Furka Mountain Line Association (VFB)

A central pillar of the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway is the Furka-Bergstrecke Association (VFB). As early as the end of the 1970s, a movement of railway enthusiasts emerged who wanted to preserve the unique high mountain line between Oberwald and Realp even after the new Furka Base Tunnel went into operation. The VFB was founded in 1983 at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne as a rallying point for this soon to be national and international movement and played a key role in saving the line. Since 2002, the VFB has been organised as an umbrella association into 21 sections with currently around 6500 members.

Sections

The sections are independent organisations with their own statutes and bodies and are spread across Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. With the Edelweiss section, there is also a section which often brings together international members of the association who are exclusively involved with the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway but do not want to get involved regionally. The sections organise construction weeks on the line, provide a large proportion of the volunteers for the operation and organise regional events and trips to the Furka and other attractive destinations with a railway connection. The section members also present the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway at trade fairs, exhibitions and other events, thus acting as a link to the general public.

Specialist groups have also been formed in individual sections. The Aargau section is the owner of the 14 historic passenger carriages currently in use on the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway. It operates the carriage workshop in Aarau and overhauls the valuable carriages from the early days and procures the necessary donations for the carriage overhauls on its own initiative. The Eastern Switzerland section is committed to the historic steam locomotives, which are overhauled in the DFB AG workshop in Uzwil.

Central Board

The umbrella organisation is managed by a central board, which acts as a contact for all association matters.

Membership

We also need your support to be able to cope with the increasingly extensive tasks of the association. Help us to master this major task together. With your membership you support the preservation of an important historical cultural asset and the operation of one of the most impressive railway lines in Switzerland.

You can download an application form and send it by post to the address given or register online. The membership fee includes a subscription to the magazine "Dampf an der Furka", which is published four times a year. Association members also receive a 20 per cent discount on fares on the Furka mountain steam railway. It is also possible to subscribe to the magazine "Eisenbahn-Amateur" at a preferential price.