The Pilatus Railway

Ascending a mountain with a cog railway is an exciting thing to do. Once I've taken a seat I impatiently await that first bump when the locomotive starts pulling or pushing the train upwards.  Hundreds of meters higher, I hope the trip will reach its destination safely. It is ridiculous to think the car would break from the tracks and run back at dazzling speed down the mountain. Fortunately when more awesome landscapes emerge I forget my irrational fear of heights.

Image source : Pilatus Bahnen

Pilatus Bahn

At the heart of Switzerland, the Pilatus Railway, or Pilatusbahn in German, runs from Alpnachstad, on Lake Lucerne, to a terminus near the summit of Mount Pilatus at an altitude of 2,132 m (6,995 ft). The line started operating 4 June 1889, about 125 years ago. Some details :

• length : 4.6 km
• vertical climbing distance: 1,629 m
• rail gauge : 800 mm
• downhill speed : 9km/h
• uphill speed : 10km/h
• maximum incline : 48%

The railway was electrified on 15 May 1937.

Pilatus-Bahn-Gesellschaft
English : Pilatus Railway company
Share of 500 Swiss Francs
Alpnach, 1888
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Exhibition : Sugar Factories

‘The beet-root, when being boiled, yields a juice similar to syrup of sugar,
which is beautiful to look at on account of its vermilion color.'
Olivier de Serres (1539 – 1619), French soil scientist

In their Ausstellung "Zuckerfabriken", the Heimatmuseum Wolfskehlen exhibits documents, images, bonds and shares of sugar factories from the Michael Fraikin collection. Included are certificates from Germany and around the world.

Opening times :

• Sunday 29 April 2012 14:00 - 17:00
• Sunday 6 May 2012 10:00 - 12:00
• Sunday 13 May 2012 10:00 - 17:00 (car-free day)

Free entrance.

More practical info, see here and there.
And here is an article, in German, on Echo Online.

F.L.

Compagnie Sucrière de Bulgarie
Share of 500 Francs, 1912 Bruxelles
design by the Belgian artist Gustave Fraipont
printed by Imprimerie Chaix, Paris
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Book : Specimen Album of the Government Bonds (China)

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• Title : Specimen Album of the Government Bonds
• Authors : edited by the Treasury Department of the People's Bank of China
• ID : ISBN 7-5049-1559-9, published by China Finance Publishing House, 1996
• Languages : Chinese and English
• Number of pages : 162
• Images : large color images, almost on every page
• Indexes : no indexes, certificates are grouped by chapter

This is an outstanding reference book on Chinese bonds issued between 1950 and 1995. The book has been published with the purpose of spreading the knowledge of China's government bonds and can be used as "an anti counterfeiting reference book". Every bond has been described and depicted with an image of the obverse and reverse design, most of these in accordance with the original dimensions. Every chapter has an introduction. 

Chapters
Part 1 - The People's Triumph Commodity-indexed Government Bond
Part 2 - The National Economic Construction Government Bond
Part 3 - The Treasury Bond (The Physical Bond)
Part 4 - The National Economic Construction Bond and the Value-protected Government Bond.

Likely the editing house has been publishing more recent editions of this book. The dust cover is missing on my copy, so I provided an example of a page that shows the interesting contents.

4% National Economic Construction Government Bond 10 Yuan, 1958 specimen
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Definitely, a must have for anyone interested in China's finance history.

F.L.

NB : Signed the guest book yet ?