Lugano is sometimes known affectionately as Little Rio as like the quite different much more exciting and far less genteel monster of a city in Brazil it is overlooked by an immense giant boulder of a mountain. I haven't been for a few years but like the lake I expect it is still there but sadly the trolleybus system is not. Probably because of it's mild climate vehicles seem to enjoy long lives down in the mild south of Switzerland below the Alps. Pictured in 1990 Hess bodied FBW No.127 was new to the tiny system at Rheintal in 1978 as it's No.6.
What a beautiful shot.
ReplyDeleteThe loss of Lugano's trolleybus system was a real tragedy. Did you ever get to ride the twisty outer sections of the system where the trolleybuses climbed hills and rounded hairpin bends? It was also an amazing relic with many of the evry old buses remaining in service to the very end.
Even so, Lugano is still a transport paradise, although many of the gems are hidden and not so well known. Narrow gauge railways, funiculars (including one that's abandoned in stylish slumber but essentially complete) and of course the Palm Express Postauto to Sankt Moritz. Such a wonderful place to spend some days.
Andrew
No, maybe I should have explored it a bit more but it's a fascinating area.
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