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The Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren (BLM) is a mountain railway in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland, which connects the communes of Lauterbrunnen and Mürren. The railway was opened in the year 1891, and since 1910 winter operation has also been possible.
The enterprise is made up of two differently laid out sections, which are connected in the Grütschalp station. From Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp the line consists of a 1.4km (0.9mi) long funicular, with maximum gradient of 60%. From Grütschalp to Mürren the line is continued as a 4.2km (2.6mi) long narrow gauge electric railway with a maximum upward gradient of 5% and using adhesion traction (ie. not rack and pinion). The line is single-track, with a passing loop at Winteregg (pronounced VEEN-ter-ehg) station. Both the funicular and electric railway have a track gauge of 1m (3ft3in), enabling the use of the funicular to transfer rolling stock to and from the electric railway. A travelling crane in the Grütschalp station is used to transfer goods between the two sections - well used since road access to Mürren is very difficult.
The BLM station at Lauterbrunnen is directly opposite the station for the Berner Oberland Bahn (BOB) to Interlaken, and the Wengernalpbahn (WAB) to Kleine Scheidegg and on up to Grindelwald.
Sources
- Book Tramways and Light Railways of Switzerland and Austria, ISBN 0900433965, by R.J.Buckley, published by the Light Rail Transit Association, 1984.
External links
- Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren (http://www.rail-info.ch/BLM/index.en.html) in English. Part of a site about the Swiss narrow gauge railways.de:Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren