Friday, April 13, 2012

Aigle - Leysin, Switzerland

A map showing Aigle at centre-bottom, Leysin about half way up to its left. 
A one-car train runs through the streets of Aigle, undated pic from railthing.blogspot.com
A view at Leysin showing the railway and in the distance the Mont d'Or and Pic Chaussy
Having mentioned the Aigle-Sépey-Diablérets (ASD) mountain railway, we should mention the neighbouring Aigle-Leysin (AL) which is shorter but steeper. The AL is 6.5 km (4 miles) long and rises 1,047 m (3,435 ft) from its terminus outside the main line station in Aigle to its summit at the Grand Hotel in the ski resort of Leysin. The first 1 km of the route is through the streets of Aigle from the railway station to the railway depot where the train reverses to enable the powered vehicle to be at the rear of the train for the uphill journey, normal working via a cog-wheel. From this point the line climbs steeply through vineyards, the steepest gradient being 1 in 4.3 (23%).
The operating voltage of the line has changed four times: originally 600 V DC, then 650 V DC, then in 1946 to 1300 V DC, and later to the present operating voltage of 1500 V DC, the same as the ASD
In 1975 the four local railways oin the area, AL, Aigle–Ollon–Monthey–Champéry (AOMC), ASD and Bex–Villars–Bretaye (BVB) merged to form a single operating company, known as the Transports Publics du Chablais (TPC).

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