A 15km death trap carved through the Alps—now with better snacks.
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 double-headed 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…
Cinematography
Stunning alpine vistas through grimy tunnel windows.
Sound
Clacking rails and steam hisses—no music needed.
Production
Real 1920s locomotives, not CGI nonsense.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 147 deaths were mostly Italian migrant workers; their names are largely lost to history.
Driver's Eye View films spawned a cult 'slow TV' following, with fans hosting marathon viewing parties.
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