The grand tour. Day 25.Tirano (Italy) to Zurich (Switzerland)

02 Friday Oct 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Italy, Photography, Railways, Switzerland, The Grand Tour, Travel

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Italy, Photography, Railways, Switzerland, The Grand Tour, Travel

09:00.

So, it’s chiao Italy. I’m heading back to Switzerland on regional express trains, changing several times en-route. They’re far less busy than the Bernina express – and the windows open, making them great for photography.

Today’s weather is looking promising and I’m in no great rush to get to Zurich, so let’s see how the day goes. Here’s my 1st class coach.

Haveing done the most scenic part of the route a few times yesterday I’ve made sure that I’m in a good seat on the train.

15:00.

Well, what can I say? I couldn’t have asked for better weather. Every glacier was clear of cloud and there was ample time to lean out of windows and take photos. I’ve been so engrossed in doing that despite changing trains several times that it’s only now that I’m on a German ICE from Chur towards Zurich that I’ve time to plug the laptop in and start to download pictures. This really is a superb way of seeing the Alps at their finest. I’ll certainly be back as the walking/hiking opportunities look fantastic. Dawn would love it. Well, maybe not spending quite so much time focussed on trains!

I’ll update this blog with a selection of camera pictures later.

22;00.

Well, that was the plan, but a couple of things have gone awry. I’d forgotten that Switzerland likes to be different, so not only does it have its own currency it also has its own style of power point plug socket. because of this I ended up staying on a German ICE from to Chur to Basel rather then getting off at Zurich as it allowed me to download the camera into my laptop whilst trying to keep everything else charged. Foolishly, when I got to my accommodation – I thought there might be a range of sockets on offer. Bad move. Oh, where I’m staying in central Zurich (kerching!) is an interesting one too. Like so many hotels now, there’s no staff and everything’s done over the internet. Only this place has taken it one step further. when you book you have to download an app to your phone. Click on the app and it gives you access to the hotel – and then your room! I think I much prefer the old-style hotel I stayed in last night, which had real, live people on reception. Any problem? Ask a human.

So, tonight’s picture update is postponed. Right now the most important thing is letting my phone charge off my power bank as the phone holds my Interrail ticket – and bookings.

I’ll be up at sparrowfart tomorrow as i need to be on an early train from Zurich in order to get to my next port of call. Aachen. As I’ll be spending most of my day on German trains I’ll be able to upload pictures.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
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Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 24. Bumbling around the Bernina.

01 Thursday Oct 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Food and drink, Italy, Photography, Railways, Switzerland, The Grand Tour, Travel

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The law of Sod came into effect today. Having spent the first few hours of the morning swapping hotels to save a few bob, the plan was to spend a day exploring the Bernina railway right up to the summit of the line at Ospizio Bernina, which is 7403 feet (or 2256 m if you prefer) above sea level. It’s where one of the pictures from my previous blog was taken.

The day started well. I caught the local train from Tirano and shared a carriage with a lovely group which consisted of three retired couples from the Philippines. Then we were unexpectedly joined by a face who was rather familiar – in the shape of a retired railwayman from the UK. What are the chances? Well, on this railway they’re probably pretty good!

Sharing a window view with a friend from the UK who just happened to get on the same coach on the same train.

The only problem was the weather. I now realise just how lucky I was to be able to get the pictures I took on the way the other day, as the higher we got, the thicker the cloud became. Close to the summit we literally couldn’t see a thing as we were in cloud level. Whilst my Philipino friends departed at Alp Grum, where there *should* be fantastic views (and a lovely restaurant in the station building). I stayed on for one more stop to Ospizio Bernina. It’s a bit of a desolate place, but with a wild beauty. Like Grum, there’s a small restaurant in the station building, but be warned – it doesn’t accept credit cards – only cash. I hung around hoping the clouds would lift, but it didn’t look like it would be anytime soon so I grabbed a few pictures and caught the next train back to Grum, where I joined my new friends for a very chatty and convivial lunch. Afterwards, they headed up to St Moritz whilst I headed back down to Poschiavo which is a lovely old town but also a depot for the railway.

The more we dropped down towards Tirano the better the weather became which allowed me to get a half-decent shot of the spiral and viaduct at Bruscio. Having got back to Tirano I did make one more brief foray up the railway, but this time to get pictures from the very back of the train. By this time, most of the local trains were pretty empty, giving you a choice of seats and windows to lean out of. But by now, the sun had disappeared behind the Alps, so I gave up and came home. Depending on how the weather performs tomorrow, I may have one more crack at pictures at the summit on my way to Zurich, even though I’ll have a suitcase with me so won’t be able to go far. We’ll see.

