Blonay–Chamby Museum Railway, Heritage railway in Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District, Switzerland.
The Blonay-Chamby Museum Railway is a meter gauge line that runs from Blonay up to the village of Chamby, operating original trains from the early 1900s. The route follows the slope and provides views of the surrounding landscape as restored steam and electric locomotives pull passenger and freight cars.
The line was built around 1900 to connect villages in the region with smaller, nimble trains, since narrow gauges worked better in mountain areas. In the 1960s, a group of railway fans rescued the nearly abandoned route and turned it into an ongoing preservation project.
The meter gauge railway reflects how mountain communities relied on compact rail lines to connect with lowland areas over many decades. Visitors can observe how these smaller trains were built to handle tight curves and steep slopes.
The railway operates on weekends from May through October and offers a relaxed journey into the mountains without much hassle. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes, since the stations and some areas may require a bit of walking to reach.
This railway houses the world's largest collection of preserved meter gauge rolling stock, a collection found nowhere else. Many of the locomotives and cars once worked in snowy terrain and on extreme slopes, which explains their sturdy construction.
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