🚆 Mountain cab ride on a very steep track uphill (Uetlibergbahn / S10 Zurich - Uetliberg)

While everything looks like a normal cab ride at first glance, it definitely isn't! This is the Uetlibergbahn, listed in the ZVV S-Bahn Zurich system as S10, which connects Zurich main station to Zurichs closest mountain, the Uetliberg. It runs on 1435mm standard gauge, but that's already all that is "standard" here. The Uetlibergbahn is one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world, climbing up to 79‰ - without the help of a cograil! It runs on 1200V DC and shares tracks with the Sihltalbahn (S4) from the same company, which uses the standard 15kV AC catenary. Due to this, the pantograph of the Uetlibergbahn had to be moved 1.3 meters to the right side, in order to be able to run both lines on the same tracks. The catenary offset is clearly visible in the video. We start in Zurich at 396m amsl and make our way up to 813m amsl. The top of Uetliberg is 869m high and is only a short hike away from the station.
That's about the Uetliberg, but let's not forget the importance of this railway for the commuter service. It is an important link for commuters and is highly used by commuters but also hikers, bikers and tourists alike. If you're ever in Zurich, definitely make a trip on this one - it is accessible with a standard ticket for the ZVV system! And while we're up there, why not enjoy a live view from the observation deck? Check out the webcam here: uetliberg.roundshot.co/
This video was done in cooperation with the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn (SZU), special thanks for making this video possible!
Locomotive/EMU: SLM/Siemens Be 520
Train stops at:
Zurich Main Station
Zurich Selnau
Zurich Binz
Zurich Friesenberg
Zurich Schweighof
Zurich Triemli
Uitikon Waldegg
Ringlikon
Uetliberg
Any questions? Just ask! Like what you see? Please like, subscribe and click the bell next to the subscription button to get notified instantly about new uploads! You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @swisscabrides !
All content is original content created by me and/or my affiliates and ANY use outside this channel requires written permission from me.
#RailwayEmotions #Switzerland #Uetliberg

[@SuperUnbenannt]

Der Triebwagen macht einen herrlichen Klang. Ich bin jetzt mehrfach mit der Uetlibergbahn gefahren, hatte aber nie das Vergnügen damit. Danke für die Videos! Grüße aus Deutschland

[@kyletopfer7818]

Weißt Du was die maximale Geschwindigkeit der Uetilbergbahn ist?

[@Cmoredebris]

I bought a computer and a nice monitor so I could do important financial work. Now, thanks to your wonderful videos, all I do is watch cab rides through my favorite country, Switzerland. So much more relaxing and productive!

[@stefanwernli190]

Tolles Video, tolle Strecke, danke. Ich war noch nie auf dem Uetliberg, jetzt schon mindestens virtuell.

[@bahnmann3765]

I'll be riding this train to the top of Uetliberg when I visit in Mid May. Thanks for the preview :)

[@manfredbenzing146]

Vielen Dank für Dein tolles Video.Sehr gute Aufnahmen.Du machst das immer ganz spitze.

[@johnhall3803]

Thank you for another wonderful trip

[@jmckenzie962]

Ha. I actually remember travelling on this line when I was 11 back in like 2011 - We were seeing family in Switzerland and my uncle took me and my brother up that mountain by train. So this was a bit of a weird nostalgia trip for me even though I live thousands of miles away in New Zealand. This line to me always seemed like a more "extreme" (?) version of the Johnsonville line here in Wellington, NZ. It's much less steep but it still has the similarity of going up a hill to serve Wellington's more affluent northern suburbs. The trains are small, the whole line just feels small, like a toy trainset version of the larger Wellington rail system - much like this line you show here. Anyways yeah, thanks for that weird trip down memory lane :P

[@railwaystuff]

Its actually still a normal railway

[@slycat1939]

AWESOME RIDE. LOVE THIS VIDEO. BE SAFE GOD BLESS.

[@amtrakharry]

That was amazing !!! Thank you for sharing !!! :):):)

[@patrick8490]

Merci pour vos vidéos très intéressantes, très bien réalisées et qui me font connaitre des régions suisses que je ne connaissais pas. Salutations de Bordeaux.

