Missing Seconds

Although the title could just as easily be in reference to this morning's breakfast, it is the nuances of the Swiss Railway clock that is in my mind this morning. Having already established that Swiss trains are punctual, I was checking the second hand of the platform clock to see just how true that was and noticed that time froze briefly every time the hand reached the 12 o'clock position. There are no numbers on Swiss Railway clocks but you can visualise where 12 would be. Time to consult with Mr Google...

The Swiss Railways clock was designed in 1944 using black lines and hands on a white background, to make it easy to read at a distance. Also, so that all railway clocks in the country would be at the same (correct) time, the minute hand was moved using an electric impulse, sent via telephone cable from a master clock in Zurich. When the red second hand was added 2 years later, there wasn't the technology to update a clock using impulses sent every second, so the second hand was allowed to complete a revolution of the clock face under its own steam (well 50 Hz electrical supply - railways don't use steam any more). To ensure that fluctuations in the power grid didn't affect accuracy, the hand was designed to complete a full rotation in 58.5 seconds and then pause, waiting for the impulse that moves the minute hand to kick start the next 58.5 second sweep. And there you have it, even though this technology has long since been superseded, this distinguishing feature of the Swiss railway clock was retained and continues to be a big part of what makes the Swiss Railways tick.

Today we visited Engelberg, a picturesque alpine town surrounded by major summits, such as Titlis, Walenstöcke, Ruchstock and Wissberg, all above 2500 metres and so all well within my newly learned mountain classification. As with a lot of things in life, the journey was every bit as spectacular as the destination, as scenes from The Sound of Music and Swiss chocolate adverts moved slowly past our train's panoramic window.

We didn't take the cable car up Mt Titlis as it was a bit steep (about £90 each), but instead chose to wander round the town and spend some time in quiet reflection, first in a coffee shop and then in the Kloster Chapel, part of Engelberg's Benedictine monastery complex. The chapel was stunning - vaulted, bright, colourful, airy and with beautiful music floating in the air, care of the group of classical musicians rehearsing in front of the sanctuary. Being a religious establishment, we had to do the obligatory tour of the graveyard so Mrs Y could tell me about all those who passed away whilst younger than her tender years. I don't know if the world has become a more dangerous place, but there seems to be more of them these days than there used to be. She even picked out a suitable headstone for herself and if she had taken much longer I might have been tempted to put down a deposit for an early delivery.

By now we are more or less used to the fact that almost everything in Switzerland is more expensive than at home, but I was shocked when I discovered that having to answer an urgent call of nature this afternoon set me back £8.80. It's just as well that it came with a complimentary cold beer and a glass of wine, organised by Mrs Y while I was attending to my needs. Sitting in the sunshine, surrounded by blue sky and mountains, drinking in the scenery (and the cold beer / wine) was just wonderful, so much so that we let the 15.02 train depart in its timely fashion and caught the next one.Read more