Steam Railway Association Bern

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The Steam Railway Association Bern is a railway company with the vehicle owner identification VDBB and maintains historical railway vehicles in the depot of the former Burgdorf-Thun-Bahn (BTB) in Konolfingen . In addition to charter trips for weddings and other events for clubs, companies or private individuals, the association also carries out public trips, in particular on the Emmentalbahn GmbH (ETB) route from Huttwil to Sumiswald- Grünen ( Ramsei – Huttwil railway line ). In order to offer on the track of ETB regular steam train, has been with the club Historic Railway Emmental , the cooperative Museumsbahn Emmental founded.

history

Gasworks railway

The reason for founding the association was the shutdown of the city of Bern's gasworks in December 1967 after the city was connected to the Mittelland gas network.

Between 1841 and 1843, the private gas lighting company Société Bernoise dite Compagnie du Soleil built the first gasworks in Switzerland in the Marzili district on the Aare . In 1861 the company was taken over by the city of Bern. Initially, local coal from Beatenberg and Boltigen was processed, which was brought in by ship across Lake Thun and the Aare.

Later, thanks to the construction of railway lines, foreign coal was preferred. The coal destined for the gasworks (the annual requirement was around 20,000 tonnes) now had to be transported from Bern train station to the gasworks by horse and cart. The opening of the Gürbetalbahn in 1901 gave rise to the idea of ​​building a siding from the Wabern station . Due to the difference in altitude of 55 m, the 2.5 km long route subsequently had a gradient of 35 ‰. First of all, the Gürbetalbahn with its locomotives took care of the supply of coal wagons. On May 1, 1908, the gasworks received its own E 3/3 Tigerli steam locomotive .

In 1961, six years before the gasworks was shut down, the city of Bern also acquired an Em 2/2 diesel locomotive , known as the "Mutz".

While the former gasworks site now serves as a cultural center (see. Gas boiler ), the tracks of the associated gas works railway as pedestrian and bicycle connection path from Wabern to Marzili-quarters in Bern serves and diesel to the Sihltalbahn was sold, was provided, to scrap the still existing steam locomotive.

On the occasion of a village festival in Wabern on August 31 and September 1, 1968, the special trains with the old steam locomotive, called Lise , on the route of the gas works were such a big attraction that it was decided to keep the locomotive.

Operation on the route of the Sensetalbahn

As a result, the steam locomotive belonging to the city of Bern was overhauled by apprentices from WIFAG Maschinenfabrik AG . On April 23, 1971, the Steam Railway Bern Association, founded for this purpose, started regular steam operation on the Sensetalbahn route. When the weather was nice, the public steam trains initially ran on Saturday and Sunday from May to October. The locomotive belonged to the city of Bern until 1993 and was then given to the association.

As an additional locomotive, the Laufenburg power plant loaned its small two-axle E 2/2 work locomotive from 1972 to 1997 . The locomotive E 3/3 No. 5 of the Sursee-Triengen-Bahn (ST) could also be used temporarily in return for the revision of the locomotive by the Steam Railway Association in Bern . From 1973 to 1983, the former E 3/3 No. 11 works locomotive from Von-Roll- Werk Klus was available on loan .

Steam locomotive Eb 3/5 No. 5810,
ex SBB

In 1974 MThB bought the Eb 3/5 No. 5810 Habersack for a scrap price of 30,000 francs. It had to be taken out of service in 1975 due to its poor overall condition and drawn in Friborg.

In 1996 the regular public steam trains on the Sensetalbahn route had to be discontinued due to the steady decline in passengers.

In 2000, BLS bought the Tm 75 diesel-electric tractor to be able to move wagons and steam locomotives when they were cold.

In 2003 the concession for the Laupen - Gümmenen line was also canceled. The tracks were removed in Laupen and Gümmenen from the rest of the rail network and since then the route can only by the Velo Handcars the GmbH rail Velo be traveled.

In 2008 the depot in Laupen also had to be vacated because the lease had been terminated. As a result, the remaining rolling stock was moved to Burgdorf.

Overhaul of steam locomotives in the SBB Aebimatt depot in Bern

Steam locomotive Ed 4/5 No. 8 of the Emmental Railway

In 1972 the association received the Ed 4/5 No. 8 steam locomotive from the Emmental-Burgdorf-Thun-Bahn (EBT) as a gift. This locomotive corresponds in structure and its basic dimensions to the Ec 4/5 of the Thunerseebahn . Instead of the wet steam compound machine ( n2v ), it had a superheater and a superheated steam twin machine (h2) from the start. In addition, their maximum speed was limited to 50 km / h for operational reasons (hence the designation E d  4/5). The upcoming major overhaul of the locomotive lasted until 1977.

The former E 3/3 No. 10 locomotive, donated by Von Roll-Werk Klus in 1973, also had to be dismantled for a major overhaul. The revision lasted until 1983, since then the locomotive has been given the original designation JS 853.

From 1986 to 1989 the E 2/2 Laufenburgerli and from 1989 to 1993 the E 3/3 Lise underwent a major overhaul.

