A few years ago a girlfriend and I read in a RS book
about a train in Switzerland where the train goes through
several tunnels and during the trip a church appears 3
times on different sides of the train. does anyone know
which train this is and from where to where it travels?
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Yes, the place you are thinking of is Wassen, on the "old" Gotthard route. Since last year there is a new longer Gotthard tunnel, much faster as it avoids all the steep hills and loopbacks, but less scenic. There is still a train service over the old route, serving local traffic and tourists.
There are other loop-back tunnels on the old Gotthard route, where the line does a 360° turn in a tunnel to gain (or loose) height, and crosses over itself.
Map of the old and new Gotthard route, showing Wassen: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Gotthardbahn_map.png
Diagram of the rail line at Wassen: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Doppelschleife_der_Gotthardbahn_bei_Wassen.png
Local Tourist office site with photos: http://www.uri.info/en/wonderworld/train-experience,/wonderworld/train-experience/gotthard-train
