Science Furka railway Previous Next The locomotives have left the depot. At 6:30am, they whistle and bring the volunteers to the clearing site. Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch Breakfast time, when volunteers plan their day Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch A last look at the weather and avalanche danger before leaving to clear the snow Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch For safety, they strap avalanche detectors onto their chests. Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch The locomotive cannot go any further; the tunnel is blocked by metres and metres of snow that the volunteers will have to clear. Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch Hiking gaiters are strongly recommended, as the snow softens after a few hours and the feet sink. The snow is 16 metres deep in some places. Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch An avalanche has completely blocked the last tunnel, which must be cleared with a mechanical shovel. Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch The rack is frozen in the ice in some places. Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch Under the Steffenbach Bridge, the snow is so hard that the volunteers need chainsaws. Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch Close-up of a snow plough Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch The snow plough drivers have a lot of experience. Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch It is not always easy to get the snow ploughs where they are most needed... Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch Getting the Steffenbach Bridge cleared of snow takes some extra effort. Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch Time to go back to Camp Realp before avalanches become a worry Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch Time to relax after a long day shifting piles of snow Thomas Kern/swissinfo.ch Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3 Picture 4 Picture 5 Picture 6 Picture 7 Picture 8 Picture 9 Picture 10 Picture 11 Picture 12 Picture 13 Picture 14 Picture 15 This content was published on May 29, 2019 - 10:30 Other languages: 9 Deutsch de Furkabahn Read more: Furkabahn Français fr Ligne ferroviaire historique de la Furka Original Read more: Ligne ferroviaire historique de la Furka Italiano it Una giornata con i volontari Read more: Una giornata con i volontari Español es Línea ferroviaria de Furka Read more: Línea ferroviaria de Furka Português pt Um trem à vapor nos Alpes suíços Read more: Um trem à vapor nos Alpes suíços 日本語 ja フルカ峠の山岳鉄道 Read more: フルカ峠の山岳鉄道 العربية ar إزالة الثلوج عن خط حديدي تاريخي Read more: إزالة الثلوج عن خط حديدي تاريخي 中文 zh 义工的一天 Read more: 义工的一天 Русский ru Из жизни волонтеров на перевале Фурка Read more: Из жизни волонтеров на перевале Фурка You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us! If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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