Eggwald

type of building: Detached house. size of property: 110m².

Arrival and departure can only take place on a Wednesday or Saturday.

The carefully renovated Eggwald railway caretaker's house directly on the legendary Gotthard mountain line can be rented as a holiday home from May to October. The listed building next to the Rohrbach bridge can only be reached on foot and is located directly on the railway line. In the kitchen with parlour on the ground floor and two chambers on the upper floor, you can experience railway flair at first hand. Take a holiday where railway keepers and their families once lived and looked after their section of track around the clock.

Interior:
Life in the guard's house takes place on two floors in three rooms. The kitchen with parlour and the bathroom are on the ground floor, while a spiral staircase leads to the upper floor with two bedrooms. On the ground floor, the kitchen with parlour invites you to linger. Enjoy the view from the dining table or the cosy sofa directly onto the railway tracks and watch the trains regularly whizzing past, just like the train guard once did. In addition to a cooker, the functionally equipped kitchen has a soapstone stove, which provides additional warmth and authentic flair in cool temperatures. Washing up is done by hand in the keeper's house, just like in the old days, and because the waste water flows into the in-house small sewage treatment plant, biodegradable washing-up liquid is available. A comprehensive inventory including a Nespresso coffee machine (please bring your own coffee capsules), coffee press filter, fondue set, spices, oil and vinegar is available for preparing, cooking and enjoying meals. On the sofa you can comfortably read an exciting book from the house library or, converted into a sofa bed for an additional person, sleep wonderfully.

Bathroom on the ground floor:
The bathroom is equipped with a walk-in shower, washbasin and toilet. A hairdryer and a first aid box are available. The waste water from the caretaker's house is connected to its own small sewage treatment plant, so only the biodegradable soap and shampoo provided may be used.

Bedroom on the upper floor:
In the larger bedroom on the upper floor, guests sleep in a huge reclaimed wood bed (three 90cm mattresses). An antique farmer's wardrobe provides space for the wardrobe, a desk with a wooden chair is used for sitting, reading or writing and the very youngest members of the Bahnwärter family sleep in an old cradle in the parents' room.

Walk-through bedroom on the upper floor:
The smaller bedroom on the upper floor serves as a connecting room to the larger one and is furnished with an old wooden bed (120cm mattress).

Anteroom on the upper floor:
On the upper floor at the end of the wooden spiral staircase, in front of the connecting bedroom, there is an anteroom with a large built-in wardrobe, which offers plenty of storage space.

Cellar in the basement:
A cellar and a separate machine room are located in the basement.

Exterior terrace and garden:
The wonderful terrace in front of the house offers all-day sunshine in fine weather. With the garden furniture from the outbuilding, you can enjoy warm days and prepare barbecues at the fireplace.

Outbuilding:
The outbuilding serves as a woodshed and shelter. A garden table and chairs, a parasol and a three-legged barbecue with the necessary barbecue accessories are stored here and waiting to be used.

Cable hut:
The history of the house and the people who lived in the warden's house is told with an audio installation in the cable hut next door, which is open to the public.

Location and accessibility:
The Eggwald caretaker's house is located in the municipality of Wassen and can only be reached on foot. Fenced off by a fence, it lies directly next to the tracks of the Gotthard mountain railway line on which trains run regularly. It is forbidden to climb over the fence or walk on the tracks. The Gottardo hiking trail, which has numerous information boards about the important railway line, runs right past the property.

Arrival and departure can only take place on a Wednesday or Saturday.

By the way: from May to September, the SBB Historic "San Gottardo Experience Train" runs on the second Saturday of every month along the legendary Gotthard mountain railway line from Erstfeld to Lavorgo and back. Who knows, maybe you will see the nostalgic train during your stay at the Eggwald caretaker's house or ride past your holiday home.

Travelling by public transport:
From Flüelen or Erstfeld, take bus 401 to the "Wassen, Wattingen" bus stop. Walk along the "Wattingen-Neiselen" access road over the secured Rohrbach bridge and down a spiral staircase to reach the caretaker's house in about 30 minutes. From "Wassen railway station", the walk to the Eggwald warden's lodge along the Gottardo hiking trail takes around 30 minutes.