In the meantime, here’s a few pictures from today.

Looking across the lake from Ospizio Bernina station. There’s a glacier behind there somewhere…

A regional train bound for Tirano arrives at Ospizio Bernina.

one of the lines old ‘steeple cab’ electric locomotives on the depot at Poschiavo

No, it’s not a model railway – this is real!

You can get an impression of the gradients on the railway when you look back from the end of the train and it looks like the line’s dropped off the edge of the world.

Back in town – and as it’s my last night in Italy, I treated myself to another pizza. God, now I’m stuffed! It’s back to eating salads from supermarkets for the rest of the week, just to make up for it! Cracking pizza tho’….

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 23. Taking time out in Tirano.

30 Wednesday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Italy, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

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After yesterday’s rather epic journey from Berlin, through Switzerland to Italy I was knackered by the time I arrived in the lovely Alpine town of Tirano. I was in bed not long after 20;00 as I desperately needed sleep. When I woke up this morning I decided to take stock, take some time out and revisit my plans. I was determined to make it to Italy and originally had the idea of pressing on to Milan and maybe Turin. Today I decided otherwise and stay in Tirano for a couple more nights. Today’s been a day for leaving the camera bag at home and giving my body a rest. Instead I’ve carried the camera around with just a couple of lenses, which has certainly given My back and shoulders a break. I’ve ambled rather than route marched, and even I’ve eaten in restaurants rather then out of supermarkets. It’s been a refreshing break from the hectic pace of the last three weeks. Even so, I’ve still clocked up over 11 miles and 21,000 steps.

Part of taking time out was so that I could have chance to work out how I’m going to get back the the UK. I’d a number of scenarios in mind, which included getting an overnight ferry from the hook of Holland back to Harwich, but as I’m staying here in Tirano my plans of changed. Now I’ll be heading back to Zurich for a night, then making my way to Aachen in Germany, another town I’ve not visited before. After that I’ll be making my way back through Belgium and France to Calais for a the night before getting the ferry back the way I came – Dover. I’ve an Interrail day in the bank with not having travelled anywhere today, so I’m going to spend it travelling back from Kent to Halifax a day later than planned, but I’ll still be home in time for tea – and to prepare to head off to Swindon the next day on a commission!

Tomorrow I’ll be having a day out exploring the route of the Bernina express – but by the same local trains that I arrived on. They’re much more fun as you can lean out of the open windows, so they’re far better for photography. I managed to get some good pictures yesterday, but the line’s so scenic one trip isn’t enough.

Anyways, here’s some pictures from yesterday, and today…

The Bernina express running through the streets on the entrance to Tirano.

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 22. Maybe I’ll go to Amsterdam…

29 Tuesday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Photography, Railways, Switzerland, The Grand Tour, Travel

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03:15.

Fans of Joni Mitchell will get the reference here. Although I have to admit to being sorely tempted…

I’m currently kicking my heels in the vast and rather magnificent Frankfurt Haubtbahnhof where a simple change of trains has proved to be rather more complex as the curse of DB strikes again. I’m here to transfer from the train from Berlin (which was lovely) to the train to Zurich. I’ve no idea if that’s going to be lovely or not as it’s running 90 minutes late! Just as well I hadn’t booked any onward connections in Zurich then, although I do have a hotel room waiting for me in Tirano – if I can get there. DB have an interesting excuse for late running. The Brits would blame other operators or freight trains. In Germany long distance trains are late “due to delays abroad”.

Frankfurt station at 03:30 is still a busy place. Several foodstalls remain open to cater for the international travellers who seem to make up the majority of those here right now. Well, us and the handful of vagrants who make the place their sanctuary. The Amsterdam reference? That’s due to the OBB Nightjet service that’s pulled into the platform next to mine and left on time.

On the bright side, although the seasons change is reflected in the colours in the autumn leaves it’s still remarkably mild. Temperatures hit the mid 20s in Berlin today and I’m still wearing shorts now. Hopefully the weather in Switzerland and Italy will be the same.

Damn. That train direct from Frankfurt to Amsterdam is giving me ideas…

04:30.

