Meiringen – Aare Gorge tram

Meiringen – Aare Gorge
Route length:	2.77 km
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Power system :	500 volts  =
Maximum slope :	39  ‰
Minimum radius :	20 m
Legend 0.00 Meiringen train station 598 m 0.10 Bears 0.30 Kirchgasse 0.40 post Office 0.50 Langgasse 0.70 Alpbach Meiringen-Innertkirchen Railway 1.00 Aare (36 m) 1.40 Reichenbach 602 m 1.60 Lauibach 2.00 Schoolhouse Willigen 2.30 Aare bridge 2.77 Aare Gorge 609 m

The Meiringen – Aare Gorge tram was a 2.77 kilometer long meter-gauge overland tram in the Swiss Haslital in the Bernese Oberland . It was operated by the Meiringen- based transport company Trambahn Meiringen-Reichenbach-Aare Gorge , MRA for short . Between 1912 and 1956 it connected the Meiringen train station with the valley station of the Reichenbachfall Railway (RfB) and the entrance to the Aare gorge on the west side and only operated in the summer months.

history

Obligation of CHF 1000 for the Meiringen – Reichenbach – Aareschlucht AG tram from June 30, 1912

Although there were initial efforts to build a tram to the touristically interesting Reichenbach Falls and the Aare Gorge at the end of the 1890s, the opening of the tram route was delayed due to competition for the concession , disputes over the route and delays in the procurement of building materials. The tram line could only be opened on August 24, 1912, but initially operated with rented vehicles from the Albisgütlibahn (AGB) and on two points from the Lucerne tramway . Final operation could not begin until the following summer. The occupancy rate was above expectations. There was a turning loop at both ends of the line , the depot was at Meiringen station. Including the two loops, the track length was 3.012 kilometers, in addition there were 89 meters evasive and 231 meters siding. A one-way trip took twelve minutes.

When the First World War broke out , there were no passengers from abroad and operations were therefore not resumed in 1915. The railway did not go back into operation until 1920, but was not as successful in the following years as it was after it opened. This was due, among other things, to the emerging competition from the automobile .

Because of the Second World War , operations were interrupted again from 1940, but were resumed from 1941 with a reduced clock frequency. In the following years, the income was mostly low, which is why the maintenance of the track systems had to be restricted. In 1946 the Meiringen-Innertkirchen-Bahn (MIB) received the concession for passenger transport and became a serious competitor. Since the condition of the line continued to deteriorate, operations were stopped on September 16, 1956. The line was closed in the same year. In 1946 and 1947 the original green paint was replaced by a blue / white paint.

In 1958 the tram line was demolished and the associated vehicles scrapped. The depot directly at Meiringen train station, however, still exists today as of 2014 and is rented out as a venue for events and exhibitions by the Meiringen municipality (owner).

vehicles

The Ce 2/2 3 in front of the Hotel Krone in Meiringen

description	Type	Numbers	Construction year	Years of use	Manufacturer	Remarks
Motor vehicle	Ce 2/2	1 to 4	1907	1912 and 1913	SWS / MFO	rented from the AGB
Motor vehicle	Ce 2/2	1 to 3	1913	1913 to 1956	SWS / MFO
Summer car	C 2	21 to 24	1912	1912 to 1956	SWS	Renumbered from 4 to 7 in 1947/1948 and at the same time repainted from green to blue / white

literature

• Sandro Sigrist: Meiringen – Reichenbach – Aare Gorge tram . Prellbock Druck & Verlag, Leissigen 2000. ISBN 3-907579-17-8

Web links

• Tramway Meiringen - Reichenbach - Aare Gorge (MRA) In: discontinued-bahnen.ch by Jürg Ehrbar

Individual evidence

1. ↑ train24.de, the 24-hour railway shop, book Trambahn Meiringen – Reichenbach – Aare gorge by Sandro Sigrist, Verlag Prellbock , accessed on July 11, 2013
2. ↑ www.aareschlucht.ch Aare Gorge, Offers, The Aare Gorge, Building History, 1912 , accessed on July 11, 2013
3. ^ Sandro Sigrist: Meiringen – Reichenbach – Aare Gorge tram . Prellbock Druck & Verlag, Leissigen 2000. ISBN 3-907579-17-8 , page 15, picture of a priority share of the MRA
4. ↑ www.funimag.com The first web magazine about funiculars, Reichenbachfall Bahn (RfB) , accessed on July 11, 2013
5. ^ Tramway Meiringen – Reichenbach – Aare Gorge, The MRA systems. (No longer available online.) In: www.tram-museum-archiv.ch. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016 ; Retrieved November 22, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.