Burgdorf depot and operation on the routes of the former EBT and VHB

In 1978, steam operation with the Ed 4/5 No. 8 was started on the route network of the EBT and the United Huttwil Railways (VHB).

Now the ST E 3/3 No. 8522, which has been under revision since 1972 , could be stationed in the former depot of the Emmental Railway in Burgdorf . After the revision was completed in 1983, the locomotive was used on loan by the Steam Railway Association Bern for light trains from Burgdorf until 1987 .

In 1985 the Eb 3/5 locomotive No. 5810 was also transferred to Burgdorf to start the main overhaul, which lasted until the end of 2008.

Steam locomotive Ec 4/5 No. 11,
ex Solothurn-Münster-Bahn (SMB)

After the steam locomotive Ec 4/5 No. 11 of the former SMB had been standing on the Oberdorf station square for several years , it was taken over by the Steam Railway Association of Bern in 1986 and initially stored in the Burgdorf depot. In 1992, the Ec 4/5 No. 11 was transferred to the Meiningen depot (Germany) for the main revision and returned operational in the same year.

In 1995 the Ed 4/5 No. 8 locomotive required a major overhaul. In particular, the boiler was sent to Meiningen. A new boiler was produced there, using the old one as a sample. In 1999 the locomotive was put back into service.

Steam locomotive Ed 3/5 No. 51 with a passenger train on the Bern – Schwarzenburg line

In 1998 the Steam Locomotive Association 51 Schwarzenburg brought Ed 3/4 No. 51 of the former Bern-Schwarzenburg Railway (BSB) to the main overhaul. The aim was to be able to put the locomotive back into operation by the 2007 “100 Years of the Schwarzenburg Railway”. The revision could not be completed until the following year.

In 2006 the company Regionalverkehr Mittelland (RM), which emerged from EBT, VHB and SMB, merged with BLS, which brought some changes for the Steam Railway Association in Bern :

  • The last two electric tractors Te 2/2 still procured by EBT were no longer needed by the new BLS AG and were taken over by the association.
  • In 2009, rail traffic was replaced by buses on the last section of the route from Sumiswald- Grünnen to Huttwil BE. The overhead line built in the mid-1940s was no longer up-to-date and safe for traffic. For example, on the occasion of the SlowUp Emmental-Oberaargau event on September 13, 2009, when the main road between Sumiswald and Huttwil was closed to car traffic, steam trains from the Steam Railway Association in Bern and the Historical Railway Association in Emmental were used as "bus replacement trains" for the first time. In 2010 and 2011 steam trains of the two clubs ran again on the occasion of the SlowUp. The idea of ​​founding the Emmental Museum Railway Cooperative matured .
  • The route was completely closed from 2012 to mid-2014.
  • Since the BLS wanted to make the depot in Burgdorf taken over from RM available to the BLS Foundation , which maintains historic electric locomotives of the BLS and its predecessor railways, the rolling stock of the Bern Steam Railway Association was moved to Konolfingen from 2010 .

Spiez depot and operation on the BLS network

Steam locomotive Ed 3/3 No. 3 ex Gürbetalbahn (GTB)

In 1996, the Steam Railway Association in Bern was able to take over Ed 3/3 No. 3 of the former Gürbetalbahn (GBT) on loan from BLS . The boiler of this locomotive (newly built by SLM in 1988) was damaged as a result of a faulty design and had to be fitted with a new fire box in Meiningen.

During revisions to the locomotive Ed 3/3 No. 3, the former gasworks locomotive E 3/3 Lise was brought to Spiez.

The Spiez locomotive group was founded in 1996 to run the steam trains on the BLS network with the club's own locomotive staff .

Since the rail reform that came into force in 1999, Switzerland has had free network access . This meant that the locomotives stationed in Burgdorf could now also be used on the BLS network. As a result, the Ed 3/3 No. 3 was stationed in Laupen.

In 2012 the rest of the club's material still in Spiez was moved to Konolfingen.

Depot in Konolfingen

Simultaneously with the construction of the Burgdorf-Thun-Bahn (BTB), a depot was built in Konolfingen in 1899 for the maintenance of the vehicles and for the construction of a wide variety of aids. Only at the end of the three-phase phase was the maintenance of the traction vehicles moved to Burgdorf. In Konolfingen, however, the freight cars and company cars of the entire EBT group were maintained, built or modernized until December 1965 .

After BLS made the depot available to the Steam Railway Association in Bern , the first vehicles were moved to Konolfingen on August 22, 2010.

Tractor Tem 225 056 of the Steam Railway Association Bern (still with the emblems of BLS AG, which have since been removed)

Since the late summer of 2012, all of the club's material has been housed in Konolfingen.

In 2014, the Steam Railway Association of Bern took part in the anniversary "150 years of the railway in Konolfingen", which celebrated the 150th anniversary of the railway line from Bern to Langnau , with extra trips and open depot gates .

In May 2016, the BLS, which no longer needed this vehicle, was able to buy the Tem 225 056 (electric / diesel) dual-power tractor. Since the tractor has the Integra-Signum and ETM-S train control systems , it can be used at short notice on the entire standard-gauge network in Switzerland, which does not require ETCS Level 2 , without a special permit . In addition, the vehicle has a hydraulic lifting platform and can therefore also be used when the roof of the depot has become necessary.

