. It derailed and tore four pillars of the Valendas Gallery with it, so that the ceiling partially collapsed. After the accident, the route was no longer passable for a long time. The gallery, which was destroyed over a length of 16 m, was repaired. To protect the route from further rock fall events, the gallery was extended by 40 m in the direction of Versam. The locomotive 632 Zizers had to be completely rebuilt in months of work.

On September 11, 2011, a regional train derailed on the Carrerabach bridge due to a mudslide as a result of a storm. Three people were injured. All cars jumped off the track, but stopped and the control car hit the cone of rubble. After two days, the clean-up work was finished and the route was open to traffic again.

After around a year of construction, the new Carrerabach bridge was put into operation on November 17, 2011. This is the second time that the bridge over the Carrerabach has been renewed since the railway line went into operation. The original stone arch bridge had already been replaced by a new building in 1981. This time, not only was the bridge renewed, but the entire track bed was re-routed over a section of around one kilometer in order to increase the level by around three meters in the area of ​​the bridge and to be able to move the route laterally in the area of ​​the bridge. The new higher position of the bridge and its shifting should prevent problems with mudslides and falling rocks and improve flood protection over the long term. Accidents like those on September 11, 2011 should be avoided in the future.

On November 22, 2011, the 703 St. Moritz locomotive, a freight car and a shunting tractor were severely damaged in a rail accident at Rueun station . The freight train hit the shunting tractor's freight car waiting in the station. Both the driver of the freight train and the three railway workers on the shunting tractor were injured. There was also considerable damage to the track system. The reason why the freight train was on the wrong track is unclear.

Buildings

Train stations

Versam-Safien

Versam-Safien train station with Ruinaulta

The station Versam - Safien is located at km 32.73 of the railway line. Since the route runs in the very narrow Rhine gorge along the Vorderrhein , the eponymous communities of the station are up to three kilometers and up to 300 meters in altitude away. The through station at Versam has two through tracks and two butt tracks . The station has a house platform and two central platforms, which can be reached by crossing.

The station was built for the opening of the railway line from Reichenau and Ilanz in 1903 . In the past, the station was more important than it is today. A road from Versam to Reichenau and Ilanz was already completed in 1881, but due to the low level of motorization until the 1950s, it must be assumed that the majority of the residents used the railway and thus the station well into the 20th century. From there they switched to the stagecoach or, in winter, to horse-drawn sleighs on the road into the Safien Valley, which had not been cleared until 1950.

The Rhaetian Railway's RegioExpress trains stop at the station every hour. Freight trains and the Glacier Express run irregularly without stopping . The post bus drives to the train station every hour to save the passengers the climb to the actual village and to open up the whole Safien valley .

The station building of the no longer occupied station is used for other purposes today. There is a timber loading point next to the train station, which can be approached via the stub tracks .

Valendas-Sagogn

The Valendas-Sagogn train station also has a double name, but here for a different reason: A bridge over the Rhine built during the construction of the railway enabled access to the station from both sides of the Rhine. The station is located on the southern (right) side of the Rhine and was opened on both sides with a natural road in 1903, which was replaced by a paved road on the Valendas side as part of an improvement in 2010. Trains stop every hour in the direction of Ilanz and Disentis as well as in the direction of Reichenau-Tamins, Chur and Scuol-Tarasp. The road to Sagogn remained unpaved.

bridges

One of the most important bridges is the Russeinbrücke between Sumvitg and Disentis. The arch bridge, built from natural stone in 1912, lies parallel to the old Russeiner Bridge . The bridge is almost 100 meters long and crosses the stream in four arches at a height of 56 meters.

The bridge over the Val Sogn Placi near Disentis was destroyed by an avalanche on February 9, 1984. The 54-meter-long stone arch bridge was replaced by a 54-meter-long composite girder construction made of reinforced concrete. This bridge was put into operation on November 16, 1985. In the meantime, a temporary emergency bridge was in place.

business

A train below Waltensburg

Mainly RegioExpress trains run on the route every hour during rush hour, which can be increased if necessary. You need one hour and five minutes for the entire distance and come to an average speed of 45.5 kilometers per hour. There are also three pairs of express trains on the Glacier Express . Freight trains that supply industrial and commercial enterprises in the Vorderrhein region run irregularly on the route.

literature

• Rhaetian Railway (Ed.): Rhaetian Railway today - tomorrow - yesterday . Publishing group (Desertina Verlag, Disentis; Verlag M & T-Helvetica, Chur; Terra Grischuna Verlag, Bottmingen) 1988, ISBN 3-907036-08-5 (Festschrift for the 100th anniversary of the railway)
• Hans-Bernhard Schönborn: The Rhaetian Railway, past and present , GeraMond 2009, ISBN 978-3-7654-7162-9 .
• Eisenbahn Journal, Die RhB, specials parts 1–4, 1995–2000, Hermann Merker Verlag GmbH Fürstenfeldbruck, ISBN 3-89610-038-6 .
• Hans Domenig: From Tingelzüglein to Hochgebirgsbahn , in: Terra Grischuna, 59th year, issue 1, Terra Grischuna Verlag, Chur 2000, ISSN  1011-5196 .
• Katharina Hess, Paul Emanuel Müller: About the wild Plessur , in: Terra Grischuna, 48th year, issue 1, Terra Grischuna Verlag, Chur 1990, ISSN  1011-5196 .
• P. Saluz: The new lines of the Rhaetian Railway: The Reichenau-Ilanz Railway . In: Schweizerische Bauzeitung . Volume 41 (1903), No. 22, pp. 243-247. doi: 10.5169 / seals-23995
• P. Hennings: The new lines of the Rhaetian Railway: Reichenau-Ilanz . In: Schweizerische Bauzeitung . Volume 38 (1901), No. 4, pp. 41-43.

Web links

Commons : Bahn Reichenau – Disentis  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ RhB terminology ( Memento of May 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
2. ^ The Rhaetian Railway Past and Present, Hans Bernhard Schönborn, GeraMond 2009
3. ↑ Swiss Railway Atlas, Schweers + Wall, Version 2012, ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7
4. ↑ Swiss Railway Atlas, Schweers + Wall, Version 2012, ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7
5. ↑ Swiss Railway Atlas, Schweers + Wall, Version 2012, ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7
6. ↑ RhB: commissioning new Carrera Bach bridge. In: Bahnonline.ch. December 7, 2011, accessed October 16, 2018 . 
7. ^ Railway accident in Rueun
8. ↑ Valendas Foundation: Annual Report 2009
9. ^ Paul Caminada: Witnesses of three epochs of bridge building in the Surselva . In: ViaStoria (ed.): Ways and history . Key points in traffic history, No. 2 . Bern 2010 ( copy of the article ).
10. ↑ Length according to HG Wäggli
11. ↑ EA 1/85 page 25