Birsigtalbahn back in the day in blue/white (1975)

Description

Scenes from the Birsigtalbahn (Birsig Valley Railway) filmed in 1975 by the late Ben Wolff from Holland. He kindly shared the film with us for digitization. It features Basel with its trams, the BTB (Birsig Valley Railway), and ends with scenes from Amsterdam. I've added subtitles and a brief description... Among other things, it also covers the Pro Birsigthalbahn association. www.probirsigthalbahn.ch Greetings! Alfonso Durandi, Therwil (alduro@sunrise.ch or +41796445050). Does anyone have any films from this era?

A film by Ben Wolff from the Netherlands. It must have been in 1974. We are in Basel. The BVB with its green trams. The Basel tram. What a beautiful summer car of the Basel tram. Central Station Square, Basel SBB. Those were different times. Today, we have to ride in closed, air-conditioned vehicles without being able to open a window. BVB trams are still running with old rolling stock on line 7. View towards Aeschenplatz. To the right is the almost-completed Hilton Hotel, which was demolished after just 41 years in June 2016. The Schlotterbeck building has also not stood there since 1993. Heuwaage Birsigtalbahn with commuter train rolling stock from 1966.

Ticket machines were just being introduced. The Heuwaage was a large station for the BTB for a long time. This was the starting or departure point—terminal station of the 17 km long Basel-Rodersdorf line. The railway station building was demolished at the end of the 1980s and moved to Rheinfelden. This was the normal operating mode from 1968 onward. The old intermediate cars, numbers 51-56, were converted and remained in service until the transition to tram operation at the end of September 1984. The motorcars always stayed on the Basel side because there was a control car on the other side, departing toward Basel. As early as 1975, the first advertising panels were mounted on vehicles. The BTB was a true railway—windows could be opened, and passengers could stick their heads out. The BTB merged with three other suburban railways in 1974, which signaled the end of these vehicles, as the line was to connect with different lines. The last run with this rolling stock occurred at the end of September 1984.

Many cars were then taken to the AOMC in Valais. In the meantime, they were also decommissioned and donated there. Two motor cars (8 and 9) went to Austria on the Attersee. They are no longer there either. Travel along Ebnetstrasse toward Therwil. The old railway station, which was demolished at the end of 1975. Just before Ettingen from Witterswil (Estrella curve). Oberwil. The Batteriestrasse station. The track crossing in Binningen, and that's how it was. We are the Pro BTB association, and we saved four of these vehicles. They are located in Rodersdorf. www.probirsigthalbahn.ch provides more information. Binningen. Back in Basel at the train station.

Stops

Dreirosenbrücke → Basel Badischer Bahnhof → Bahnhof SBB → Markthalle → Barfüsserplatz → Rheingasse → Messeplatz → Kunstmuseum → Bankverein → Binningen Kronenplatz → Ettingen Bahnhof → Wiesenplatz → Heuwaage → Basel → Theater → Marktplatz → Schifflände → Claraplatz.

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