Trip up to Jungfrau Joch
The Jungfrau railway (German: Jungfraubahn, JB) is an 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3/8 in) gauge rack railway which runs 9 kilometres from Kleine Scheidegg to the highest railway station in Europe at Jungfraujoch. The railway runs almost entirely within a tunnel built into the Eiger and Mönch mountains and contains two stations in the middle of the tunnel, where passengers can disembark to observe the neighbouring mountains through windows built into the mountainside. The line is electrified at 3-phase 1,125 volts 50 Hertz, and is one of four lines using three-phase electric power.
The JB is under the management of the Jungfraubahn Holding company, which also comprises the Wengener Alp Bahn (WAB) which links to the JB at Kleine Scheidegg and has two routes down the mountain, to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, from where the Berner Oberland Bahn (BOB) connects to the Federal Railways at Interlaken.
The Jungfrau Bahn is celebrating its centenary this year and we took the oportunity to travel to Interlaken with the motor home and then with the train to Jungfrau Joch.
The following series of photos will give you an idea what the trip is like, but it doesn't really do it justice. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the mountains and the experience of walking through a glacier, which has exhibits carved into the glacial ice, was really special. I hope you enjoy the photos.
View from the rack railway looking down towards Lauterbrunnen.
Lauterbrunnen.
Looking down on Wengen
View from just before Kleine Scheidegg looking up to Jungfrau Joch. The top station is visible in the top right hand corner.
Top station in center at top.
Station Eigerglacier.
The Glacier, through the carriage window.
View from the station viewing window at Eiger north face, looking north west
and looking north east to Grindelwald.
This is looking straight down the north face from the viewing window.
Again looking towards Grindelwald
and looking northe west.
Looking towards Interlaken, which is on the lake in the fog.
The train was a brand new unit manufacured by Stadler Rail. Nothing like a normal mountain railway.
View from the station at Eismeer. (Ice sea)
Close ups of the glaciers at Eismeer.
Typical viewing window, here at Eismeer.
The Jungfrau from the top station viewing window.
The top of Europe!
Walking through the tunnel to the Ice Palace
Everything is ice, but so cold that it is dry.
Beautiful sculptures cut into the glacial ice.
Here the layers in the ice are visible.
The Jungfrau, 4158 m.
The Mönch, 4107 m.
The Sphinx, 3569 m. The highest part we reached, by lift.
View of the Aletsch Glacier
Aletsch Glacier
Jungfrau.
The start of the glacier below the Jungfrau.
Looking across the glacier towards the Trugberg, 3933 m.
Old photo of the Sphinx with the Aletsch Glacier behind
View of part of the railway taken on our descent
and again from further away.
Approaching Wengen from above.
Station at Wengen
Wengen
Church at Wengen
Looking from the church at Wengen down towards Lauterbrunnen.
Bsack at our camp place in Interlaken West.
Reception at Camping Alpenblick
A walk beside the lake early the next morning.
Reflections, Lake of Thun
Lake of Thun
