Pilatus Railway

Pilatus Railway
Pilatus Railway
	A train on the final section
Overview
Native name	Pilatusbahn
Status	Operational
Owner	Pilatus-Bahnen AG [ de ]
Locale	Obwalden, Switzerland
Termini	Alpnachstad ; Pilatus Kulm ;
Stations	5
Service
Services	1
History
Opened	4 June 1889 (Steam), reopened 15 May 1937
Technical
Line length	4.6 km (2.86 mi)
Rack system	Locher
Track gauge	800 mm (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	1,650 V DC overhead line
Operating speed	9 km/h (5.6 mph) downhill, about 10 km/h (6.2 mph) uphill.
Highest elevation	2,073 m (6,801 ft)
Maximum incline	48 %
Route diagram
	Legend
	elevation (M)
	or length (m)
	This diagram: view ; talk ; edit ;

Last updated May 05, 2024

The Pilatus Railway (German: Pilatusbahn, PB) is a mountain railway in Switzerland and the steepest rack railway in the world, with a maximum gradient of 48% and an average gradient of 35%. The line runs from Alpnachstad, on Lake Alpnach, to a terminus near the Esel summit of Pilatus at an elevation of 2,073 m (6,801 ft), which makes it the highest railway in the canton of Obwalden and the second highest in Central Switzerland after the Furka line. At Alpnachstad, the Pilatus Railway connects with steamers on Lake Lucerne and with trains on the Brünigbahn line of Zentralbahn.^[1]

History

The first project to build the line was proposed in 1873,^[2] suggesting a 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge and 25% maximal gradient. It was concluded that the project was not economically viable. Eduard Locher, an engineer with great practical experience, proposed an alternative project with the maximum grade increased to 48%, cutting the distance in half. Conventional systems at the time could not negotiate such gradients because the cogwheel that is pressed to the rack from above may, under higher gradients, jump out of engagement with the rack, eliminating the train's driving and braking power. Instead, Locher placed a horizontal double rack between the two rails with the rack teeth facing each side. This was engaged by two flanged cogwheels mounted on vertical shafts underneath the car.

This design eliminated the possibility of the cogwheels climbing out of the rack, and prevented the car from toppling over, even under severe crosswinds common in the area. The system was also capable of guiding the car without the need for flanges on the wheels. Indeed, the first cars on Pilatus had no flanges on running wheels, but they were later added to allow cars to be moved through tracks without rack rails during maintenance. Construction began in March 1886, and it took four hundred working days during the summer months of three years to complete.^[3] Six hundred laborers, mostly Italians were employed.^[3] The line was opened on 4 June 1889, and was electrified in 1937,^[3] using an overhead electric supply of 1,650 V DC. The first year the line counted 35,000 passengers, by 1901 a million had travelled on top of the Pilatus by rail.^[3]

The government provided no subsidy for the construction of the line. Instead, Locher established his own company "Locher Systems" to build the railway. The railway was built entirely with private capital and has remained financially viable throughout its life. New energy-efficient trains built by Stadler Rail were introduced in 2023.

The Pilatus Railway was named a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2001.^[4]^[5]

Gallery

Share of the Pilatus Railway Company, issued 1. July 1888; founder's share
The train ready to leave, 4 June 1889
Pilatus Railway Time Table from 1905
Railcar in 1981
Railcar approaching the summit station
A railcar at the summit station
Alpnachstad station; note the inclination of the platform behind the building
The Locher system rack and pinion
The tracks are laid without ballast.
A turnout consisting of a bridge that rotates about its lengthwise axle
Pilatus Railway Sliding Switch
Railcars at the midpoint switch
Final railcar of a group approaches the midpoint
The two row transfer table in Pilatus Railway, one edge also serving as a passenger platform
Pilatus Bahn Bhe 2v2 railcars by Stadler Rail, introduced in 2022

Operation

The line is 4.6 km (2.86 mi ) long,^[6] climbs a vertical distance of 1,629 m (5,344 ft ), and is of 800 mm (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in) gauge.^[7]^[8]^[9] Because of the rack-system, there are no conventional points or switches on the line, only rotary switches (see photograph) and traversers. All rails are laid on solid rock, securing rails by high-strength iron ties attached to the rock, without using any ballast.

The line still uses original rack rails that are now over 100 years old. Despite being worn down, it was discovered^{[ by whom? ]} that this can be fixed by simply turning the rails over, providing a new wearing surface that would be sufficient for some time. The cars' electric motors are used as generators to brake the car during descent, but this electricity is not reused — it is dissipated as heat through resistance grids. Originally, the steam engines were used as compressors to provide dynamic braking, since the use of friction brakes alone is not practical on very steep slopes.

The line is operated seasonally from May to October. The cable car, which approaches from the other side, runs all year except for a short maintenance period.

Related Research Articles

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.

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 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.

A railroad switch (AE), turnout, or [set of] points (CE) is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off.

The Snowdon Mountain Railway is a narrow gauge rack-and-pinion mountain railway in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is a tourist railway that travels for 4.7 miles (7.6 km) from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales.

Pilatus, also often referred to as Mount Pilatus, is a mountain massif overlooking Lucerne in Central Switzerland. It is composed of several peaks, of which the highest (2,128.5 m [6,983 ft]) is named Tomlishorn.

The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway is a cog railway that climbs one of the most iconic mountains in the United States, Pikes Peak in Colorado. The base station is in Manitou Springs, near Colorado Springs.

The Brünig railway line is a Swiss narrow gauge railway line that links Lucerne, in central Switzerland, with Interlaken, in the Bernese Oberland. The line runs via Alpnachstad, Giswil, Meiringen and Brienz, and passes over the Brünig Pass, using sections of rack railway to overcome the gradients, but with most of the line operated by normal adhesion methods.

