At the steam train station, another buddy of ours was waiting for us; he had only just made it up to the Brienzer Rothorn (by cable car). Unfortunately, no one wanted to head down to the town of Brienz to spend the night with me, mostly citing saving money as the excuse. But I wasn't about to back down from my plan. As I've already written, I hate getting up at seven. My sleep is already crap as it is. Whenever I don't get enough sleep, I'm monstrously angry and miserable, even more so than usual. On the other hand, I love trains. Hence my decision.
We wanted to grab a bite, but at four o'clock the kitchen in the local cafeteria was already closed, only the booze was left. In the end, exhausted, starving, and sleep-deprived, we hastily drank some tea and parted ways. My mood was so-so, largely due to a lack of glucose.
I waited for the steam train, the ticket for which cost a pretty penny — 61 francs one way. Luckily, I got it for half price again, meaning 30, which is more tolerable. I picked a bad seat, in the second car, too close to the smoke coming out of the engine's funnel. Plus on the side where there are usually more cliffs and less wide-open space. What's more, before the start, the driver lowered the carriage shutters, which were pretty filthy from the locomotive exhaust. I was starting to think I wouldn't really see a thing. Thankfully, the shutters could be lifted up along the way, even though they jammed like hell. You see, even in Switzerland things aren't always perfect. I managed to snap some photos anyway, pressing up against some Asian chicks. They totally understood my Instagram impulse, snapping away the whole ride themselves. They were leaning out so far it's a miracle they didn't tumble out of the car.
They started building mountain trains in Switzerland a good century and a half ago. To keep their grip on the steep slopes, they all have a third rail with a rack-and-pinion gear. In the middle of the car, there's a cogwheel that latches onto the rail, which is why the whole thing doesn't just go barrelling down with terrifying force. The Swiss have perfected this system so much that there's a train running at a 48-degree angle, the steepest in the world. It's called The Pilatus Railway, and in places it looks absolutely surreal. This railway was invented and built by engineer Eduard Locher. In the process, he upgraded the cogwheel system for reliability and noise reduction. Two cogwheels were positioned horizontally, gripping the rail between them.
