The Old Gotthard Tunnel Route Drivers Eye View

The original Gotthard railway tunnel through the Swiss Alps took ten years to build and cost 147 lives It was a mammoth undertaking and required the construction of long ramps on either side totalling 85 miles Dozens of tunnels viaducts and bridges were necessary The ruling gradient of 1 in 37 was deemed to be just about the maximum that the original steam locomotives could handle even then trains were usually doubleheaded and even had banking engines attached at the rear In order even to keep to this severe gradient the engineers had to construct a number of additional spiral tunnels to gain height hewn out of solid rock