Thursday 13 October - Jura

Artwork on one of the Jura Railway's GTW trains.

We did a lot of travelling today on several different railways. The first train was the BLS to La Chaux de Fonds with a 465 locomotive pushing part way and pulling the rest.  It was very foggy on the Neuchatel side but cleared off after we had gone through the tunnel to La Chaux de Fonds. The Jura narrow gauge took us to Clovelier and back as far as Noirmont.  We passed a brand new train from Stadler which was still under trial.  It was delivered about two weeks ago.

Clovelier

Cab of Jura railway train

Trial movement of new Stadler train

From Noirmont we went to Tavannes and back.  The Jura scenery is very much cattle oriented with many green fields and a few stands of deciduous trees.  Towards Tavannes there are several horse farms.

From Noirmont we made our way back to La Chaux de Fonds.  The station here is notable in that from five minutes to the hour to five past all the platforms are occupied.  All the trains then leave and the station is silent for the next 50 minutes when the performance starts again.

We took a standard gauge train to Le Locle then the narrow gauge car to Les Brenets.  We had to wait over an hour for the return and it had started to rain.  However the cold wind has died down and it was not unpleasant out.  We found a small, but busy boulangerie where we had coffee and a pastry.

Les Brenets

Les Brenets

Les Brenets

Getting back on the car to return to Le Locle the driver's dog kept a sharp eye on us as we admired the James Bond silhouettes which were entertaining although the connection with the train evaded us.

The last trip of the day was a ride out to Les Ponts de Martel and back with the customary three minutes turn around.  This line has been closed recently because of a problem with crossing safety - now I wonder!!

Train to Les Ponts de Martel at La Chaux de Fonds

It was beginning to get dark when we caught the BLS back to Neuchatel.  Again, the weather was very foggy as we exited the tunnel from the Jura. Chinese food close to the station meant an easy walk down the hill back to the hotel.