[@tonym7524]

Magnifique ballade à travers la forêt

[@RaiderfanCali]

Loved this!!!!! Just wish it was longer

[@jorgesalini9399]

Thanks from Buenos Aires, Argentina

[@iantaf5559]

That was a wonderful treat. It seems so strange to be travelling under such an offset contact wire!!! Bring us more of these wonderful Swiss mountain railways, please!!!👍🏼

[@juanantonio7800]

Fantastic video!!!😉

[@fralex4765]

Super Video. Vielen Dank

[@HopStepJunk]

Interesting position of the catenary !

[@chrisbillington3341]

Wow! Yikes. Not typical at all! It really does seem steep, and the way the track turns seems more like something RHB might have laid further yet in the mountains. Thank you. Fascinating.

[@RailwayEmotions]

It is really steep, while 7.9% is the maximum on a short segment only, large parts are well above 5-6%. Not a big deal for a rubber tire vehicle, but certainly a lot for steel on steel!

[@chrisbillington3341]

Knowing that now I could be quite ... uh ...attentive.. ..if I was a nervous passenger on the way back down!@@RailwayEmotions

[@bobparsons77]

Another great video. Bob Alberta.

[@greatbritishentertainmentl5636]

It would be a lovely ride if the sun was shining in a blue sky, but the video man can't guarantee good weather all the time.

[@Territet]

It's a long time since I went by train to Uetliberg, I must do it again when I'm visiting Zürich - but perhaps in warmer weather!

[@RailwayEmotions]

It's worth a visit in all seasons!

[@ivanildagomes7314]

Olá! Agradeço por esse passeio! Abraços.

[@billseymour-jones3224]

Wonderful video. Can we have the extra treat of the return journey, please?

[@RailwayEmotions]

You will see it very soon!

[@andy537]

Fantastic

[@AndreiTupolev]

Watching this again, it's fascinating to see the gradient getting steeper and steeper: 2.4% - 3.0% - 3.9% - 4.4% - 5.0%!! Good heavens.

[@RailwayEmotions]

You seem to have missed the one that says 79‰ ;-)

[@novuutheneolf3073]

Das klingt nach permanentmagneterregtem Synchronmotor - interessant! Gutes Video!

[@chriswood5205]

Wonderful video. Watching it has reminded me that it is several years since I last rode this line. When was Triemli rebuilt without its second platform and passing loop?.

[@zugfotografiethurgau7741]

Dies ist mein Lieblingslied wenn mich jemand fragt. Dieser Zug tönt so schön...

[@mrbluesky2050]

fascinating !

[@CoreyKinley]

awsome video

[@patrickfitzgerald2861]

All of that natural scenery so close to Zurich, and accessible by train! Wonderful! 😎

[@Neitherherenorthere970]

Lovely short run and an interesting type of electric multiple unit with the offset pantograph. One question - why doesn't the driver sound a warning to track workers, as they do here in the UK? I've noticed it on other Swiss cab rides.

[@RailwayEmotions]

Whenever a crew is working on the tracks, there is always one of them looking out for trains. We very rarely use the horn.

[@manmeetsinghmahajan6183]

Amazing.

[@stocksenthil5234]

It was wonderful day where I spent utikon waldegg which towards utliberg on last 2018

[@marcosantonio1006]

Assistir Railway Emotions em: 11/03/2022, ás 18:21 minutos, Sexta-Feira. Estado de Pernambuco - Brasil. Bom vídeo. Obrigado por postar esta bela obra de imagem postada por você.

[@KOLEJ22DrogaPrzygody]

Ach great video like 137 🎥👍👌🙌🏆🤴🥇

[@TPSSR]

Cooles Video. Die Strecke vom Voralpen Express wäre auch noch cool.

[@andreasperren3948]

In der Nacht von Ostersamstag (20.4.19) auf Ostersonntag (21.4.19) ist geplant, die Strecke des Voralpen-Express von Luzern nach St. Gallen aus dem Führerstand im Schweizer Fernsehen, SRF 1, zu zeigen, zwar in der Nacht mit Beginn um 02:10 h bis 04:15 h, aber immerhin. In dieser Nacht sind noch weitere Führerstandsmitfahrten von Schweizer Bahnstrecken geplant.

