Rigi Railways

The town of Vitznau, hugging the shore of Lake Lucerne, welcomes you with the bright red train cars of the first cog railway in continental Europe. With tracks climbing to the summit of Mount Rigi, this engineering feat literally took railroading to new heights.

Swiss engineer Niklaus Riggenbach was attuned to the train technology sweeping the Western world and wished to bring more of it to his native country. But given the terrain, standard railroad tracks would not suffice. So he developed a cog railway, which employs a third rail with teeth to prevent cars from flying backward on steep slopes. Thanks to his patented system, railcars could finally summit Switzerland’s peaks— including the tippy top of Mount Rigi.

Nicknamed “Queen of the Mountains,” Rigi spikes nearly 6,000 feet above sea level, overlooking Lake Lucerne, Lake Zug, and Lake Lauerz. After the initial stretch of track was completed in 1871, the railroad to the top of Rigi was opened to fanfare, with Riggenbach himself at the helm of the first locomotive.

Today, Rigi Railways shuttles passengers up and down picturesque peaks and valleys. And though the slower cog railway trains might seem built for tourists, that’s not the case. These are public transit, and everyday commuters enjoy the sights as they venture to and from work.

Over the years, the Rigi has also carried its share of VIPs, including American writer and master of the qui  Mark Twain. After his train journey he noted: “We found a jodeler [yodeler] every ten minutes; we gave the first one eight cents, the second one six cents, the third one four, the fourth one a penny, contributed nothing to Nos. 5, 6, and 7, and during the remainder of the day hired the rest of the jodelers, at a franc apiece, not to jodel any more. There is somewhat too much of the jodeling in the Alps.”

📖 Full Story Page 107