Schauinslandbahn

Last updated
The Schauinslandbahn looking downhill towards Freiburg. Schauinsland - Schauinslandbahn 05.JPG
The Schauinslandbahn looking downhill towards Freiburg.

The Schauinslandbahn is a gondola lift in the Black Forest area of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It links a lower station in the municipality of Horben, near the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, with an upper station near the summit of the Schauinsland mountain. The line is operated by VAG Freiburg, the city transport operator for Freiburg. The same company operates that city's tram and bus network, including bus route 21 that links the lower station of the Schauinslandbahn to the terminus of tram route 2 at Günterstal. [1] [2] [3]

Gondola lift a type of aerial lift in which cabins are supported and propelled by cables, but where the cabins are not permanently fixed to the cables

A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is typically connected to an engine or electric motor. They are often considered continuous systems since they feature a haul rope which continuously moves and circulates around two terminal stations. Depending on the combination of cables used for support and/or haulage and the type of grip, the capacity, cost, and functionality of a gondola lift will differ dramatically. Because of the proliferation of such systems in the Alpine regions of Europe, the French language name of Télécabine is also used in an English language context.

Black Forest mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany

The Black Forest is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany. It is bounded by the Rhine valley to the west and south. Its highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). The region is roughly oblong in shape with a length of 160 km (99 mi) and breadth of up to 50 km (31 mi).

Baden-Württemberg State in Germany

Baden-Württemberg is a state in southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the border with France. It is Germany’s third-largest state, with an area of 35,751 km2 (13,804 sq mi) and 11 million inhabitants. Baden-Württemberg is a parliamentary republic and partly sovereign, federated state which was formed in 1952 by a merger of the states of Württemberg-Baden, Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern. The largest city in Baden-Württemberg is the state capital of Stuttgart, followed by Karlsruhe and Mannheim. Other cities are Freiburg im Breisgau, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Pforzheim, Reutlingen and Ulm.

Contents

At 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) in length, the line is reportedly the longest gondola lift in Germany. It was the first suspended cable car in the world to provide continuous operation of multiple cabins, as opposed to the shuttle style operation of the aerial tramway. [2] [4]

Aerial lift Cable transport in which passenger containers are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables

An aerial lift (US), also known as a cable car, is a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables. Aerial lift systems are frequently employed in mountainous territory where roads are relatively difficult to build and use, and have seen extensive use in mining. Aerial lift systems are relatively easy to move, and are and have been used to cross rivers and ravines. In more recent times, the cost-effectiveness and flexibility of aerial lifts has seen an increase of gondola lift being integrated into urban public transport systems.

Aerial tramway Aerial lift in which the cars are permanently fixed to the cables

An aerial tramway, sky tram,cable car, ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip of an aerial tramway cabin is fixed onto the propulsion rope and cannot be decoupled from it during operations.

History

The lower station. Schauinsland - Schauinslandbahn 03.JPG
The lower station.
Looking up the line from the lower station. Schauinslandbahn Talstation.jpg
Looking up the line from the lower station.

In the first years of the 20th century, several proposals were made to link Freiburg to Schauinsland. The extension of city tram route 2 on segregated track to Günterstal in 1913 was intended as the first section of a high speed tramway that would connect with a proposed rack railway to the mountain's summit. Other proposals included an aerial cableway, proposed by Professor Georg Benoit of the University of Karlsruhe, and a much longer adhesion railway from Freiburg Hauptbahnhof via Schauinsland to Todtnau. The outbreak of the First World War stopped any further progress on these plans. [5]

Rack railway railway on which trains are propelled by engaging a toothed rack wheel with a matching rail, in order to climb steep gradients

A rack railway is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail. This allows the trains to operate on steep grades above around 7 to 10%, which is the maximum for friction-based rail. Most rack railways are mountain railways, although a few are transit railways or tramways built to overcome a steep gradient in an urban environment.

Georg Benoit was a professor of mechanical engineering at the former TH Karlsruhe.

Freiburg Hauptbahnhof railway station in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Freiburg Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the German city of Freiburg im Breisgau. The Rhine Valley Railway (Mannheim–Basel), Höllentalbahn and the Breisach Railway (Breisach–Freiburg) meet here.

