150 years of the Rigi-Scheidegg Railway – steam rides, special exhibition and contemporary witnesses commemorate a bygone era.
From August 30 to September 7, 2025, the history of the legendary Rigi-Scheidegg Railway (RSB) will be brought back to life on the Rigi-Scheidegg. To mark the 150th anniversary of the opening, the focus will be on free steam rides on the historic “Ticino” locomotive and a special exhibition in the mountain inn.
TICINO locomotive Driver’s cab
Steam rides with the “Ticino” locomotive
On two weekends – 30/31 August and 6/7 September 2025, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – the historic steam locomotive “Ticino” will run on a specially laid 100-metre-long track between the mountain inn and the Rigi-Scheidegg chapel. Under the guidance of Goldau steam locomotive specialist Martin Horath, visitors can experience the fascination of a hissing steam locomotive up close.
The locomotive was built in 1889 by the Jung company (Jungenthal, Germany) and is considered to be the manufacturer’s oldest operational steam locomotive. It is identical in construction to the three G3/3 locomotives of the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works (SLM), which were once used on the Rigi-Scheidegg Railway. Two of them were scrapped and one is considered lost. With the “Ticino” – symbolically renamed “Lok First” – an identical machine is now returning to Scheidegg.
“Unfortunately, we were also unable to locate the last, probably remaining locomotive of the former Rigi-Scheidegg Railway. However, with the Ticino locomotive, which we have renamed Lok First, I have been able to bring a locomotive of the same type from the same era into service here,” says Martin Horath.
This locomotive, which was built and used to correct the flow of the Ticino, was therefore a construction train. It is now on loan and in the care of steam locomotive specialist Martin Horath. “Only the boiler had to be welded in one place, otherwise it is in its original condition,” says Horath.
The rides are free of charge and offer an experience for train fans, families and history buffs.
Special exhibition in the mountain inn
From August 30 to September 7, 2025, the Berggasthaus Rigi-Scheidegg is presenting a comprehensive special exhibition that gives visitors a unique insight into the history of the region and its railroad. On display will be historical photos, portraits, documents and original objects from the period.
The exhibition sheds light on the beginnings of tourism on Mount Rigi as well as the visionary planning and construction of the Rigi-Scheidegg steam railroad. Previously unpublished pictures and texts from private archives will also be made accessible to the public.
A separate section is dedicated to the Italian construction entrepreneur Domenico Taddei (1830-1908), who made a significant contribution to the construction of the meter-gauge adhesion railroad with his expertise and energy. Taddei is exemplary of the many Italian workers who made the realization of this pioneering work possible with their hard manual work in tunnel, bridge and track construction.
Grip shoes for Rgi carriers
As an impressive example of the early days of mountain tourism, the exhibition features a pair of grip shoes that were handmade in 1920 by the Marzell Camenzind shoe factory (1895 – 1963). These robust leather shoes with hand-forged handles were used by the legendary Rigi porters, who transported wealthy guests up the Rigi in carrying chairs. The grip shoes enabled them to find a secure footing even on steep and slippery paths.
The steadily increasing number of tourists who visited Mount Rigi from 1820 onwards enabled the mostly less well-off inhabitants of the Rigi communities to take up new and, for the time, sometimes very lucrative jobs as Rigi porters, horse-drawn coachmen and mountain guides.
This activity came to an abrupt end with the opening of the Vitznau-Rigi Railway in 1871.
The exhibition is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm (during restaurant opening hours). It is organized and managed by Adrian Nigg-Arnold, Exhibition Director “150 years of the Rigi-Scheidegg Railway”.
Travel Schedule Rigi-Scheidegg Railway
Background: The rise and fall of the railroad
The Rigi-Scheidegg Railway was built between 1873 and 1875 and opened on July 14, 1874. With a length of 6.75 kilometers, a gradient of up to 5%, a 70-meter-long tunnel and a 50-meter-long bridge, it was the highest steam railroad in Europe – and a masterpiece of engineering.
The RSB was a meter-gauge adhesion railroad: in contrast to rack railroads, adhesion railroads move solely through the friction (static friction) of the wheels on the rails – without racks or cables.
The company had to file for bankruptcy as early as 1878 due to economic crises. Operations were finally discontinued in 1931 and the tracks were demolished in 1942. Today, only the track and a few relics remain as reminders of the once proud railroad.
“Eiffel Bridge”
Contemporary witnesses of the Rigi-Scheidegg Railway
Two striking relics still bear witness to the railroad today:
“Eiffel Bridge” in Unterstetten
The steel bridge, which is around 15 meters high and 50 meters long, was built especially for the Rigi-Scheidegg Railway and was constructed using the same building principle as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Its elegant framework made it an eye-catcher even back then.
After decades of decay, it was extensively renovated in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of Rigi-Scheidegg AG and has since shone again as a technical gem. Today, it is considered one of the most important engineering legacies of the railroad.
Waggon-Scheidegg Railway
An original train carriage
On the hiking trail along the former route between Rigi-Scheidegg and Rigi-Kaltbad, hikers will come across a preserved carriage of the Rigi-Scheidegg Railway. The carriage was later converted into a small mobile home, but its external appearance remained largely unchanged. Today it stands apart in the forest as an impressive, almost mystical witness to a bygone era. With its authentic appearance, it is a reminder of the journeys between Kaltbad and Scheidegg and invites you to pause and marvel.
A celebration of memory
The “150 years of the Rigi-Scheidegg Railway” anniversary is not a celebration of an uninterrupted existence, but a commemoration of a visionary era. It commemorates the pioneering achievements of the engineers, the hopes of a region in transition, the traces of the Rigi carriers in the tourist memory and the evidence of a railroad that made history despite its early end.
With steam rides, a special exhibition and historical relics, history comes alive – an occasion to marvel, learn and enjoy.
Video Lok TICINO – 150 Years Anniversary RIGI Scheidegg Railway
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LUXURY TRAVEL SWITZERLAND with a visit to the Rigi – Queen of the Mountains
On your luxury trip through Switzerland, you will also visit Mount Rigi – known as the Queen of the Mountains – with 360° panoramic views of 620 Alpine peaks and 13 lakes. You can do this from Lucerne on an idyllic steamboat trip on Lake Lucerne and then take the cogwheel railroad from Vitznau or the aerial cableway from Weggis to Rigi-Kaltbad and Rigi-Kulm, the highest point at 1,798 m above sea level.
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