Travelling by car:
Leave the A2 motorway at the "Wassen" exit. Then turn right onto "Gotthardstrasse" and drive to "Wattingen". Turn right again and drive along the road "Wattingen" over the Rohrbach. Turn right again and drive along the "Wattingen-Neiselen" access road to the car park by the Rohrbach bridge. The "Wattingen-Neiselen" access road leads up a winding road and is only accessible with a driving licence. The driving licence is included in the rental price and must be physically deposited in the car after arrival until departure. No driving licence is required to drive on the access road on arrival and departure. Park at the Rohrbach bridge and walk the five minutes on foot over the secured Rohrbach bridge and down a spiral staircase to the Eggwald caretaker's house.

The history of the railway keeper's house:
in 1886, the Gotthard railway company built the Eggwald keeper's house on the other side of the Rohrbach near the tunnel portal. However, this location proved to be unfavourable because the smoke from the steam locomotives from the Naxberg tunnel penetrated into the living quarters. The house was therefore dismantled in 1897 and rebuilt at its current location on the other side of the stream. Later, around 1960, the Eggwald keepers' house was given a more modern parlour with a corner window, which still offers a direct view of the tracks. Today, the Eggwald guard's house is the last railway guard's house on the Gotthard owned by SBB. In 2019 and 2020, the SBB Heritage Preservation Centre extensively renovated the listed building. It was reduced to its 1897 size, the original window openings, except for the corner window installed in 1960, were restored along with wooden shutters, the roof was re-roofed, the façade was painted, all the pipes were renewed and a new bathroom and kitchenette were installed. The Eggwald railway caretaker's house now shines in a new guise and has been made accessible as a holiday home by SBB Historic since 2021.

Excursion options: Ride on the historic San Gottardo adventure train from SBB Historic

Other living room furnishings (living room1): House library and games, sofa can be converted into a sofa bed for an extra person.

Other bedroom furnishings (bedroom1): Antique farmhouse wardrobe, a wooden chair and an old cradle

Other kitchen furnishings (kitchen): The soapstone stove can be used for cooking and heating. An extensive inventory including Nespresso coffee machine (coffee capsules must be brought along), coffee press filter, fondue utensils, spices, oil and vinegar is available for preparing, cooking and savouring.

Sports options in the surrounding area: mountaineering, golf course, climbing, mountain biking, cycling tours, skiing (alpine)

Basic information
- Pets allowed: none
- Type of property: holiday house
- is located in: nothing applicable
- type of building: Detached house
- Total number of floors in the building above the ground floor: 1
- size of property: 110 m²
- Year of the last complete renovation : 2020
- detached house
- not observable from the street
- Contactless check-in/check-out
- no youth groups
- non-smoking
- Number of bedrooms: 2
- Number of bathrooms: 1

Top features
- WiFi
- air conditioning: no
- heating: In part
- underfloor heating: no
- terrace
- garden: For sole use
- completely enclosed (by wall, fence or hedge)
- Total of private car parking spaces: None
- distance to free communal parking spaces: 500 m

Sleeping
bedroom 2
- double bed (from 1.51 m to 1.79 m width)
- bedroom is dimmable
bedroom 4
- double bed (from 1.31 m to 1.50 m width)
- bedroom is dimmable
in the living area
- sofa bed for 1 person

Bathroom
bathroom 2
- shower
- basin
- toilet
- hair dryer
- daylight

Cooking/Living
- coffee machine: coffee machine
- fridge/freezer: freezing compartment, fridge
- stove: 2-plate stove
- kitchen hood
- oven
- electric kettle
- dishtowels
- size of kitchen: 15 m²
- number of dining tables: 1
- number of seats: 6
- number of living rooms: 1
- fireplace
- stove

Entertainment
- party games for adults

For children
- party games for children

Utility
- vaccum cleaner
- fan: None

Outside area
- outdoor furniture
- grill/barbecue: grill/barbecue

Surroundings
- view: garden, forrest, lawn, valley
- directly at the edge of the wood
- Nearest town centre: 2,0 km
- Grocery store: 2,0 km
- restaurant: 2,0 km
- train station: 5,0 km
- airport: 120,0 km
- motorway: 2,0 km
- ski vacation
- distance to cross-country skiing: 10,0 km
- mountain rail: 10,0 km

Distinctive features
- Heritage-protected
- historical building
- chalet