Rolling stock

Steam locomotives

Currently available steam locomotives

Steam locomotive Eb 3/5 No. 5810 with a passenger train on the Bremgarten – Wohlen three-rail track
Steam locomotive Ec 4/5 No. 11 entering Bauma from the direction of Hinwil
Steam locomotive Ed 3/4 No. 51 on the Seetalbahn route in Ballwil

Former steam locomotives

with ST since 1972
  • E 3/3 8522 Tigerli (90 85 0008 522-4, 1913, ex SBB, on loan from ST)
at ST since 1987
  • E 3/3 11 (1890, ex Von Roll Klus, ex JS 855, ex SBB 8175, ex RVT 8)
Out of service since 1983, owned by the Kerzers-Kallnach Railway Museum since 2007
since 1997 owned by the city of Blumberg , which operates the Wutachtal museum railway

Tractors

Currently available tractors

  • Te I 155 (97 85 1215 025-8, 1946, ex  EBT , ex  RM 216 325)
  • Te I 157 (97 85 1215 027-4, 1946, ex EBT, ex RM 216 327)
  • Tem 225 056 (97 85 1225 056-1, 1967, ex BLS)

Former tractors

  • Tm 75 Muneli (98 85 5235 175-7, 1953, ex  Wimmis powder factory , ex BLS 235 075)
Scrapped in 2016
in private ownership again since 2016

Passenger and baggage cars

Baggage car F2 No. 17124, outwardly restored to its original condition
  • C2 5 (55 85 2823 005-2, 1911, tag 1953 ex  ÖBB , Spantenwagen )
  • C2 6 (55 85 2823 006-0, 1915, conversion 1954, ex ÖBB, frame wagon)
  • C2 7 (55 85 2823 007-8, 1917, conversion 1953, ex ÖBB, frame wagon)
  • C2 8 (55 85 2823 008-6, 1916, conversion 1955, ex ÖBB, frame wagon)
  • Bi 523 Sennhütte (55 85 2903 523-7, 1934, ex  EB , ex EBT, light steel wagons with open platforms )
  • Bi 524 Schmucktruckli (55 85 2903 524-5, 1934, ex EB, ex EBT, light steel wagons with open platforms)
  • Bi 7776 (55 85 2903 761-3, 1910, ex SBB)
  • BC 5117 (55 85 8923 117-1, 1950, ex SBB ABi, light metal wagon type «Seetal» )
  • BCF 4652 (55 85 8923 652-7, 1947, ex SBB ABDi , sidecar to the Red Arrow)
  • F2 17124 (55 85 8929 124-1, 1917, ex SBB)
  • B2 3503 (55 85 8929 503-6, 1902, ex SBB)
  • SR 802 Bistrostübli (55 85 8929 802-2, 1965, ex BLS Db 952, Sputnik support car )

Freight wagons

Covered freight car K2 No. 30893, in a historically correct gray paint scheme
  • X 9315 (40 85 9400 315-9, 1967, ex BLS, open freight car type E)
  • K2 30893 (40 85 893-5 9400, 1894 ex SBB, boxcar type Gklm)
  • K2 30771 (40 85 9406 001-9, 1897, ex  SCB , ex SBB, type Gklm)

Web links

Commons : Verein Dampfbahn Bern  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 125 years Taubenlochweg , in Bieler Tagblatt , September 8, 2014
  2. ↑ Current events , accessed on August 21, 2019.
  3. ↑ The Emmental Railway makes steam , in the Berner Zeitung , March 19, 2015.
  4. ↑ That was the gas works railway in Heimat today , 11, pages 16-21.
  5. ^ History of the Steam Railway Association in Bern , accessed on August 21, 2019.
  6. ↑ Offer ride a rail bike. Accessed April 14, 2015.
  7. ^ Rolling stock of the Bern Steam Railway Association , accessed on August 21, 2019
  8. ↑ A big anniversary: ​​100 years of SMB “Solothurn – Münster-Bahn” steam locomotives , on the BLS AG website, accessed on May 17, 2015
  9. ↑ Only a detour leads to Sumiswald. In the Berner Zeitung, August 30, 2012.
  10. ↑ Portrait of the BLS Foundation , accessed on April 15, 2015
  11. ↑ From Moscow to pioneering work in the Emmental , in Bern-Ost, April 28, 2014
  12. ↑ Nostalgia and a look into the future , in Berner Zeitung, June 2, 2014
  13. ^ Rolling stock of the Bern Steam Railway Association , accessed on August 21, 2019
  14. ↑ Sursee – Triengen steam train , accessed on April 13, 2015
  15. ^ Vapeur Val-de-Travers - Rolling Stock , accessed April 14, 2015
  16. ↑ Rolling stock of the Kerzers-Kallnach Railway Museum ( memento from January 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on April 13, 2015
  17. ↑ Breuer locomotives preserved in a museum , accessed on June 26, 2016