A funicular is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages permanently attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track. The result of such a configuration is that the two carriages move synchronously: as one ascends, the other descends at an equal speed. This feature distinguishes funiculars from inclined elevators, which have a single car that is hauled uphill.
Brienz is a village and municipality on the northern shore of Lake Brienz, at the foot of the Brienzer Rothorn mountain, and in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. Besides the village of Brienz, the municipality includes the settlements of Kienholz and Axalp.
The Grimsel Pass is a mountain pass in Switzerland, crossing the Bernese Alps at an elevation of 2,164 metres (7,100 ft). The pass connects the Haslital, the upper valley of the river Aare, with the upper valley of the Rhône. In so doing, and as the Aare is a tributary of the Rhine, the pass crosses the continental divide between the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Carl Roman Abt was a Swiss mechanical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He made groundbreaking innovations in rack-and-pinion railways, giving his name to one of the most widely used systems developed for mountain railways, the Abt rack system.
The Reichenbachfall Funicular is a funicular in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links Willigen, near Meiringen, with the uppermost of the Reichenbach Falls, famous as the site of the apparent death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional hero, Sherlock Holmes. On its route the line follows and crosses the lower falls of the Reichenbach.
The Gelmer Funicular is a cable railway in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links a lower terminus at Handegg, in the Haslital, with an upper terminus at the Gelmersee lake, 448 m above.
The Niesenbahn is a funicular railway above Lake Thun in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links a lower terminus, in the village of Mülenen at 693 m and adjacent to Mülenen station on the Lötschberg railway line, with an upper terminus at 2336 m near the summit of Niesen, a viewpoint above the lake and Bernese Oberland. The funicular is divided into two portions with a total length of 3.5 kilometers, an elevation difference of 1643 meters, and a maximum slope of 68%.
The Monte San Salvatore funicular, or Funicolare Monte San Salvatore, is a funicular railway in the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The line links a lower station in the Lugano suburb of Paradiso with an upper station at the summit of the Monte San Salvatore. The top yields a 360° panorama with views of the city, Lake Lugano, Monte Generoso and the Italian enclave of Campione.
The Monte Brè funicular, or Funicolare Cassarate - Monte Brè, is a funicular railway in the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The line links a lower station in the Lugano suburb of Cassarate with an upper station at 883 m near the summit of the Monte Brè. The top yields views of the city and Lake Lugano.
The Bürgenstock Funicular is a funicular railway in the canton of Nidwalden, Switzerland. The line links the landing stage at Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock, served by the regular passenger boats of the Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees, with the Bürgenstock resort and its famous hotels.
The Locarno–Madonna del Sasso funicular, or Funicolare Locarno–Madonna del Sasso (FLMS) is a funicular railway near the city of Locarno in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The line links a lower station in the city center with the pilgrimage site of the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso and the municipality of Orselina. It forms part of the route to the summit of nearby Cimetta mountain.
The Sonnenberg Funicular, also known as the Standseilbahn Kriens–Sonnenberg (KSB) or Sonnenbergbahn, is a funicular railway near the city of Lucerne in the Swiss canton of Lucerne. It links the town of Kriens with the Sonnenberg at 704 m, a hiking and recreational area, and serves an intermediate stop at Zumhof.
Fürigenbahn was a funicular railway above Lake Lucerne at Stansstad, Nidwalden, Switzerland. The line led from the resort in Harissenbucht, a bay of Lake Lucerne, at 437 m to the Hotel Fürigen at 639 m. The track had a length of 375 m with a difference of elevation of 202 m and a maximum incline of 73%. The hotel built it for clients' use in spring 1924, but opened it to the public in 1927, after the Swiss Federal Assembly granted a license for 80 years. The funicular ceased operations in October 2005, the license expired in March 2007, and the hotel closed in 2010.
Drahtseilbahn Engelberg-Hotel Terrasse was a funicular railway in Engelberg, Switzerland. It led from the resort Engelberg at 1003 m to Hotel Terrace at 1053 m. The two-car line with passing loop had a length of 136 m and a maximum incline of 37.2%. It was one of the funiculars built at Belle Epoque hotels.
Schweizer Seilbahninventar was published in 2011 by the Federal Office of Culture. Of about 3000 cableways in Switzerland, the heritage inventory assesses 67 as of national importance and 44 as of regional importance in terms of the Swiss Federal Act on the nature and cultural heritage. It also includes 18 noteworthy more recent systems. Installations are included for their cultural or technological significance. The inventory covers aerial cableways, funiculars and ski lifts. Classifications applied are those of Swiss authorities. It does not cover inclined elevators, mobile lifts and installations part of residential, military or industrial building complexes.
Standseilbahn Handegg–Wasserschloss Handeggfluh Ärlen was one of the funiculars of Kraftwerke Oberhasli built for its hydroelectric plants at Grimsel, in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It led from Handeck at 1410 m to Handeckfluh Erlen at 1680 m, on the side of the Hasli valley opposite of Gelmerbahn. The line had a length of 867 m and a difference of elevation of 270 m.
Standseilbahn Urweid–Chapf is one of the funiculars of Kraftwerke Oberhasli built for its hydroelectric plants at Grimsel, in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It leads from Üssri Urweid at 717 m to Chapf at 1320 m. The line has a length of 1030 m with a difference of elevation of 608 m and a maximum slope of 100%. The funicular has a single car for up to 12 persons and is operated by an electric winch at the upper station.
A Water balancea railway is a funicular, aerial tramway or cable railway that uses the weight of water to move its carriages.