We’re off! Some smart work saw a swift locomotive change (Frankfurt is a terminus). On this train it was just as well I reserved a seat as it’s packed. There’s only one first class coach but virtually every seat’s taken. I’ve a single seat which in which a young Japanese girl was stretched out across. Of course she apologised and moved as soon as I arrived. Looking around the coach is like seeing the flags of the united nations. So many different nationalities are represented here. The one thing that jars with me? I’m probably the oldest person in the coach…

08:00.

I managed to get some sleep on the train and now I’ve wojen up in a new country. Good morning Switzerland! Our first stop has been Basel, where 99% of the occupants of my coach decamped, leaving just 5 of us for the rest of the trip to Zurich.

My first impressions of Switzerland? The amount of railfreight is massive. But then so is their rail infrastructure. The other thing? Graffiti. For such a supposedly law-abiding country, it’s endemic. I have to say – if there’s one thing the UK does well compared to Europe it’s cleaning up grafitti.

11:30.

We eventually arrived into Zurich 55 late, which wasn’t too bad. I was in no rush anyway so I made the most of my time by taking pictures around the vast station and surrounds. Now I’m on the train to Chur and enjoying views like this.

The grand tour day 21. Bye, bye Berlin.

28 Monday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

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10:18.

I had a lovely (if late) night with and old friend and colleague from my Siemens days. Ellen no longer works for Siemens Mobility which means we don’t get to see each other as often, so it was great to spend the evening catching up.

Adding to my interesting mix of hotels, last nights bed was in a homestay. I stayed with a lovely German chap of Lebanese birth who rents out the spacious spare room in his apartment in the Gesundbrunnen district. The area’s a multi-ethnic melting pot with a great mix of cafes and local restaurants with food to suit all tastes.

Now I’m packing up and heading to Berlin HbF to dump my suitcase before going for a wander. Back with pictures soon…

13:30.

Having made it to the Hauptbahnhof the first job was to leave my bag, which is easier said than done. Left luggage lockers of a decent size were at a premium. I enxed up going round and round for about 10 minutes until I found one that was free. It reminded me of motorists driving round a busy car park, hoping someone will leave! The other thing is the toilets, which take the pee in more ways than one. I’ve rarely seen a queue for a gents, but the HbF achieves it, mainly because they charge a €1.50 and the machine is so slow queues build up.

Bag dumped I headed back to Geshundbrunnen with the idea of getting pictures in the area. There’s an old WW2 flak tower which I wanted to visit, but as I was taking pictures at the station a Polish train came in that was heading across the border at Frankfurt (Oder). I stayed there during my last Innotrans in 2022. The train was only going to take an hour to cover the journey so I thought “why not?”. I quickly entered the trip details in my Interrail ticket app and there you go! I’m now paying a flying visit to Frankfurt!

This train has a buffet car and if the journey was longer I’d have been very tempted to have polished off a Polish lunch on board!

Today’s mix of travellers includes an American family (unusual) and a handful of medal wearing Poles on their way home from yesterday’s Berlin marathon.

15:30.

Well, that was fun! I was in Frankfurt (Oder) for little more than an hour but I discovered some interesting history – both railway and political, as well as getting some useful pictures. I also made sure the train I booked back to Berlin was another Polish service in order to eat in the buffet car, where I treated myself to a traditional Polish shoup with dark bread.

East German railways (DR) live on at Frankfurt (Oder) in the shape of these old Class 243 locomotives which still bear the livery and branding of the past.

Traditional Polish Rye soup. Made with bacon, boiled egg, white sausage, onion, garlic, horseradish and marjoram.

Just by the station is a fascinating memorial to staff who lived (and died) in railway service – no matter where borders changed.

23:45.

Having had a fantastic time in Berlin and a goodbye beer with Ellen in a biergarten by the Hauptbahnhof I’m now heading for Switzerland. I was worried that trains might be busy so I booked 1st class seats. I needen’t have worried. My coach is almost empty. Right now I’m on ICE699 which is bound for Munich, although I’ll be transferring to another service at Frankfurt. Only DB being DB have helpfully texted me to say my connection’s running 40 minutes late. Good job I didn’t book my onward trip from there, eh?

Still, I’m enjoying the luxury of an uncrowded 1st Class ICE. Let’s hope the next one’s the same, but now it’s time to get a couple of hours sleep.

