Every Wednesday during August, September and October the MOB operates
a special train from Montreux to the Nestle-Cailler chocolate factory at Broc. This service is aptly called the
“Chocolate Train” On the day of our journey the train consisted of two of the beautiful MOB “Golden Mountain” Pullman
cars (nos. 101 and 102) and a panorama car (no. 703) The loco for the day was MOB GDe4/4 no.6002 “Rossiniere”The train left Montreux at 09:40 and whilst coffee and croissants were being served, proceeded along the main MOB line to the small station of Montbovon. After 6002 had run round its stock we set off along the tracks of the GFM (Gruyere-Fribourg-Morat) Railway to the small picturesque town of Gruyere where we were to have a stay of almost 3 hours to do some sightseeing and savour one of the dishes made from the famous cheese that this area produces. This was our third visit to Gruyere and despite the rain, which started soon after our arrival, it is still one of our favourite Swiss locations. Coincidentally on the day of our visit there was a total solar eclipse over part of Europe but the clouds ensured that we only had the briefest glimpse of this spectacle.
Suitably refreshed we were re-united with our little train which had been waiting in a siding and set off on the next stage of our journey to Bulle, a fairly large town and an important GFM junction. After running round, the “Chocolate Train” departed on the final stage of its journey to the Nestle-Cailler factory at Broc.
Broc Fabrique, a pretty flower covered terminus station, is just a short walk from the chocolate factory and while our loco was running round its three coaches yet again, we began our visit by watching a short video presentation covering the art of chocolate making. Understandably we were not allowed to visit the main factory for hygiene reasons but we were able to see some of the operations through viewing windows and the ever present aroma of chocolate certainly added to the atmosphere. The visit finished with the opportunity to sample the factories products and this proved particularly popular even if some of the children did become a little “green” due to their over indulgence.
The train left Broc Fabrique at 15:50 and retraced its outward journey, arriving in Montreux at 17:30.
