The birth of a railway

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Railway building site near Lake Scala, on the Bernina Pass, around 1909. In the background are the workers’ huts. (Photographer: Francesco Olgiati (1871-1943).

Building a bridge over the Cavagliasco stream in Valposchiavo in 1909. (Photographer: Francesco Olgiati). swissinfo.ch

Engineers, foremen and workers near Cadera in Valposchiavo in 1908. (Photographer: Francesco Olgiati).

Construction work on the Bernina railway along Lake Poschiavo, 1908. (Photographer: Francesco Olgiati). swissinfo.ch

Putting up the contact wire near Mirolago in Valposchiavo in 1908. (Photographer: Francesco Olgiati). swissinfo.ch

Crowd waiting for the train at Poschiavo, probably at the opening of the Tirano-Poschiavo track on July 5, 1908. (Photographer: Francesco Olgiati).

Group of railway employees in Poschiavo, 1908. (Photographer: Francesco Olgiati).

The railway viaduct at Brusio in Valposchiavo in 1908, one year after it was built. (Photographer: Francesco Olgiati). swissinfo.ch

Avalanche in Val Varuna, north of Poschiavo, May 8, 1918. Photograph from an album belonging to the engineer René Correvon (1877-1959), director of the Bernina Railway from 1911-1921. swissinfo.ch

Skiers near Alp Grüm (Valposchiavo) next to the railway line, which is completely covered by snow, December 20, 1916. (René Correvon album).

Removing snow at the “Dragon’s Pit” tunnel on the Bernina Pass, 1911. (René Correvon album).

Inspecting the steam-powered snowplough near Lake Scala, on the Bernina Pass, January 11, 1911. (René Correvon album).

The steam-powered snowplough in action, January 11, 1911. (René Correvon album).

Avalanche at Le Prese in Valposchiavo, April 10, 1917. Workers clear the tracks. (René Correvon album).

Avalanche protection wall at Val Pila (Valposchiavo), June 7, 1915. (René Correvon album).

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Photographs show the early years of the Bernina Railway.

The track was built in 1906-1910 by thousands of Italian workers, sometimes under challenging alpine winter conditions. These photographs, some of which have not been published before, come from the private collections of Luigi Gisep and Olinto Tognina and were digitalised by the Val Poschiavo History Society.