Jul 24, 4:02 AM
When heritage runs out of steam in a dry summer
The Sursee-Triengen-Bahn has had to park its locomotive after drought turned a nostalgic ride into a fire risk.
A steam locomotive is charming until the countryside around it starts looking like a pile of matches. In Lucerne’s Surental, that is the awkward reality for the Sursee-Triengen-Bahn, which has kept its steam locomotive in the depot because heat, drought and wind have pushed the fire risk too far.
The line has run through the valley since 1912 and was never electrified, which once made it a neat relic and now makes operations more complicated. On the roughly nine-kilometre route, the company normally offers one historic steam trip a month in summer. This time, the Sunday run was cancelled. Matthias Emmenegger, the managing director, said the risk of fire was simply too high.
The concern is not theoretical, and this is where nostalgia meets physics. A steam locomotive can release embers in two places: at the chimney, where even a spark arrestor cannot completely rule out glowing particles in the exhaust, and in the firebox itself, where coal burns on a grate with air flowing through. Under current conditions, even the smallest ember could ignite a dry meadow or a grain field. Heritage is all very well, but not if it comes with a side order of arson.
The canton of Lucerne has kept an absolute fire ban in forests and near forests in place since 25 June. The ban also applies on the national holiday, according to the canton. In Central Switzerland, Uri has so far been the only other canton to impose a fireworks ban for 1 August. The region has, in other words, moved from postcard summer to administrative caution.
The Sursee-Triengen-Bahn is not alone in this predicament. Rigi Bahnen AG has cancelled the three planned trips next week with its cogwheel steam locomotive from Goldau to the Rigi. The Brünig-Dampfbahn will also stay idle on Sunday between Interlaken Ost and Giswil. On the Furka mountain route, steam is still running between Realp in Uri and Gletsch in Valais, but from Gletsch to Oberwald a diesel locomotive has taken over because of the wildfire danger. The Dampfbahn-Verein Zürcher Oberland, meanwhile, used a historic electric train instead of steam last Sunday.
For the Sursee-Triengen-Bahn, there is no easy substitute. The line is not electrified, and keeping a diesel locomotive ready for rare emergencies would be expensive and, in the company’s view, hardly worthwhile. Emmenegger says there is no sense in forcing the issue. That is a fairly sober judgment in a country that likes its traditions best when they can be preserved without much inconvenience.
The more interesting question is what comes next. The operators are now considering whether the steam runs in June and July should be shifted to spring and late autumn. The next steam trip is planned for the end of August, and up to 300 railway enthusiasts usually buy tickets. They will already have marked the date. The weather, naturally, is under no obligation to cooperate.
Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com
