Langenthal-Wauwil railway
The Langenthal-Wauwil-Bahn (LWB) was an unrealized project of the Schweizerische Centralbahn (SCB) for the construction of a railway line between Langenthal and Wauwil . It would have been the fastest train connection between Lucerne and Bern . Construction work began in October 1874. Due to a financial crisis, the work was stopped a year later in October 1875 and not resumed.
The centerpiece of the route, which was to lead from Langenthal via St. Urban , Altbüron , Ebersecken and Schötz to Wauwil, was the 2010 meter long Staltentunnel between Altbüron and Ebersecken. 1300 meters of this were excavated and partially bricked up. With the excavated material, the client undertook various embankments, for example for an access railway embankment in Altbüron and the planned train station in Ebersecken. These changes in terrain can still be seen clearly today.
The remains of the tunnel have been used as a water reservoir on the Altbüron side since 1951 . On the Eberseck side, the tunnel entrance is closed for safety reasons. In the summer of 2007 the entrance was temporarily secured by a group of local entrepreneurs and made accessible to the public. But there are no plans to repeat this.
With regard to the railway construction, at least two well-known buildings were erected, but they never served their original purpose: the Kurhaus Bellevue in Erpolingen in the municipality of Grossdietwil and the station restaurant in Schötz (demolished in November 2014).