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APPENZELL · A VISION FOR THE SUMMIT

A dream
on rails.

The journey began in the valley. The dream reached for the summit. Between them lies a story of bold ideas, ingenuity, and unexpected turns.

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Based on the book by Yvo Buschauer

An imagined valley railway beneath the Alpstein, painted in the tradition of Appenzell folk art
Where the meadows end, imagination climbs.

A SMALL RAILWAY. AN EXTRAORDINARY AMBITION.

Wasserauen was only
the beginning.

The line from Appenzell to Wasserauen was conceived as the first stage of something far more ambitious: a railway climbing via Meglisalp to the summit of Säntis. Plans explored a combination of conventional rail, rack railway, and funicular sections.

The valley line became a reality. The mountain extension remained a dream. How close did it come to being built—and what sent the story in another direction?

Four stops along the way

  1. A mountain on the drawing board

    A preliminary plan sets out a railway from Appenzell to Säntis, exploring the route and engineering needed for the climb.

  2. The first trains run

    On July 13, the electric line from Appenzell to Wasserauen opens—the first stage of the proposed Säntis Railway.

  3. Another way to the top

    The aerial cable car from Schwägalp opens, giving the journey to the summit an entirely different form.

  4. A story becomes a book

    The valley line’s centennial brings Die Bahn zum Säntis, a book bringing together archival images, plans, and the stories behind them.

TWO GLIMPSES OF THE PAST

Before the journey
became everyday life.

Schwende in fall 1911, with the temporary railway alignment in the foreground
Schwende, fall 1911. The temporary railway alignment can be seen in the foreground.Photograph enhanced with AI assistance.
Passengers beside a train at the Appenzell boarding platform around 1912
Appenzell around 1912. The original boarding platform was near Bröggli on the Gringel.Photograph enhanced with AI assistance.
A railway without a place in the station?

When it opened, the Säntis Railway initially could not enter Appenzell station. Passengers boarded at a separate platform about 250 meters farther east. Even this small detour hints at the competing interests of neighboring railway companies.

Discover the story behind it in the book →
How would the railway have climbed the mountain?

The steeper the terrain, the bolder the solutions. The book follows evolving designs, different railway systems, and rival proposals. Comparing those plans with the landscape reveals just how much imagination the project demanded.

Explore the plans and stories in the book →

WATCH THE STORY

One conversation.
A new view of the mountain.

This TV interview from the collection offers another way into the story of the planned Säntis Railway. Press play and follow an idea that reached far beyond Wasserauen.

TV interview from Yvo Buschauer’s collection. Sound plays when you start the video. Original film in German.
Book cover: Die Bahn zum Säntis — 100 Jahre Strecke Appenzell–Wasserauen

THE FULL JOURNEY IS IN THE BOOK

Die Bahn zum Säntis

100 years of the Appenzell–Wasserauen line

The railway that was built. The mountain lines that stayed on paper. And the people who believed in both. This book brings archival photographs and engineering plans together with the story of an extraordinary ambition.

This page offers a first glimpse. The detailed project histories, extensive illustrations, and story of the railway’s development await you in the book.

Yvo Buschauer · Druckerei Appenzeller Volksfreund · 2012
140 pages · In German · ISBN 978-3-9523858-2-1

Find the book in Appenzell ↗

Check with the bookstore for pricing and availability. You can also ask your local bookseller using the ISBN.
The book is in German; this English-language page is not an English edition of the book.

About this page · Sources and images

This page draws on Yvo Buschauer’s Die Bahn zum Säntis (2012) and the supplied manuscript and cover materials. Its short texts are an editorial introduction, not reproductions of complete chapters. The two archival images come from the manuscript; dates and descriptions follow that source.

The historical images received gentle tonal and clarity adjustments. A narrow scan border was removed; people, buildings, and landscape were not redrawn. The hero artwork is a newly created illustration inspired by Appenzell folk painting, not a historical photograph. Only the white background around the book image was removed.

Legal notice and privacy

Publisher: Michael Buschauer · Historical collection: Yvo Buschauer · Contact: info@buschauer.org

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Some journeys begin
with an idea.

Others begin with the turn of a page.

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