Chamby

Origin of the name Chamby

Name origin: not explained by the sources consulted, which also give no dated early form of the name.

Founding of Chamby

Chamby is not a municipality: it is a locality of the municipality of Montreux, in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut, neighbouring Chaulin; the locality of Villard-sur-Chamby lies higher up. Neither a founding act nor an early history specific to Chamby was found in the sources consulted. Its known history is above all a railway history: Chamby station is served by the Montreux-Bernese Oberland line and is the terminus of the Blonay-Chamby line, opened in 1902 by the Compagnie des chemins de fer électriques veveysans (CEV) and run as a museum railway since 1968.

History of Chamby

1900. On 5 November, construction begins on the lines of the future Compagnie des chemins de fer électriques veveysans (CEV), including the one to Chamby.

1901. On 28 June, a concession is granted to the Compagnie des chemins de fer électriques veveysans (CEV). The same year, the Montreux-Bernese Oberland railway enters service on the territory of the former municipality of Le Châtelard.

1902. On 1 October, inauguration of the CEV's Vevey-Chamby line.

1966. In May, closure of the Blonay-Chamby line to traffic; on 5 December, founding of the society for the creation of the Blonay-Chamby tourist railway.

1968. On 20 July, inauguration of the Blonay-Chamby museum railway, which carries 20'000 passengers in its very first season.

1973. Inauguration of the museum's first exhibition hall, at Chaulin.

1993. On 29 May, opening of a second hall for the museum's 25th anniversary.

1998. Inauguration of the Chaulin station buffet.

2005. Purchase of the museum site (11'690 m²).

Historic sites in Chamby

Chamby station. Station in the municipality of Montreux served by the Montreux-Bernese Oberland line and terminus of the 3-kilometre Blonay-Chamby line.

Chaulin-Chamby museum. Depot-museum of the Blonay-Chamby museum railway, housing about 80 narrow-gauge railway vehicles, about 70 % of which are kept in working order.

Sources

• Chemin de fer-musée Blonay-Chamby, « Histoire du musée »
• Wikipedia (EN), « Blonay-Chamby railway line »
• Wikipedia (EN), « Chamby railway station »
• Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Châtelard, Le (VD) »
• GeneaWiki, « Suisse - Montreux »
• Statistique Vaud, « Population résidante permanente au 31 décembre 2025 »
• geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux swisstopo (coordonnées)

Other villages near Chamby

• Brent (VD)
• Chernex (VD)
• Le Châtelard (VD)
• Chailly-Montreux (VD)
• Clarens (VD)