Three projects were then in competition. In 1890, after two part-projects were withdrawn and the third modified, the authorities granted the concession to build the railway from Lauterbrunnen over Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald.
The Wengernalp Railway was the first to travel up into the high mountains and construction was to prove anything but child's play. The sheer rock faces between Lauterbrunnen and Wengen posed critical problems. The steep slopes were precipitous and unstable, laced with rugged ravines formed by torrential water courses. Strong supports and mighty retaining walls had to be built. On 10 August 1892, Kleine Scheidegg was reached by train for the first time. |