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| two foot nine inch gauge railways | |
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HISTORY The railway was opened on 17 June 1892 , after two years construction period but was quickly in financial difficulties. The line was designed to carry 25,000 passengers per year but only managed 5,000 passengers in the first year. Tourist traffic was further affected by the opening of Schynige Platte Railway in 1895 and the Jungfraubahn in 1898 . The train service was suspended in August 1914 as a result of the First World War , but did not re-open when the war ended. Essential maintenance was carried out and a small amount of timber traffic was carried from Planalp in 1918 . Carriages were hired to the Schynige Platte Railway in 1924 and 1925 , providing money for the maintenance work. The line was finally re-opened on 13 June 1931 , the first train to reach the summit in 17 years having run 4 days earlier. The railway was in good condition because of the continuing maintenance. Unlike other Swiss mountain lines, the BRB was not electrified and this made the railway a special attraction as from 1953 to 1990 it was the only steam-operated line in Switzerland. ROUTE The BRB is 7.5 km long with a maximum gradient of 1 in 4 (25%) and includes 5 tunnels. It begins in Brienz at 566 m above Sea Level , opposite the station of the Swiss Federal Railways Brünigbahn . The Brünigbahn did not open here until 1916 so early travelers mainly arrived by boat. The railway is single track with three passing loops. The first passing loop is at Geldried, 1019m above sea level. The halfway passing loop of the line is Planalp station at 1341m above sea level. The older steam locomotives stop to take water. The third passing loop is at Oberstafel, 1819m above sea level. The upper terminus of the line is Rothorn Kulm station at 2244m, a little below the summit of the mountain. LOCOMOTIVES ROLLING STOCK
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