...but I was wondering if any of you knapsack CHain´s recognize this place, perhaps by the buildings.
I recently came across this picture, it´s my father on his 1954 Norton Dominator on a road trip that went through Switzerland.
I would love to recreate this picture and I think it have been taken somewhere in St.Gallen, but like I said. it´s a long shot

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43 Kopie.jpg (72.2 KB, 288 views)

Are those rail tracks in the background?

Yes, I´m guessing at some local rail station. And I think that the large building in the background must still be there.

Hi Slammer
Looking at those train tracks, it seems that these are a cog railway. Date wise, this could be the St. Gallen-Gais-Appenzell railway.


There's a couple of interesting old photo's in wikipedia, but no stations.
Good luck with your search.


ps, my father was works rider for Norton Trials, back in the midlands around mid 1950's. But it was a very different word in those days.

Just another piece of the puzzle, he has two turnout signs behind him which could help narrow down the precise bit of track. However the houses and hill are definitely better landmarks.

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Did not read any of the comments or your description. But my first guess was somewhere in canton Appenzell. There are similar building as the one in the background in Heiden. (It isn't in Heiden).


The shadow is rather short. Which means it is noonish and we look to the east. North is to the left.

There are three tracks. And the cog Wheel part is only to the right (which is south). There are also switches which indicated that it is likely near a train station.

On Swiss Topo you can view old aerial images. This helps in case the track layout has changed and you can see if some buildings were already there.
https://map.geo.admin.ch/?lang=en&to...sibility=false
And here a list of Swiss Cog Rails.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_...in_der_Schweiz

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Since the shadows are to the left, I'm pretty sure the sun is on the right and it's in the south not the north

But you're right about us looking East, so I think the north/south thing is a typo?

Similar, but unless they knocked a town in the background I don't think its this.

https://www.google.ch/maps/@47.36090...7i13312!8i6656

No. The right left part is the issue.

The large white multi-storey building in the back right corner should be recognisable to someone... could be a hotel... can you enhance that ?

My guess is Grindelwald Grund Station.



https://goo.gl/maps/gJ15234Z7pPtzusT7

Have you tried putting it through Google reverse image search? Perhaps it finds something

By Jove you may be right!!

This is the view from the station car park, complete with the same sort of signage, cog rails, hill, houses etc.. My guess is that is precisely where he was standing, in the station car park.

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Grindelwald station car park.jpg (152.2 KB, 104 views)

By the flying spaghetti monster, I will contact them tomorrow.

Indeed. Look at the wooden shed - seems to be exactly the same.

wow, well done EF sleuths!

That's the same building in the two photos, still there. Horizontal siding boards in the front, vertical siding on the left.

Yes
It looks like the place.
I've attached URL for google street maps view, and if you zoom in and look closely at the old barn ( with CH flag now ) it is the same offset shape, with same wood structure, and a gap above the door.


Well spotted GParker !!!



https://www.google.com/maps/@46.6218...7i13312!8i6656

If you look from the other side of the valley there's a big hotel in about the right place, which assuming some renovations also looks about right.



https://www.google.com/maps/@46.6203...6!9m2!1b1!2i30

In fact even more right if you look at an old photo (from the other side admittedly)

Why are my eyes leaking fluid right now?

Sixty four years since that picture was taken, corvid permitting I will be there next year to recreate that picture.