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Everything about Mountain Railway totally explained

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 can't 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 counterbalanced 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

See also list of cog and rack railways

Argentina

Australia

  • Glenreagh Mountain Railway
  • Mt Morgan Rack Railway - deviated 1955.
  • Skitube Alpine Railway
  • West Coast Wilderness Railway

    Austria

  • Mariazellerbahn
  • Pöstlingbergbahn Beschreibung durch den Betreiber, Linz AG Linien
  • Schafbergbahn
  • Schneebergbahn

    Bolivia

  • Ferrocarril de Arica a La Paz, AricaLa Paz

    Brazil

  • Corcovado Rack Railway
  • São Paulo Railway

    Canada

  • BC Rail, crosses the Pacific Coast Range of the Coast Mountains (Garibaldi & Lillooet Ranges)

    Chile

  • Ferrocarill Arica La Paz, AricaLa Paz
  • Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia
  • El Ferrocarril Trasandino Los Andes - Mendoza, Los Andes - Mendoza. The rebuild will be adhesion only (External Link).

    China

  • Hong Kong Peak Tram
  • Qingzang railway

    Colombia

  • Colombian Railways

    France

  • Ligne de Saint Gervais-Vallorcine,,
  • Mont Blanc Tramway
  • Montenvers Railway

    Germany

  • Berchtesgaden Mountain Railway
  • Drachenfels Railway
  • Harzer Schmalspurbahnen
  • Murgtalbahn,
  • Wendelstein Railway
  • Zugspitze Railway

    Greece

  • Diakofto Kalavrita Railway

    India

  • Nilgiri Mountain Railway
  • Kalka-Shimla Railway
  • Matheran Hill Railway
  • Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

    Isle of Man

  • Snaefell Mountain Railway

    Italy

  • Superga Rack Railway

    Japan

  • Hakone Tozan Railway
  • Ikawa Line, Oigawa Railway

    New Zealand

  • Rimutaka Incline Commenced operation in 1878 and ceased operation in 1955.

    Norway

  • Flåmsbana

    Peru

  • Empresa nacional de ferrocarriles del Peru
  • Ferrocarril Central Andino, (Standard gauge)
  • Ferrocarril Huancayo - Huancavelica, Huancayo - Huancavelica (narrow gauge, 36 in or 914 mm)
  • Ferrocarril del sur de Peru Arequipa - Puno, (Standard gauge)
  • Cusco - Machu Picchu, Cusco - Machu Picchu, (36 in or 914 mm gauge)

    Spain

  • Montserrat Rack Railway
  • Vall de Núria Rack Railway

    Switzerland

  • Appenzeller Bahnen,
  • Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren
  • Bergbahn Rheineck-Walzenhausen,
  • Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon railway
  • Berner Oberland Bahn
  • Brienz Rothorn Bahn
  • Chemin de fer Aigle-Leysin,,,
  • Chemin de fer Aigle-Ollon-Monthey-Champéry,,
  • Chemin de fer Aigle-Sépey-Diablerets,,
  • Chemin de fer Bex-Villars-Bretaye,,
  • Chemins de fer Electriques Veveysans,
  • Chemin de Fer de Martigny au Châtelard,,
  • Chemin de fer Martigny-Orsières,
  • Chemin de fer Montreux-Glion-Rochers-de-Naye
  • Chemin de fer Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez
  • Emmental-Burgdorf-Thun-Bahn,
  • 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,
  • Uetlibergbahn,
  • Wädenswil-Einsiedeln-Bahn,
  • Wengernalpbahn
  • Waldenburgerbahn(External Link)
  • Zentralbahn (former Luzern-Stans-Engelberg-Bahn, Brünigbahn) ====

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