Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Switzerland

I have so far visited Switzerland twice, in 1998 and again in 2011. The Alps are maybe the most spectacular mountain range that I've been to, although I'm also including the Austrian Alps when I say that. However, Switzerland and Austria are both beautiful countries in many other respects as well. My iPernity photo collection of Switzerland is nowhere close to the size of my offline photo colle…  (read more)
Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

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This was the view of Pontresina itself as we departed, but I figured it belonged at the beginning anyway, or maybe I was just incompetent? :-)
Pontresina Bahnhof, Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Pontresina Bahnhof, Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

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This is Pontresina Bahnhof (Station) on the Rhatische Bahn, or Rhaetian Railway, where I was to board the Bernina Express for Tirano, on the Italian border. This was one of the most memorable train trips I ever took on a regular train, so I decided awhile ago to first show these shots in my first NRHS slide show, and later online.
View From Pontresina Bahnhof Parking Lot, Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

View From Pontresina Bahnhof Parking Lot, Pontresi…

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Here's the view from the Pontresina Bahnhof parking lot. I don't know what mountain that is, but it caught my eye. Notice also the American style camper van in the lot!! :-)
Pontresina Railway Yard, Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Pontresina Railway Yard, Pontresina, Switzerland,…

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Here's a shot of the Pontresina yard.
Rhatische Bahn #43, Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Rhatische Bahn #43, Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

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This is the train that formed the Bernina Express when I rode it. It an EMU, obviously, but I don't know the class.
Rhatische Bahn #88, Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Rhatische Bahn #88, Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

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Here's one of the Rhatische Bahn's freight trains, as surprisingly there is a certain amount of freight on it, in spite of the narrow gauge.
Swiss Landscape, near Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, near Pontresina, Switzerland, 199…

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Here's another view of the countryside near Pontresina. It was December, and in the Swiss Alps, so unsurprisingly there was a lot of snow.
Incline Out Of Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Incline Out Of Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

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And...here's the grade out of Pontresina!! I knew that these trains were designed to take steep grades, but this is really exceptional, and looks it.
Swiss Landscape, Picture 2, near Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, Picture 2, near Pontresina, Switz…

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Here are some of the coniferous trees on the route.
Swiss Landscape, Picture 3, near Pontresina, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, Picture 3, near Pontresina, Switz…

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Here we are continuing to charge the grade out of Pontresina.
Swiss Landscape, Picture 4, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, Picture 4, Switzerland, 1998

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Although it wasn't sunrise or sunset, because I was shooting directly into the sun on this one, and the sun was behind a cloud, it gives that impression, I think. This is one of my favorite all time landscapes.
Swiss Landscape, Picture 5, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, Picture 5, Switzerland, 1998

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As we approached the treeline, we began to parallel a road, and ended up pacing this Opel Ascona, eventually outrunning it.
Pacing An Opel Ascona, Somewhere On The Bernina Express Route, Switzerland, 1998

Pacing An Opel Ascona, Somewhere On The Bernina Ex…

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Here we are side by side with the Opel.
Swiss Landscape, Picture 7, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, Picture 7, Switzerland, 1998

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At this point, we were still paralleling the road, and the Opel was long gone. You can see some trees on the right, but the treeline is mostly past at this point.
Swiss Landscape, Picture 8, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, Picture 8, Switzerland, 1998

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This was a ski lodge, if I'm not mistaken, which amazed me, actually. Many people ski from very high up.
Swiss Landscape, Picture 6, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, Picture 6, Switzerland, 1998

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Here's pretty much the end of the treeline, with a few last ones before the bare ice and rock.
Swiss Landscape, Picture 9, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, Picture 9, Switzerland, 1998

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This mountain looks very familiar, but I can't place it. Does anybody know which one it is?
Swiss Landscape, Picture 10, Switzerland, 1998

Swiss Landscape, Picture 10, Switzerland, 1998

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No trees in this shot, but the road is still there, and look at that grade!! Also, the curve is so sharp it would easily put a car in the ditch if the driver was going too fast. As it's rail curves that generally have to be wide, as trains are quite big, it gives an impression of how sharp, relatively speaking, this curve is, even given that it's narrow gauge. Notice also on the right that that's a frozen lake!!
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