Steam train

The mountain village Goms is a steam engine paradise.

The steam railway Furka-Bergstrecke (DFB) is the highest steam railway in Europe, runs between Realp (1420 m. a. s. l.) and Oberwald (1368 m. a. s. l.) and crosses the Furkapass (2120 m. a. s. l.) along the way. Around 30.000 enthusiastic passengers get on the DFB every summer and autumn.

Looking back

In 1982, the DFB fell into hardship. After the Furka tunnel was opened, there was a plan to remove some of the mountain route Oberwald-Realp. However, private railway enthusiasts opposed that decision. In 1983, they founded the Furka-Bergstrecke Club, which has 8000 members today from all over the world. The same members volunteered to renovated the 18 km-route passage by passage as well as the summit tunnel on 2160 m. a. s. l.

Even today, the members are responsible for the upkeep and the operation of the trains and tracks, and they fund part of the expenses with their contributions. In 1992, the first steam engine rode from Realp up to the summit tunnel. Starting in 2000, the trains rode all the way to Gletsch. In 2010, the last passage to Oberwald was reopened.