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 20. Back to Berlin…

27 Sunday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Germany, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

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Dresden, europe, Germany, History, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

with my time in Dresden being short I was up early in order to enjoy a lighting walking tour of the Alstadt (old town). With it being early – and a Sunday, Dresden was very quiet indeed – which made picture taking so much easier! The weather Gods has smiled upon me too as we had yet more blue skies. Dresden is another European city where the sheer size and scale of the buildings can’t fail to impress. What’s also impressive is the way the city has been restored after the terrible bombings it suffered at the hands of the British and Americans towards the end of World War 2, in February1945.

I’d loved to have stayed and explored more. Not just the city itself but also the expansive rail network. The city’s very much a hub for freight traffic which is interesting to see for a Briton brought up in a country that’s done its best to get freight off (not on) the railways.

The countryside around Dresden looks interesting too. There’s rolling hills and what look like vineyards, which is a refreshing change from the flatness of the areas of Scandinavia and Northern Europe that I’ve traversed on this trip so far. I’m looking forward to putting that right…

Now I’m back in Berlin for just over 24 hours before beginning the trek to Southern Europe through countryside that’s anything but flat!

Here’s a couple of pictures from today’s wanderings to whet your appetite.

The Fürstenzug is a mural made of porcelain tiles which depicts Saxon rulers throughout the ages.

This is the Frauenkirche, a Baroque church reconsecrated in 2005 after being destroyed in World War 2.

A DB class 232 pauses at Neustadt for a crew change. nicknamed ‘Ludmillas’ these engines were built by the Soviet Union in Ukraine from 1973-82.

More later…

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 19. Berlin to Dresden (and more).

26 Saturday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Railways, Travel, Germany, Photography, Berlin, The Grand Tour, Dresden

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I was sad to check out of my villa this morning. The place was such a peaceful retreat from the madness of Innotrans, and so peaceful. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought that. Last night I met a German couple who were staying there for the same reason as they were attending Innotrans too! He was a test train driver for Alstom, so we ended up having a good chat.

The weather’s reverted to type this morning with blanket sunshine and rising temperatures making it a great day to travel. Having left Werder (Havel) I made my way to Charlottenburg in style as I’m back using my 1st Class Interrail pass. Nipping across central Berlin on the S-Bahn to Ostkreuz I caught IC2175, a loco-hauled train bound for Dresden. It’s a quiet service in my coach, anyway. I’m sat upstairs in a double-deck vehicle with just a handful of other people for the 2 hour journey. We hardly belt along as there’s engineering work along the way. 125kph seems to be tops. But then I’m in no hurry…

12:45.

Here we are – and what a station!

UPDATE;

Sorry this blog ended so abruptly with my arrival in Dresden. That was because I ended up being incredibly busy and made the most of the weather. Having spent a couple of hours basking and taking photographs at the sunny Hauptbahnhof I caught a train back across the river Elbe to Neustadt, the nearest station to my hotel, where I finally managed to dump my suitcase and change into shorts and vest top which was far more appropriate for the weather. I’d no idea which of the seven differently themed rooms I was going to get where I was staying, so the space theme and circular bed were a surprise!

Heading back to Neustadt I followed up on the recommendation from a friend by catching a train to Radebeul Ost where there’s a delightful steam hauled narrow-gauge railway. I was too late to travel on the line as the service is sparse, but I was lucky to catch this loco in action.

I’d have liked to have explored more come the evening, but it had been a long day and a video catch-up with my wife Dawn was more important.

My first impressions of Dresden were very positive. I only wish I was staying longer, but I already know that I’ll be back. This flying visit was unscripted but it’s given me a useful taster of what’s on offer.

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 18. Innotrans wraps up.

25 Friday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

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Today’s the last day of the Innotrans trade fair and I’m back on site for a few hours just to wrap up a few more internal shots of some of the trains. The weather’s overcast and we’ve had more rain overnight, so it’s been ideal conditions for such shots. Now i’m spending a bit of time in the media centre editing pics and planning the next part of my trip which will see me heading to Dresden for one night before returning to Berlin in order to spend an evening with a friend. the next day I’ll be travelling overnight to Zurich in Switzerland, my 10th country on this trip.

I’ll be blogging more later, but first I’ll leave you with a couple of those internal shots from this morning.

This is the most luxurious train of the show. Stadler’s Flirt Nordic Express EMU.

1st Class has some very luxurious reclining seats.

There’s a family coach which even has a Wendy house with slide!