After the war it was eventually decided to build a suspended cable car line from a point close to the intended start point of the previously planned rack railway. The line was privately built and owned, opening on 17 July 1930 after three years of construction. It was built to Professor Benoit's design, using one carrying cable and two traction cables. There were 10 cabins, a maximum of 8 of which could be used at any time, and each cabin carried up to 22 passengers and a conductor. [6]

The design of the line involved cabins being attached at the stations onto the cables. In 1932, a mistake by the conductor when hitching the cabin onto the cable led to a cabin dropping 13 metres (43 ft) and killing 2 passengers and the conductor. This led to a major review of the technology and the procedures guiding it; the resulting recommendations were rapidly included in ropeway construction elsewhere, especially in Switzerland. [1]

Switzerland federal republic in Western Europe

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country situated in western, central and southern Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The sovereign state is a federal republic bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning a total area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million people is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities are to be found: among them are the two global cities and economic centres Zürich and Geneva.

During the Second World War, the Schauinslandbahn was used to provide transport to military hospitals established on the Schauinsland mountain. Because of the danger of air attack during 1944 and 1945, the line was operated only at night. [7]

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Military hospital hospital that is reserved for the use of military personnel, their dependents and other authorized users

A military hospital is a hospital that is owned and operated by the armed forces. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a military base; many are not.

The line was acquired by the city of Freiburg in 1968, and merged into VAG in 1982. In 1987, the line closed for modernisation. The original cabins were replaced by 37 smaller cabins that did not require a conductor, thus significantly reducing the number of staff needed to operate the line. During periods of high demand, up to 30 cabins can operate at once, giving a total passenger throughput of more than 500 per hour. Several proposals have been made to complete the originally intended extension of tram route 2 to connect with the Schauinslandbahn, but this has never happened and through passengers still use a connecting bus. [6]

Operation

Cabins awaiting passengers in the terminal station. Schauinslandbahn Wendeschleife.jpg
Cabins awaiting passengers in the terminal station.

The line operates seven days a week throughout the year. It runs continuously from 0900 to 1700, with later service from July to September. The line is not included in VAG's normal tram and bus tariff, and the adult return fare is currently €12, with reduced fares for children and families. [2]

The line has the following technical parameters: [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

Tram vehicle used for tramway traffic

A tram is a rail vehicle which runs on tramway tracks along public urban streets; some include segments of segregated right-of-way. The lines or networks operated by tramcars are called tramways. Historically the term electric street railways was also used in the United States. In the United States, the term tram has sometimes been used for rubber-tyred trackless trains, which are not related to the other vehicles covered in this article.

Höllentalbahn (Black Forest) railway line

The Höllentalbahn is a railway line that partially runs through the Höllental valley in the Black Forest of Germany. The line connects Freiburg im Breisgau with Donaueschingen, a distance of 74.7 km (46.4 mi).

Schauinsland Mountain in the Black Forest, Germany

The Schauinsland, is a mountain in the Black Forest with an elevation of 1,284 m (4,213 ft) above sea level. It is a popular destination for day trips. Due to the high amount of silver mining, it was previously known as “Erzkasten” ; the name “Schouwesland” first appeared in 1347. The mountain is located roughly ten kilometres south-east of Freiburg’s city centre.

Seilbahn Zugspitze aerial tramway

The Seilbahn Zugspitze is an aerial tramway running from the Eibsee Lake to the top of Zugspitze. It currently holds the world record for the longest freespan in a cable car at 3,213 metres (10,541 ft). Construction of the system began in 2015 and it opened on 22 December 2017.

Gornergrat Railway Swiss rack railway, from Zermatt to the summit of the Gornergrat

The Gornergrat Railway is a mountain rack railway, located in the Swiss canton of Valais. It links the resort village of Zermatt, situated at 1,604 m (5,262 ft) above mean sea level, to the summit of the Gornergrat. The Gornergrat railway station is situated at an altitude of 3,089 m (10,135 ft), which makes the Gornergrat Railway the second highest railway in Europe after the Jungfrau, and the highest open-air railway of the continent. The line opened in 1898, and was the first electric rack railway to be built in Switzerland.

Horben Place in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Horben is a village in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.

Trieste–Opicina tramway hybrid tramway and funicular railway in Trieste, Italy

The Trieste–Opicina tramway is an unusual hybrid tramway and funicular railway in the city of Trieste, Italy. It links Piazza Oberdan, on the northern edge of the city centre, with the village of Villa Opicina in the hills above.

Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe transport company

Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB) is the municipal transport company of the city of Dresden in Germany. It is a member of the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe transport association that manages a common public transport structure for Dresden and its surrounding areas. The DVB operates the Dresden tram network comprising 12 tram lines, with a total line length of approximately 210 kilometres (130 mi) and a total route length of 132.7 kilometres (82.5 mi), and 28 bus lines, with a total line length of approximately 306 kilometres (190 mi). It is also responsible for two funicular railways and three ferries across the River Elbe.