The Fell system was the first third-rail system for railways that were too steep to be worked by adhesion on the two running rails alone. It used a raised centre rail between the two running rails to provide extra traction and braking, or braking alone. Trains were propelled by wheels horizontally applied and retracted by springs onto the centre rail, controlled from the cab, as well as by the normal running wheels. In practice, the running wheels could be allowed to run freely to reduce wear, but the centre brake shoes needed to be replaced frequently. For example: the locomotives' shoes were replaced after each journey on the Mont Cenis Pass Railway. Extra brake shoes were fitted to specially designed or adapted Fell locomotives and brake vans, and for traction the prototype locomotive had an auxiliary engine powering the horizontal wheels. The Fell system was developed in the 1860s and was soon superseded by various types of rack railway for new lines, but some Fell systems remained in use into the 1960s. The Snaefell Mountain Railway still uses the Fell system for (emergency) braking, but not for traction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skitube Alpine Railway</span> Electric rack railway in NSW, Australia

The Skitube Alpine Railway is an Australian standard gauge electric rack railway in the Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It provides access to the snowfields at Blue Cow Mountain and the Perisher Valley.

Hillclimbing is a problem faced by railway systems when a load must be carried up an incline. While railways have a great ability to haul very heavy loads, this advantage is only significant when the tracks are fairly level. As soon as the gradients increase, the tonnage that can be hauled is greatly diminished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cable railway</span> Railway that uses a cable, rope or chain to haul trains

A cable railway is a railway that uses a cable, rope or chain to haul trains. It is a specific type of cable transportation.

Rigi Railways is a railway company that operates a group of railways on the mountain Rigi, located between two of the arms of Lake Lucerne, in Switzerland. They include two standard gauge rack railways, the Vitznau–Rigi Bahn (VRB) and the Arth–Rigi Bahn (ARB), along with the Luftseilbahn Weggis–Rigi Kaltbad (LWRK) cable car.

The Zentralbahn is a Swiss railway company that owns and operates two connecting railway lines in Central Switzerland and the Bernese Oberland. It was created on January 1, 2005, with the acquisition of the independently owned Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line, and the Brünig line of the Swiss Federal Railways. The company has its headquarters in Stansstad.

Eduard Locher was a Swiss engineer, inventor and independent contractor who received a doctorate honoris causa for his work. He devised the Locher rack railway system and built his privately owned Pilatus Railway that uses this system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stadler GTW</span> Articulated railcar

The Stadler GTW is an articulated railcar for local transport made by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. GTW stands for Gelenktriebwagen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn ABDeh 4/8</span>

The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn ABDeh 4/8, also known as Komet, is a two member class of metre gauge electric trains operated by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB), in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn ABDeh 4/10</span>

The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn ABDeh 4/10, also known as Komet, is a three member class of metre gauge electric trains operated by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB), in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brünig-Hasliberg railway station</span>

Brünig-Hasliberg railway station is a Swiss railway station located at the highest point of the Brünig Pass. It is on the Brünig line, owned by the Zentralbahn, that links Interlaken and Lucerne. The station takes its name from the name of the pass, and the resort area of Hasliberg, which lies to its east. It provides an interchange with a route of PostBus Switzerland, which operates between Brienz and Hasliberg, via the station. The station is one end of a popular hiking trail to and from the summit station of the Brienz–Rothorn railway.

A steep grade railway is a railway that ascends and descends a slope that has a steep grade. Such railways can use a number of different technologies to overcome the steepness of the grade.

800 mm gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways built to a track gauge of 800 mm.

References

↑ "A Wonderful Railway". The Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 2 March 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
1 2 3 4 Waldis, Alfred (2002). Es begann am Gotthard. Lucerne: Maihof Verlag. pp. 132–134. ISBN 3-95220335-1.
↑ "Pilatusbahn (1882)". Landmarks. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
↑ "Pilatusbahn" (PDF). Pilatusbahn brochure. ASME. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
↑ "The steepest cogwheel railway in the world and its history". Pilatus-Bahnen AG. 2024. 48% gradient - the special cogwheel system.
↑ Bergbahnen der Schweiz (1959) (in German)
↑ Schienennetz Schweiz (1980) (in German)
↑ CH+ (2010) (in German)

Sources

Book Tramways and Light Railways of Switzerland and Austria, ISBN 0-900433-96-5, by R.J.Buckley, published by the Light Rail Transit Association, 1984.

External links

Media related to Pilatusbahn at Wikimedia Commons
Pilatus Railway web site
Scientific American 8/13/1904; The Mount Pilatus Railway, Switzerland

46°57′20″N8°16′37″E / 46.95556°N 8.27694°E / 46.95556; 8.27694

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.

[1] "A Wonderful Railway". The Register . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 2 March 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 13 February 2013.

[2] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[:0-3] 1 2 3 4 Waldis, Alfred (2002). Es begann am Gotthard. Lucerne: Maihof Verlag. pp. 132–134. ISBN 3-95220335-1.

[ASME-4] "Pilatusbahn (1882)". Landmarks. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved 18 January 2009.

[ASMEpdf-5] "Pilatusbahn" (PDF). Pilatusbahn brochure. ASME. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2009.

[6] "The steepest cogwheel railway in the world and its history". Pilatus-Bahnen AG. 2024. 48% gradient - the special cogwheel system.

[7] Bergbahnen der Schweiz (1959) (in German)

[8] Schienennetz Schweiz (1980) (in German)

[9] CH+ (2010) (in German)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]