[@sebastianluque5234]

Gracias ¡¡¡

[@Schnabeltassentier]

Sehr interessante Strecke, mal was ganz anderes. Danke auch für die informative Videobeschreibung, sehr spannend! Ich wollte schon lange mal auf den Uetliberg, wo ich doch jeden Tag in Zürich arbeite, bin aber irgendwie noch nie dazu gekommen.

[@RailwayEmotions]

Du bist regelmässig in und um Zürich und warst noch NIE auf dem Uetliberg? Heieiei... Nachholbedarf! ;)

[@Schnabeltassentier]

@@RailwayEmotions Schande über mein Haupt ;) Hab mir vorgenommen, das bald nachzuholen.

[@noemihug6571]

Sehr schönes Video, könntet du als nächstes die S4 Zürich HB - Sihlwald machen.

[@RailwayEmotions]

Kommt demnächst!

[@JoeLikesTrains]

So thats how you get to that tower I always see on the A3 thanks

[@dieterschroers8914]

Sehr schöne und technisch interessante Strecke, wie immer in bester Qualität! Danke für´s hochladen. Bei der Angabe des Versatzes der Gleichstromfahrleitung fehlt ein "m". Wie steht es eigentlich um die Pläne die Strecke auch auf 15 kV umzustellen?

[@RailwayEmotions]

Danke für den Hinweis, habe es korrigiert. Die Pläne werden meines Wissens nach früher oder später in die Realität umgesetzt, dafür braucht es aber vermutlich erstmal einen Ersatz für die alten Gleichstromtriebwagen.

[@danderg3278]

Die Umstellung auf 15 kV ist - auch wenn der Bahnkunde davon noch nichts merkt - mittlerweile voll im Gange. Das Plangenehmigungsverfahren wurde im August 2019 beim BAV eingereicht, im Juni 2021 sollen die Bauarbeiten starten. Im August 2022 ist dann die Inbetriebnahme der neuen AC-Anlagen geplant.

[@haraldvonmengden6621]

Die Umstromung auf 15kv wurde im August 2022 abgeschlossen

[@AndreiTupolev]

Friesenberg (dep 6:02) to Schweighof (arr 6:35) must be one of the shortest distances between stops anywhere.

[@SuperUnbenannt]

It’s strange isn’t It? As you have passed the platform with the last part of the train, you’ve already arrived

[@soviet_salsa2983]

i rode the s10 to uetliberg when the track was still under construction

[@trainboy3534]

How come the catenaries look like they’re nonoverheaded?

[@onnomulder9775]

Why does the overhead wire not hang above the center of the track?

[@RailwayEmotions]

Well spotted, check the video description, there's a story behind this!

[@Voyagerch75]

Die Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn wäre auch eine interessante Strecke für ein Video.

[@sidiboy69cr79]

ja bitte wäre richtig nice

[@andreandre1282]

Интересно, а почему контактная сеть и пантограф не по центру,а смещены в сторону?

[@rosanegriaspajorodriguez9006]

Hallo, um 5:38 Uhr fährt ein Zug von Zürich Giesshübel Richtung Uetliberg ab: Wie kommt der Fahrgast an Bord? Zu anderen Tageszeiten ist der Einstieg in die Uetlibergbahn ab Zürich Giesshübel nicht möglich. Vielen Dank für Ihre Mitarbeit und für die Schweizer Präzision.

[@zoqaeski]

What an interesting line. I wonder why the Uetlibergbahn wasn't switched over to the standard voltage when the line was extended to Zürich HB? According to the ZVV timetable, in peak hours there are twelve trains in each direction on the section between Giesshübel and Zürich HB, and yet half of those are restricted to just one track. How do you do it? In Australia services like this would be regarded as totally impossible… our railway company management need to be taken to Switzerland and shown how it's done.

[@RailwayEmotions]

Switching the voltage is the easiest part, but you forgot the vehicles. Yes, it gets very crowded in the tunnel during rush hour. I don't drive there myself, but it definitely is a high precision job to get all those trains through on time.

