International roundup: First steam locomotive joins England’s ‘Greatest Gathering’

A look at international rail news of note:

‘Locomotion’ set for Greatest Gathering

Locomotion No. 1, the first steam locomotive to operate on a public railway, has been added to the equipment slated to appear at ‘The Greatest Gathering,’ the three-day festival of historic equipment that is part of the United Kingdom’s Railway 200 celebration.

The Gathering will be held at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane Site Aug. 1-3 in Derby, England. The event — the first time the plant has been opened to the public in almost 50 years — will feature more than 50 exhibits of rolling stock to mark the past, present, and future of railroading. That will now include Locomotion No. 1, the first engine to operate on the Stockton & Darlington Railway. The Railway 200 Celebration commemorates the opening of the Stockton & Darlington, the first modern railway, on Sept. 27, 1825. The locomotive was built by Robert Stephenson and Co., which, though a series of mergers, is one of Alstom’s predecessors. Locomotion No. 1 will be on loan from the National Railway Museum in York, England.

“We are very excited that Locomotion No. 1 will be joining an already unprecedented roster of historic and modern rolling stock at The Greatest Gathering. There is something poetic that one of Britain’s oldest steam locomotives will take pride of place within the factory where the UK’s newest trains are designed, engineered, manufactured and tested,” Rob Whyte, managing director at Alstom UK and Ireland, said in a press release. “I want to thank the National Railway Museum – and indeed countless other partners across the UK rail industry – for supporting our mammoth event for Railway 200. We look forward to welcoming ticketholders to Britain’s biggest rail celebration later this year.”

A full list of the equipment scheduled to appear is available here. The event is sold out. More on the Railway 200 celebration is available here.

New trainsets for Switzerland’s Rocher-de-Naye cog line

Stadler will build eight new trainsets for the Rochers-de-Naye railway, the 800-millimeter (2-foot, 7½-inch) gauge cog railway from Montreux to the summit of its namesake mountain.

The trains, to be begin operation in 2029, will accompany an extensive renovation planned by Transport Montreux-Vevey-Riviera, a subsidiary of Montreux Oberland Bahn, or MOB [see “MOB mentality,” Trains Magazine, May 2024]. The trains, featuring an exterior designed by Italy’s Pininfarina, will feature a first-class compartment, large windows, and space for 216 passengers, including standees.

“The world of mountain railways is being revolutionized because this is undoubtedly the most beautiful [cog railway] car ever built,” MOB CEO Georges Oberson said in a press release.

“This is a very special project for Stadler,” said Fréderic Evequoz, Stadler sales manager for customized vehicles. “The combination of iconic design, state-of-the-art cogwheel technology, and panoramic experience is unique. We are delighted that we can contribute to making the journey up the Rochers-de-Naye a special experience with our customized cogwheel trains.”

The 6.4-mile railway, with a maximum gradient of 22%, climbs 1,575 meters (5,167 feet) from the station in Montreux to the summit at 1,970 meters (6,463 feet). MOB’s planned renovation of the railway, which dates to 1909, includes a planned upgrade of the electrical system from 1,000 volts DC to 1,500 volts.

New night trains for Europe

Three European national rail companies have announced plans for a new high-speed night train connecting Germany and Italy, with the first phase of service to launch in 2026. The effort by Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, Austria’s ÖBB, and Italy’s Trenitalia will launch in 2026 between Munich and Milan and Munich and Rome, with extension to Berlin and Naples by 2028.

Travel time between Milan and Munich will be 6½ hours, with intermediate stops in Brescia, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, and Bolzano in Italy, as well as Innsbruck, Austria. The Rome-Munich route will have an 8½-hour trip time, with stops in Florence and Bologna as well as Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano, and Innsbruck. The service will use Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa 1000 high-speed trains built by Alstom and Hitachi Rail Italy.

Trenitalia is also launching a weekend conventional-equipment overnight train between Rome and Marseille, France, beginning July 4 and running through Aug. 30. The Espresso Riviera trip will take about 15 hours, and will feature dining car service as well as sleeping-car accommodations for one or two people, as well as compartments with four berths, website The Local Europe reports.

The service builds on one that operated between Nice, France, and Milan last year under the Espresso Riviera name.