A new signaling system on the Gotthard Base tunnel route will soon prevent the use of non ETCS signalling system equipped trains on the approaches to Erstfeld and Biasca. This was then as a good a time as any to stage a steam locomotive event touted as one of the last steam runs on the Gotthard. For the uninitiated, the Gotthard railway connects Italy and Southern Europe to Switzerland and Northern Europe. The route cuts thru the Alps through the 15 km long Gotthard Tunnel and is one of the main transportation arteries connecting Europe. The mountainous portion of the route with numerous bridges, tunnels and seven spirals, lies between Erstfeld in the north and Biasca in the south.