Bernina Railway cab ride -- Tirano, Italy to St. Moritz, Switzerland

Well, I can't go to Europe right now, but I can do the next best thing, taking a cab ride in 4K via YouTube on the Berninia Railway from Tirano, Italy to St. Mortiz, Switzerland. Boy, what a scenic trip!



Now, relative to the discussion on service categories, this line at times seems like an interurban trolley with street running, though most of the time it's just one heck of a specular mountain railroad, complete with a spiral viaduct and all kinds of curvy tunnels and snowsheds. Another interesting thing is that I'm not sure it ever even hits 80 km/hr (50 mph), when the speed is indicated on the video, they're usually going 30 - 50 km/hr, sometimes even more slowly. At times the route parallels the highway, the cars just whiz on by, and given that it's a 2-lane road with pretty nary lanes and no shoulder, I don't think the cars are going much faster than 80 - 100 km/hr. So somehow the Rhaetian Railway, who owns the line, manages to get enough business to keep it going, even though by no means can it compete for speed with automobiles. That should give some though to everybody who thinks that trains need to run at 300 km/hr in order to compete with automobiles.

This is one line that I have actually traveled on a couple of times, always on local trains and not on any famous Express.

This was certainly a highlight of our 2017 trip to Europe. We especially liked the small town of Tirano. It felt like we were traveling through a model railroad with some of the improbable grades, curves, and bridges. Certainly spectacular and the equipment and service was superior. Can't beat Switzerland's transportation network. Perhaps Amtrak can copy these 'sightseer' coaches for the new single level fleet - but better do it in standard gauge!

Those mountain railway videos are so relaxing (and addictive) to watch - the gorgeous scenery makes me want to strap on my knapsack and hop on the train to get to some trails to do some hiking and exploring!