• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

World's steepest funicular railway opens in Switzerland

Magi

Instructor
Instructor
Joined
Apr 8, 2017
Posts
404
Location
Winter Park, Colorado
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/high-p...nicular-railway-opens-in-switzerland/43758880


I saw this and thought I'd share - A railway that goes UP more than it goes Down (110% grade!), just opened in Switzerland.

Flexible carriages
The barrel-shaped carriages adjust their floors so passengers can still stand upright while they climb towards the Alpine plateau at inclines of up to 110%.

The train, which will go into public service on Sunday, follows a 1,720-metre track, climbing or descending 743 metres. It reaches speeds of up to ten metres per second. The whole trip lasts around four minutes.

 

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
Moderator
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Posts
18,098
Location
75% Virginia, 25% Colorado
Neat! Here's a (sped up) video of the ride that makes it looks much flatter


And here's some video of it actually working with a shot where you can see how steep it is :

 

at_nyc

Getting off the lift
Pass Pulled
Joined
Mar 8, 2016
Posts
646
The Swiss are good at building railroads! Still at it after all these centuries. :D
 

Willy

aka Goldmember
Industry Insider
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
258
Location
Spokane/Schweitzer
I'm not sure that is the steepest in the world. When I was in Australia several years ago, we rode what was then the steepest railway in the world at Katoomba Scenic World. Here is a description:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katoomba_Scenic_World#Railway

The Scenic Railway is the steepest cable-driven funicular railway in the world,[2][3][4][5] the steepest incline of 52 degrees[6] contained within a total incline distance of 310 metres (1,020 ft).[1] It was originally constructed for a coal and oil shale mining operation in the Jamison Valley in the 1880s, in order to haul the coal and shale from the valley floor up to the escarpment above. From 1928 to 1945 it carried coal during the week and passengers at weekends. The coal mine was closed in 1945 after which it remained as a tourist attraction. The Scenic Railway was closed on 13 January 2013 (although the Skyway, Cableway, and Walkway remained open) as construction to upgrade both tracks and carriages began. The work was completed and the railway reopened in April 2013.

52 degrees = 128% grade. It was incredibly steep. Sitting in the car with a retention bar over our laps, we could feel ourselves wanting to slide out over the top of the bar and tumble forward. It was kind of spooky. At the end, it looks like you're going to launch into this huge canyon in front of the car. Spooky but, fun!

scenicrailway.jpg
 

skibob

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Jan 5, 2016
Posts
4,268
Location
Santa Rosa Fire Belt
So, the engineer in me wants a closer look at the roller mechanism that allows the cars to roll.

Because I am picturing ice jamming those up. ANd if that's not bad enough, I am picturing it breaking free after loading. And now I am imagining riding up a mountain in a front-load washing machine.

I'm not having too much trouble imagining a mercury switch that shuts the whole thing down before the car gets more than a few degrees off camber. But I am having a hard time imagining a mechanism that defeats ice proactively.
 

Willy

aka Goldmember
Industry Insider
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
258
Location
Spokane/Schweitzer
I would think it's probably similar to the gondola and tram rollers that allow them to remain horizontal while climbing.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top