The Sernftalbahn Museum in Elm will start its season on the weekend of 2/3 May 2026. The exhibition ‘A mountain valley in motion’ in the station building and goods shed will be freshly renovated. The attractions on the station grounds include the original SeTB passenger and goods carriages as well as the popular garden railway for ‘young and old’. The Sernftalbahn Association will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
After a successful last season, the Sernftalbahn Association will be starting its anniversary year and the 2026 season on the weekend of the Glarus Land Assembly. The Association, which was founded in Engi Vorderdorf in 2006, is now in its fifth season on the Elm station site. The ‘Bähndli-Bistro’ in the former SeTB passenger carriage No. 5 is open on the museum weekends. On Monday, 13 April 2026, the ‘Willy’ rail tractor had a major task to perform, moving the four-axle passenger carriages No. 5 and 6 and the two goods carriages No. 35 and 36 to the correct positions. The various manoeuvring steps had to be carefully planned to ensure that the vehicles did not get stuck. Our shunters mastered this brain-teaser with flying colours!
We are looking forward to a great summer season in 2026. sernftalbahn.ch
Looking back
At the general meeting of the Sernftalbahn Association on 21 March 2026, all the agenda items were approved unanimously and the previous board was re-elected for another four years.
In 2025, over 800 people visited the exhibition in the station building and goods shed during the 12 museum weekends. Fortunately, the kindergarten in Elm and a primary school class from Schwanden and another from Linthal also took advantage of the children’s course. 9 groups visited the exhibition, 7 of which came outside the official opening hours. 6 groups rounded off their visit with a Glarus aperitif in the historic railcar.
Last year, the station area was the site of intensive construction work. Under the expert guidance of Hans Raveja and his team, as well as the contracted company ProWald AG from Mitlödi, the carriage shelter in Engi Vorderdorf was dismantled in June 2025 and transported to Elm, where it was only dismantled to the most essential parts. All of this was done in one day. In the same week, the reconstruction in Elm was also completed in bad weather. As the SeTBM members are getting older, certain tasks are increasingly being delegated to specialists. This also has the corresponding financial implications for the association.
After the installation of the carriage shed, the team around Hans Raveja only took a short break. Then they started to further develop the track system. The connection of the carriage shed to the rest of the track system, the ramp track and its extension, means that the track system in Elm is almost complete. For the construction of the track bed and the laying of the large switch and the rail elements, work was subcontracted to the construction company Marti AG in Matt. Large excavators were required and troughs had to be rented to remove the asphalt.
After consultation with the cantonal monument preservation department and the municipality of Glarus Süd, the carriage shed was painted in October/November. The scaffolding and painting work was subcontracted to Maler Laager in Schwanden. On 15 November, the railcar 5 was moved into the finished carriage shed for the winter months. Thanks to all those who support the Sernftalbahn Association with a great deal of physical effort, financial contributions and contributions of all kinds, a facility has been created in Elm that is well worth seeing.
Summer opening hours Sernftalbahn-Museum Elm
very 1st and 3rd weekend of the month, from May to October. Children’s course in
the museum and on the outdoor grounds. The garden railway only runs in dry
weather.
Sat/Sun, 2/3 May 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 17/18 May 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 6/7 June 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 20/21 June 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 4/5 July 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 18/19 July 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 1/2 August 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 15/16 August 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 5/6 September 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 19/20 September 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 3/4 October 2026, 10am-5pm
Sat/Sun, 17/18 October 2026, 10am-5pm
Admission to the museum is free. Donations to support the activities of the association are welcome. Group tours outside of opening hours are available on request for a fee. A Glarus aperitif is offered on request. School classes can also book the children’s course outside of opening hours. Are you interested in actively participating in our association? Help us keep the memories of the Schwanden-Elm interurban tramway alive! We would be happy to accept exhibits and historical documents from private collections into our collection. Please contact us at info@sernftalbahn.ch.