In contrast, here’s details and the interior of CRRC’s commuter Vellink EMU.

1340.

Having done what I wanted to at Innotrans I left by midday. There were lots of things I never got to see (or photograph) but that’s just the way it is – the show’s so vast! Now I’m exploring railways in the ‘wild’ so to speak. First stop was Spandau, which has a great selection of Intercity, regional and local services passing through.

16;55.

I left Spandau on an ICE that took me over new lines to Berlin Hauptbahnhof. It was far quicker than relying on the S-Bahn. From the HbF I headed East to a favourite location of mine, Warschauer Straße. it’s a busy station on the S-bahn in the old East and terminus of the historic U1 line as well as a tram route. Oh, there’s also a Talgo train depot! I’ll add pictures as soon as I can. Now I’m abandoning Berlin before the rush hour ro head to Potsdam for a while to pick up some shopping and breakfast for the morrow. Werder (where I’m staying) is lovely, but shopping is limited to say the least.

Seen from the overbridge at Warschauer Straße, an S-bahn train passes another in the stabling sidings.

The dome of St. Nicholas Church in Potsdam this evening.

Potsdam still operates some of the the old Tatra (Czech built) trams which were a staple of the old Eastern bloc countries.

I’d liked to have explored Potsdam more as it looks to be a lovely city. It certainly has its place in history due to the famous World War 2 Potsdam conference, when Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt carved out the future political shape of Europe. A situation that lasted for more than 40 years, until the fall of the Berlin wall.

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 17. Innotrans day 4.

24 Thursday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, Siemens, The Grand Tour, Travel

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Yesterday things didn’t quite go to plan due to the weather staying sunny all day. That and massive crowds of people meant that the idea of getting decent internal shots of some of the new trains for the Nordics, Austria and the UK went out of the window. I spent most of my time trawling the halls for interesting things to photograph instead.

Today’s different. we had rain overnight and the skies remain cloudy, so I’ve made a start at getting pictures. Innotrans will quieten down a lot today – as you can tell by the amount of suitcases left in the luggage area in the main foyer! This afternoon I’ll be heading out to Spandau for a couple of hours on a press trip with Siemens to have a look at an autonomous train they’re testing.

In the meantime, here’s a new selection of pictures from yesterday and today, including from an event this morning when Siemens handed over one of the new London Underground trains to Transport for London.

Michael Peter, CEO Siemens Mobility presents a momento made from the same material as the trains to Andy Lord, Commissioner of Transport for London.

Inside the new tube trains for the Piccadilly line.

Hyundai Rotem unveiled this striking new high speed train model.

Two new OBB Railjet trains were on show, one from Siemens and one from Stadler. This is the interior of the 200kph Stadler KISS

I’ll be adding more later…

21:45.

A small update as it’s been yet another very busy day. Thanks to Siemens a few of us got to ride on and learn about theur autonomus train project. It’s an interesting idea that’s been three years in development. It’s also worth a blog in its own right because it’s a complex project. Here’s the train out at Spandau. Observant eyes may notice that this is the Mireo that aas bult as a hydrogen powered train.

Now it’s days end and I’m kicking back at my villa in Werder. I’ll be back at Innotrans for the final day first thing tomorrow as I have a lot of interesting pictures to add, which include the excellent new train for Norway, which is being built by Stadler.

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 16. Innotrans day 3.

23 Wednesday Sep 2026

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

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I’m back at Innotrans this morning on a lovely crisp and sunny day. In fact, for some of what I want to do it’s just too sunny! I’ve been concentrating on outdoor shots and mooching around the vast number of halls here. But there’s some really exciting new train interiors to take a look at and photograph, but that’s best done on quieter days and when the sun isn’t streaming through the train windows. As the weather’s due to cloud up later today that’s what I hope to do. In the meantime, here’s a few more pictures form yesterday.

People flood off the S-Bahn at Messe Sud on their way into Innotrans. There will be more than 300,000 people attending over the course of the event.

As well as real trains there’s plenty of models too – like these 400kph Chinese bullet trains from CRRC.

The UK had its own pavilion here at Innotrans, but other British companies could be found elsewhere too – like Rosehill polymers from my own town of Halifax, West Yorkshire!

The world’s press and media are out in force at Innotrans. We have a base to work from in hall 6.3.

At the end of day 1 some company’s lay on a free bar and food for people attending the event. this is the bar at Fraauscher (part of Wabtec)

Cheers,

Paul

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