The Monte Generoso railway (Ferrovia Monte Generoso) runs from Capolago by the Lake Lugano in Kanton Ticino (Tessin)
up to the top of the mountain range Monte Generoso. The summit station at Generoso Vetta is at 1701 meters above sea
level and the station is only some meters away from the Swiss-Italian borderline. The line is 9km long and has a track
gauge of 800mm.
It's a system Abt rack rail railway with a steepest slope of 22%. It's electrified with the somewhat unusual
850V DC overhead. The line was opened in 1890 and it remained in steam locomotive operation until 1957, after which
diesel motor wagons took over. The line was electrified in 1982. The railway has also an unusual owner: it is owned
by the large supermarket chain Migros. Passenger traffic on the line was suspended from autumn of 2013 to April 2017,
during which time the upper station and the hotel by it were being renewed.
These two-coach trains were taken in use in 1982 as the line was electrified. There are four of these Bhe 4/8
railcars, numbered 11 to 14. Here we see no.11 coming down from the mountain. It's soon going to reach the station
of Capolago Lago, where there is a connection to a ship sailing on Lago Lugano. Typically these trains have also a small
lightweight cargo waggon for any eventual luggage of the passengers or materials that the restaurant and hotel up there
might need.
Picture from Capolago 20.10.2002 by Ilkka Siissalo.