Mountain railway
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A mountain railway is a railway that ascends and descends a mountain slope that has a steep grade. Such railways can use a number of different technologies to overcome the steepness of the grade. Mountain railways commonly have a narrow gauge to allow for tight curves in the track and reduce tunnel size and structure gauge, and hence construction cost and effort.
On steep grades the friction between the wheels and the rails cannot apply sufficient adhesion to the train's wheels so as to overcome gravity, and the train is in danger of sliding down the track. In practice this affects downhill braking capability before it affects uphill climbing ability, and some mountain railways at the lower end of the steepness spectrum rely on standard adhesion for propulsion, but use special track brakes acting directly on the rails.
Where the line is too steep to rely on adhesion for climbing, a rack railway may be used, in which a toothed cog wheel engages with a toothed rack rail laid between the tracks. A now little used alternative to the rack and pinion railway is the Fell system, in which traction and/or braking wheel are applied to a central rail under pressure.
Finally at the steepest end of the spectrum, a funicular railway may be used. Here a cable is used to haul counterbalenced trains up and down the track. The car itself is often custom built for the slope, with specially raked seating and steps rather than a sloped floor. Taken to its logical conclusion as the slope becomes vertical, a funicular becomes an elevator (British English: lift).
List of mountain railways
Australia
- Glenreagh Mountain Railway
- Mt Morgan Rack Railway
- Ski Tube
- West Coast Wilderness Railway
Austria
Brazil
Chile
- Ferrocarill Arcica La Paz, Arica–La Paz
- El Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes - Mendoza, Los Andes - Mendoza, [El Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes - Mendoza], [Museo Ferrocarril Transandino], [seconstruye el tren Los Andes - Mendoza] (All in Spanish only)
China
France
- Ligne Saint-Gervais-Vallorcine, [de], [fr]
- Mont Blanc Tramway
- Montenvers Railway
Germany
- Berchtesgaden Mountain Railway
- Drachenfels Railway
- Harzer Schmalspurbahnen
- Pöstlingbergbahn [de] [Beschreibung durch den Betreiber, Linz AG Linien]
- Wendelstein Railway
- Zugspitze Railway
Greece
India
Isle of Man
Italy
Japan
- Hakone Tozan Railway
- Ikawa Line, Oigawa Railway
New Zealand
- Rimutaka Incline Commenced operation in 1878 and ceased operation in 1955.
Peru
- Ferrovías Central Andina, [F.C. CENTRAL ANDINA S.A.], [FERROCARRIL CENTRAL ANDINO S.A.], [Callao - Huancayo] (Standard gauge)
- Ferrocarril Huancayo - Huancavelica, [Huancayo - Huancavelica] (Narrow gauge, 36 in or 914 mm)
- Ferrocarril del sur de Peru Arequipa - Puno, [RUTA AREQUIPA - LAGO TITICACA], Cusco - Puno [RUTA CUSCO - LAGO TITICACA] (Standard gauge)
- Cusco - Machu Picchu, Cusco - Machu Picchu, [RUTA CUSCO - MACHU PICCHU] (36 in or 914 mm gauge)
Spain
Switzerland
- Appenzeller Bahnen, [de]
- Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren
- Bergbahn Rheineck-Walzenhausen, [de]
- Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon railway
- Berner Oberland Bahn
- Brienz Rothorn Bahn
- Chemin de fer Aigle-Leysin, [fr], [fr], [de]
- Chemin de fer Aigle-Ollon-Monthey-Champéry, [fr], [de]
- Chemin de fer Aigle-Sépey-Diablerets, [fr], [de]
- Chemin de fer Bex-Villars-Bretaye, [fr], [de]
- Chemins de fer Electriques Veveysans, [de]
- Chemin de Fer de Martigny au Châtelard, [fr], [de]
- Chemin de fer Martigny-Orsières, [de]
- Chemin de fer Montreux-Glion-Rochers-de-Naye, [fr], [Chemin de fer Montreux Glion-Rochers-de-Naye]
- Chemin de fer Montreux-Territet-Glion-Rochers-de-Naye, [Chemin de fer Montreux-Territet-Glion-Rochers de Naye]
- Gornergratbahn
- Gotthardbahn
- Jungfraubahn
- Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (formerly Brig-Visp-Zermatt-Bahn, Furka-Oberalp-Bahn)
- Monte Generoso Railway
- Montreux-Oberland-Bahn
- Pilatus Railway
- Rhaetian Railway
- Rigi-Bahnen (Arth-Rigi-Bahn, Vitznau-Rigi-Bahn)
- Rorschach-Heiden-Bahn
- Schynige Platte Railway
- Trogenerbahn, [de]
- Uetlibergbahn, [de], part of Sihltal-Zürich-Uetliberg-Bahn, [de]
- Wädenswil-Einsiedeln-Bahn, [de]
- Wengernalpbahn
- Zentralbahn (former Luzern-Stans-Engelberg-Bahn, Brünigbahn)
United Kingdom
United States
See also
External links
- [Homepage of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn] (in German)
- [Narrow gauge railways of Switzerland] (in English)
- [Description of MGB with rail information] (in German)
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