I made these photos on 21 April 2017 along the shore of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva near St. Saphorin.
SBB’s busy double track electrified line and stunning Swiss scenery with bright sun was a winning combination for great photographs.
This was one stop on a week-long exploration of Swiss railways with Denis McCabe while I was preparing my Railway Guide to Europe.
Exposed using a FujiFilm XT1 digital camera on 21 April 2018.Exposed using a FujiFilm XT1 digital camera on 21 April 2018.
SBB freight. Exposed using a FujiFilm XT1 digital camera on 21 April 2018.Exposed using a FujiFilm XT1 digital camera on 21 April 2018.
Exposed using a FujiFilm XT1 digital camera on 21 April 2018.
Switzerland’s Lake Geneva region is one of many scenic areas profiled in my new book on European railways published by Kalmbach Publishing this Spring.
There’s something inherently attractive about a railway along water, be it a river, pond, lake or the sea.
SBB’s line along Lake Geneva is a fine example of waterside running. Not only does the lake exhibit wonderful aqua hues, but is surrounded by vineyards, snow capped Alpine peaks and other beautiful scenery.
The trick is finding locations where you can place a train with the water in a pleasing composition.
Easier said than done.
I’d found this location at St. Saphorin by searching the internet and studying Google maps. Last week, Denis McCabe and I arrived by train and made the short walk from St. Saphorin station to a foot bridge designed to grant access to the lakefront for bathers.
Not only did SBB provide transport, but fielded a nice variety of trains. About every five to ten minutes something came rolling along. Below is a sample.
This view is from the road side. I’ve opted to cross-light the train in order to better feature Lake Geneva. If you look carefully, You’ll see the foot bridge in the distance that was the vantage of the other images in this sequence.Looking east toward St. Saphorin Station, I made this view of an SBB tilting train coming from Milan via Brig.Just because the water is there, doesn’t mean it has to appear in the all the photos. I like this trailing view of an SBB locomotive hauled passenger train. Exposed with my FujiFilm X-T1.The classic view; an SBB freight rolls east along the lake. I’m looking toward the station at Rivaz, Switzerland.For the passage of a local train, I opted for this wide-angle water-level view.A westward freight made for some hard lighting, but the scenery compensates for the dark front on the locomotive.