[@thomasgabler3476]

Uetlibergbahn Trains can pass each other between Zürich HB and Selnau, Sihltal trains between Selnau and Giesshübel, so it's not that big of a problem.

[@zoqaeski]

@@thomasgabler3476 On a rewatch of the return journey I spotted a couple of crossovers in the tunnels that allows that routing which I missed before. I still think Swiss drivers and signallers must have superhuman abilities compared to Australians, as the level of service you operate on your lines is regarded as impossible here. Our railway managers (and politicians, who hold the purse strings) are lacking in vision and competency. Instead of optimising our infrastructure, we spend millions to billions of dollars on infrastructure that is badly-designed, and don't build any redundancy into our systems to cope with varying loads.

[@constanttinne]

Can somebody explain, why the pantographs are on the side, and not in the middle of the roof?

[@RailwayEmotions]

The video description usually explains everything. ;-)

[@seanmcerlean]

So daamge vilmols.das var wonderschön

[@lindasherman9921]

Do trains ever fail to get up the grade? If so, what happens?

[@RailwayEmotions]

I highly doubt it, they may struggle in extremely bad conditions, but with the help of sand and accelerating slowly it should be possible to climb the tracks in pretty much all situations. Since I don't drive there myself, I can only speak for much flatter tracks and we always get moving, but it does take more time than in optimal conditions.

[@aviano72]

Great video ! So this was filmed by some friends at SZU ?

[@RailwayEmotions]

No, it was filmed by me, but in cooperation with SZU. I do not work for them and had to arrange the filming and they gladly accepted!

[@SuperUnbenannt]

Eine Frage habe ich dann doch noch: einer der beiden Haltepunkte Friesenberg oder Schweighof könnte doch getrost wegfallen - warum diese immens kurze Distanz?

[@EMTRailfan]

That was a nice ride. Can you explain your grade 79% there please? Here in the US, our _% grade is the number of feet rise or drop over a travel of 100 feet, so an incline with a 3% grade would rise/drop 3 feet over 100 feet of travel.

[@THjelm]

It's the same thing. However, the incline is not 79% but 79‰, parts per thousand. So you are looking at a 7.9 percent incline.

[@EMTRailfan]

@@THjelm Thanks

[@enemanozzle]

Dies war noch vor dem Umbau von DC 1,2 kV auf 1 AC 15 kV 16 2/3 Hz.

[@MichaelBeeny]

Looks like a very little used line!. Great trip from here however.

[@RailwayEmotions]

If a train every 10 minutes is "very little used" by your definition, that's fine for me. ;)

[@jamesvickers5551]

Do these trains have an offset pantograph???

[@RailwayEmotions]

They do - take a look into the video description!

[@kingshivba365]

I want to work for SBB and want to serve myself to this beautiful country, what are the required qualifications ?

[@Xavier_stepson]

company.sbb.ch/de/jobs-karriere/beweg-die-schweiz-mit-uns/bahnberufe/berufsbild-lokfuehrerin.html

[@kingshivba365]

@@Xavier_stepson , Vielen Dank bro, aber ich bin Ausländer, so ist es möglich für mich für die stelle von Lokoführer zu bewerben ?

[@Xavier_stepson]

@@kingshivba365 Auf der SBB seite steht folgendes: Sie erfüllen zudem folgende Anforderungen: Sie haben eine 3-jährige Berufslehre oder Matura abgeschlossen (Eine abgeschlossene Ausbildung oder du kommst vom Gymnasium) Für diese anspruchsvolle Arbeit sind sie gewissenhaft, zuverlässig und bereit im 24-Stunden Schichtbetrieb zu arbeiten. Sie sind körperlich und psychisch belastbar und können mit ihrer eigenverantwortlichen Arbeitsweise schnell und richtig reagieren. Sie sind verhandlungssicher sowohl mündlich wie auch schriftlich in der Sprache des Arbeitsortes und bringen Kenntnisse einer zweiten Landessprache (A1) mit. Sie verfügen über einen einwandfreien Farbsinn (keine Rot- / Grünschwäche). Neben den gängigen Dokumenten, legen Sie bitte Ihrer Bewerbung folgende Dokumente bei: Auszug aus dem Strafregister (nicht älter als 6 Monate). Aufenthaltsbewilligung B, C oder G (wenn nötig). Als Ausländer solltest du bei einer Bewerbung dahre keine grossen Probleme haben. Es gibt auch verschiedene Ausbildungsstandorte (z.B Luzern oder Winterthur) da fährt man halt leicht verschiedene Züge. Aber evtl. wird man sich ja in Zukunft in der Lokführerausbildung treffen ;)