Freiburger Verkehrs AG company

Freiburger Verkehrs AG, also known as VAG Freiburg or just VAG, is the municipal transport company of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany and is responsible for operating the local tram network. It is a member of the Regio-Verkehrsverbund Freiburg (RVF), a transport association that co-ordinates public transport in the city of Freiburg and the neighboring districts of Emmendingen and Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald.

Pöstlingbergbahn

The Pöstlingbergbahn is a narrow-gauge electric railway, or "mountain tramway", in Linz, Austria. It connects the main square in the centre of Linz with the district of Pöstlingberg, located at the top of a hill at the northern end of the city. Opened in 1898, for 110 years the metre-gauge railway ran from a terminal station in Linz's Urfahr neighbourhood, located across from the terminus of urban tram route 3, to Pöstlingberg. In 2009, service was extended from Urfahr to the city centre. To permit this change, the railway was regauged from 1,000 mmmetre gauge to 900 mm and a track connection to the Linz tram network was built. Service was suspended from March 2008 until May 2009 for this work. With a maximum grade of 11.6%, the Pöstlingbergbahn is one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world. There are steeper grades on at least one other tram system, that of Lisbon, but the Pöstlingbergbahn is still among the world's steepest adhesion railways and has the steepest grade of any in Austria.

Trams in Würzburg tram system

The Würzburg tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Würzburg, a city in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany.

Trams in Nuremberg tram system

The Nuremberg tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Nuremberg, a city in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany.

Trams in Neuchâtel tram system

The Neuchâtel tramway is a tramway forming part of the public transport system in Neuchâtel, a city in Switzerland.

Trams in Linz tram system

Trams in Linz is a network of tramways forming the backbone of the urban public transport system in Linz, which is the capital city of the federal state of Upper Austria in Austria.

Trams in Freiburg im Breisgau

The Freiburg im Breisgau tramway network (also known as Stadtbahn or formerly as Hoobl is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Freiburg im Breisgau, a city in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Opened in 1901, the network has been operated since its foundation by the company now known as Freiburger Verkehrs AG and powered by electricity. Currently, the tramway network is run by five lines. The expansion of the tram network since 1980 has served as an example of the "renaissance of the trams" in Germany. At the start of 2017, 72 trams were available for regular use. Five of these were high-floored, 37 partial and 30 low-floored. Almost the entirety of the network is located within Freiburg's urban area, only a few metres of the balloon loop at Gundelfinger Straße are located outside the boundary of Gundelfingen to the north of Freiburg. In total, the trams serve 20 out of the 28 districts in Freiburg.

The three-part eight-axle articulated trams used on Freiburg im Breisgau's tram network are the GT8s. From 1971 to 1991, they were exclusively produced for the Freiburger Verkehrs AG by the Düsseldorfer Waggonfabrik in three series, which is why they are defined as Typ Freiburg. They have been designed to be used uni-directionally.

References

Inside the upper station. Schauinslandbahn Bergstation.jpg
Inside the upper station.
  1. 1 2 W.Koenig, Bahnen und Berge. Verkehrstechnik, Tourismus und Naturschutz in den Schweizer Alpen 1870-1939 (Campus Verlag 2000), ISBN   3-593-36500-6
  2. 1 2 3 "Schauinslandbahn" (in German). Freiburger Verkehrs AG. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  3. ↑ "Liniennetzplan" (PDF) (in German). Freiburger Verkehrs AG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  4. ↑ "Georg Benoit und die Gründung des Instituts für Fördertechnik" (in German). University of Karlsruhe. Archived from the original on January 22, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  5. ↑ Deacon, Ray (1998). Freiburg: From classic tramway to light rail. Light Rail Transit Association. p. 11. ISBN   0-948106-22-0.
  6. 1 2 Deacon, Ray (1998). Freiburg: From classic tramway to light rail. Light Rail Transit Association. p. 17. ISBN   0-948106-22-0.
  7. 1 2 "Geschichte der Schauinslandbahn" (in German). VAG Freiburg. Archived from the original on March 13, 2005. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  8. ↑ "Lift-Database : Freiburg : Schauinslandbahn". Lift-World.info. Retrieved 2009-04-12.

Coordinates: 47°56′10″N7°51′56″E / 47.93611°N 7.86556°E / 47.93611; 7.86556

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.