Please sign in to post.

More amazing Swiss engineering.....

Posted by (Vernon, Canada) on

A new Funicular has just opened connecting Schwyz (near Lucerne) and the small town of Stoos. This replaces an older Funicular that opened in 1933, and the new version is billed as the steepest in the world. One unusual feature is that the carriages are shaped like barrels, and rotate as the gradient gets steeper so that passengers are always level. As with many Swiss lifts, it also includes a cargo carrier on the front - http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42384814 . The Stoosbahn can apparently be reached via Post Bus from Schwyz in about 10 minutes.

Here's a photo of the small town of Stoos - http://www.schweiz-foto.ch/Schwyz/Schwyz_Stoos/Stoos_Dorf.jpg

Posted by
11342 posts

All I can say is "Wow!" Kind of off the beaten path for most of us, but I am thinking of how to include that on next year's trip. Thanks, Ken!

Posted by
16353 posts

I once looked into a stay in Stoos with my family on one of our hiking trips. It is a car-free village ( like Mürren, Gimmelwald, Wengen, etc.) which really appeals to us.

Posted by
981 posts

I once asked the owner of a local engineering shop how he manages to compete on an international scale, given the higher cost structure and he told me: "Easy, I invite the clients to visit us here in Switzerland and I show them train, tram and bus systems running on time, spectacular funiculars etc... and then pose the question: wouldn't you prefer to have the people that do all of this build your system?". He said it works about 8/10 times.

Posted by
32825 posts

Well now I have another stop to make. I saw the article in yesterday's Times too.

Thanks for spending more of my money, Ken.

Posted by
32214 posts

Nigel,

If it's any consolation, I will also likely be spending some money there on my next visit.

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.