[@kingshivba365]

@@Xavier_stepson ja, sicher , sehr gerne 🙂 Wow, das ist sehr nett von dir. Vielen Dank für die Information. Zuerst versuche ich für die Aufenthaltsbewilligung, dann könnte ich für die Ausbildung anmelden. Danke dir 🙏🏼👍🏼

[@Xavier_stepson]

@@kingshivba365 Falls du noch mehr über den Beruf wissen willst, kannst du an Infoanlässen Teilnehmen (ist auf der Website auffindbar) Momentan via Teams dort könntest du auch fragen stellen

[@joselitopereira7596]

Boa tarde Abreu e Lima Pernambuco Brasil

[@JeffreyJakucyk]

Love the offset catenary and pantographs. I assume this route uses 1,200 volt DC current because it gives better torque and power for climbing the steep grades? It must be necessary otherwise the non-standard electrical system (which require the trains to never turn around) wouldn't be worth the trouble. Where I live there was a narrow-gauge line built in 1877 called the Cincinnati, Georgetown and Portsmouth Railroad. It climbed an 8% grade to the hilltops on Cincinnati's east side, which required helper locomotives and very short trains. Even after it was electrified and converted to standard-gauge in 1902, they still had a lot of trouble climbing that hill with a 600 volt DC system. www.jjakucyk.com/transit/cgp.html

[@chriswood5205]

It was built in 1875 and electrified in 1923. Its original electric rolling stock was very tram/streetcar like, even to the extent of plans (never fulfilled) of converting the line to metre gauge and connecting it to the city tramway system. That is probably why it was electrified using DC. The reason it has, at least until now, stayed that way can be seen at 05:38, where there is a level crossing with one of the lines of the city's trolleybuses. They run off DC too (albeit 600V) and it is a lot easier to contrive the crossing if there is no AC involved. That said, the newer trains can run off both DC and AC, and there are more on order to replace the earlier DC only stock. Plus most (all?) of the trolleybuses now have traction batteries and can run quite considerable distances off the wires with automated de/rewiring. So it is likely that the line will be converted to AC in the not too distant future, which will considerably simplify the operation of the shared double-track section between Hauptbahnhof and Binz/Friesenberg.

[@danderg3278]

​@@chriswood5205 This is absolutely correct, the line will be converted to 15 kV AC within the following years. Construction work will start this summer and the new system is planned to enter service in August 2022.

[@danderg3278]

The standard electrical system for railways in Switzerland is 15 kV single-phase AC. The 1200 (or similar) V DC system however is one of the the cheapest and easiest solutions for powering trains, therefore it was used by many small railway companies in Switzerland. Also DC traction engines were the best option to use on a train for a very long time, since power and speed can be regulated easily via resistors. The insulation of the live parts can be much smaller, since the voltage is only around 1/10 of the other system. This can easily be seen in the video, where the insulators in the middle are much longer than the ones on the side. But: Power equals voltage*current. Therefore, in order to get the same power output, you need 10 times the current when using 1500V instead of 15kV. The current is what heats up your wires and heating up wires is just loss of energy. So the lower voltage system is only suitable for short railway networks with trains that have a small power output (e.g. tramways, subways). This is why AC is used on the main network: It can be transformed to high voltages easily, making it possible to supply many trains requiring much power spread over a big network, while keeping the losses small. Generating a constant high voltage DC was not possible at the time, since transformers only work with AC. Also you can just put a transformer in your engine and then you're back at a reasonable low voltage ideal, for the traction motors. So in conclusion this means, that 1200VDC is the easier-to-use system than 15kVAC and fitted the needs of small companies better. But if you have many trains consuming power at the same time, spread over long distances, your losses in the wires will get huge. This btw is, why we use 380kV (at least in Europe) for long-distance power transmission, to keep the losses at a minimum. The SBB also operates an additional supply grid, running 132 and 66kV to connect various power- and switching stations. The germans use 110kV for this. A very nice example for DC to be a limiting factor in power output are multi-system engines. Let's have a look at the ICE 3, a German highspeed train. There is a multi system version of it, capable to operate in France (25kVAC) and the Netherlands (1.5kVDC). The nominal power output of this EMU is 8000kW under the two higher voltage systems, but only 4300 kW under 1500V. This would be a problem for very demanding routes with a lot of heavy traffic. There are such routes in the Netherlands: The HSL-Zuid (highspeed line) and the Betuweroute (lots of international freight trains) have been electrified at 25kV AC in order to supply enough power to the trains operating there. Also, with today's new vehicles, the input voltage and frequency is basically irrelevant for the motor. Since the 70s/80s, locomotives have variable frequency drives and use 3-phase AC motors. This means, that any AC input voltage will be rectified to DC. The active part of the VFD consists of 6 transistors, that form 3 phase AC with any frequency and amplitude (the amplitude cannot be higher than the input voltage though). Therefore, there is no direct connection between the motor drive voltage and the input voltage.

