EUROVAPOR
The EUROVAPOR (European Association for the Operational Maintenance of Steam Locomotives and Historic Railway Material) is a European association of railway enthusiasts for the maintenance of steam locomotives and historic railway wagons.
history
It was founded on November 17, 1962 in the Hotel Victoria in Basel . The association's headquarters are in Zurich . The aim of the association is not only to preserve steam locomotives and historic rolling stock as a museum, but to recondition the vehicles and operate them again as a living testimony to a bygone era of technology. The association is mainly active in Switzerland and southern Germany. The members are organized and entertained in sections and operate 15 steam locomotives and their wagons on a voluntary basis.
In May 1968, with the T 3 No. 30, the first steam locomotive was taken over by the SWEG together with three cars. It has been operational since 1970, especially on the Kandertal Railway . As early as 1973, EUROVAPOR was able to offer steam operation on five routes: In addition to the Kandertalbahn, these were the Solothurn-Zollikofen-Bern Bahn (SZB), the United Bern-Worb-Bahnen (VBW), the Waldenburgerbahn (WB) and the Metzingen-Bad Urach route . From 1974 to July 1980, EUROVAPOR also looked after the steam trains on the Bregenzerwaldbahn in Vorarlberg.
By the end of the 1970s, the association also procured larger locomotives such as 23 058 , 41 073 , 50 2988 with the help of the Steam Locomotive Friends ' Cooperative . Together with the city of Blumberg , the Wutach Valley Railway Museum was opened in 1977 .
The vehicle fleet in 1987 amounted to 15 steam locomotives, a diesel multiple unit, a railway crane and 60 cars.
In order to better distribute the responsibilities and to be able to achieve the non-profit status in the respective country more easily, different sections have been made legally independent. Such indirect sections existed in the Wutachtal (WTB e.V.), in the Kandertal ( Kandertalbahn e.V. ) and in the Emmental ( Verein Historische Eisenbahn Emmental ). However, these indirect sections were still linked to EUROVAPOR.
Since October 2010 the association consists only of the former direct section Sulgen. The other sections were released from EUROVAPOR at this point in time and have been independent since then.
Movies
- SWR: Railway romance - 35 years of Eurovapor (episode 271)