[@dziltener]

@@danderg3278 Thank you for the interesting explanation!

[@bobmoseley4978]

Great video! Really enjoy seeing these cab rides. Just a thought, but I think you'll find the max gradient is 7.9% and not 79%, which would be very impressive if true!

[@RailwayEmotions]

If you look again, I wrote 79‰ which is exactly 7.9%. ;)

[@bobmoseley4978]

@@RailwayEmotions My apologies. We Brits would always write that as 7.9% which is the thing that confused me. Still a great video and thanks for sharing.

[@RailwayEmotions]

No worries, I‘ve discovered that percent is more common in english speaking countries. However when talking trains and grades, we always use ‰ here. The trackside signals that show the grades are also in ‰.

[@marcchristianweber1878]

Station ZRH-Schweighof kann ersatzlos gestrichen werden!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Someone went all the way up there for the purposes of leaving their tag on that ugly concrete hut at 15:33? Mind you, whoever constructed that ugly concrete hut there should have to answer to someone.

[@doppio4ever862]

C'est pas souvent que cette motrice monte là en haut!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Those pantographs look really odd.

[@Taperet]

A fantastic video, but please do not cut the recording when waiting in front of a red stop signal ;) Thank you

[@RailwayEmotions]

I always cut down all stops to show an actual cab ride and not a train in standstill.

[@Taperet]

@@RailwayEmotions Sometimes, when you wait while stopped, other trains cross in the opposite direction and are interesting to watch, but do what you think is convenient

[@RailwayEmotions]

I see your point and I do actually try to catch these trains that cross. But I also pause the recording during standstill and if I'm too late realizing that there's another train coming, that footage is missing. ;)

[@calledrelaxo8006]

Leider mit dem alten Modell :(

[@RailwayEmotions]

Zu meinem Erstaunen stand da tatsächlich das alte Gerät, auf welchem ich filmen sollte. Da ich als Lokführer alte Maschinen bevorzuge (man ist einfach "mehr Lokführer") und nur der alte Triebwagen diesen charakteristischen Klang hat, hat mich das umso mehr gefreut.

[@calledrelaxo8006]

Railway Emotions Ja kann ich verstehen. Das war unter der Woche, oder? Es hat mich einfach erstaunt, dachte es fahren nur noch neue Fahrzeuge bis auf den Uetliberg und die alten nur bis Triemli.

[@RailwayEmotions]

Richtig, das war ganz bewusst unter der Woche, damit der viele Freizeitverkehr nicht mit drauf ist. Anscheinend wurde kurzfristig etwas umdisponiert, weswegen der alte Zug zum Einsatz kam.

[@6marco5]

Und wieder einmal stehen die Gleisarbeiter nur da und tun nichts...... ;-)

[@peterpeyer3146]

das währe meine nächste Berufswahl

[@robertgambling502]

Obviously track workers cannot do track work while train is running by. Once the train is by, back to work they go.