List of rack railways

This is a list of rack railways, both operating and closed.

Africa

Angola

South Africa

Asia

China

Indonesia

• The former State Railways of West Sumatra's line between Kayu Tanam and Batu Tabal (reactivation pending), and Padang Panjang to Payakumbuh (disused).
• The former Netherlands East Indies Railways' line between Ambarawa and Gemawang, on the Kedungjati-Ambarawa-Magelang-Yogyakarta line. Only the Ambarawa-Bedono section is in operation as a tourist line.

Both railways used the Riggenbach system.

Japan

• Ikawa Line, Oigawa Railway
• Usui Pass was the first rack and pinion line in Japan, on the Shin-Etsu Line of the then Japanese National Railway. It was replaced in 1963 by a new parallel adhesion line, and in turn replaced by the Nagano Shinkansen line opened for the 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano.

Lebanon

Philippines

Vietnam

Europe

Austria

• Achensee Railway (Achenseebahn), Tyrol
• Erzberg Railway (Erzbergbahn), Styria
• Gaisberg Railway (Gaisbergbahn), Gaisberg (1887–1928)
• Kahlenberg Railway (Kahlenbergbahn), Kahlenberg, Döbling, Vienna (1872–1920)
• Schafberg Railway (Schafbergbahn), Upper Austria
• Schneeberg Railway (Schneebergbahn), Lower Austria

Czech Republic

• Cog railway Tanvald-Harrachov

France

• Lyon Metro Line C
• Montenvers Railway
• Petit train de la Rhune
• Panoramique des Domes

Germany

• Drachenfels Railway (Drachenfelsbahn)
• Höllentalbahn (adhesion only since 1933)
• Murg Valley Railway (adhesion only since 1926)
• Stuttgart Rack Railway, Stuttgart
• Wendelstein Rack Railway (Wendelsteinbahn)
• Bavarian Zugspitze Railway (Bayerische Zugspitzbahn)

Greece

Hungary

• Fogaskerekű Vasút in Budapest, Hungary is a kind of cog-wheel tram in the hilly Buda part of the city.

Italy

• Mont Cenis Pass Railway; temporary while main tunnel built.
• Vesuvius Funicular (1880–1944; originally built as a funicular and then changed to a rack railway. It was the only railway climbing an active volcano. It was destroyed various times by Vesuvius eruptions. With its last destruction in 1944, it was never built again. It is famous worldwide as a result of the song "Funiculì FuniculÃÂ" written about it)
• Opicina Tramway (1902–1928; rack replaced with a funicular section)
• Rittnerbahn (rack section closed)
• Sassi–Superga tramway
• Principe–Granarolo rack railway in the city of Genoa
• S.Ellero – Saltino (1892–1922; it was the first rack railway built in Italy)
• Lagonegro-Castrovillari-Spezzano Albanese of Ferrovie Calabro Lucane (1915–1978; it consisted of a series of separated lines which had to be unified into a single one but the project was never completed)
• Vibo Valentia-Mileto of Ferrovie Calabro Lucane (1917–1966; it was a local rack railway localized in south Italy)
• Rocchette-Asiago (1910–1958; it was the highest Italian rack railway)
• Catanzaro Città – Catanzaro Sala of Ferrovie della Calabria (Actually on service; it connects the city of Catanzaro to the borough of Sala)
• Paola-Cosenza of Ferrovie dello Stato (1915–1987; it was replaced by a tunnel)
• Saline-Volterra of Ferrovie dello Stato (1863–1958; it was part of a railway which connected Cecina to Volterra. Downstream flat line, from Cecina to Saline, is actually on service)
• Dittaino-Leonforte of Ferrovie dello Stato (1918–1959; it was located on the island of Sicily)
• Dittaino-Piazza Armerina of Ferrovie dello Stato (1912–1971; it was dismissed after a series of landslides which damaged some parts of the line)
• Lercara Bassa-Filaga-Palazzo Adriano-Magazzolo of Ferrovie dello Stato (1924–1959; it was used for mining and workers transports in Sicily )
• Agrigento-Naro-Licata (1911–1960; it was used to transport sulfur extracted from mines located on the island of Sicily)

Portugal

Romania

Slovakia

• Å trbské Pleso – Å trba rack railway
• Brezno – Tisovec rack railway
• Žakarovce rack railway (Marienhütte ironworks)

Spain

Switzerland

• Altstätten–Gais railway (AB)
• Aigle–Leysin railway line
• Aigle–Ollon–Monthey–Champéry railway line
• Chemin de fer Bex-Villars-Bretaye
• Chemins de fer électriques Veveysans (CEV)
• Brienz Rothorn Railway
• Martigny–Châtelard Railway (MC)
• Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye railway line
• Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke (DFB)
• Dolderbahn (Db)
• Gornergrat Railway (owned by BVZ Holding and managed by MGB)
• Joweid Zahnradbahn (a now closed freight line)
• Jungfrau Railway – the highest rack railway in Europe
• Lausanne-Ouchy (1958-2006), see Métro Lausanne–Ouchy#History; now Lausanne Metro's M2 line
• Lausanne Flon-Gare
• Matterhorn Gotthard Railway (MGB) (former Furka Oberalp Bahn and Brig-Visp-Zermatt Railway)
• Mühleggbahn (1950-1975, funicular before and afterwards)
• Monte Generoso railway
• Pilatus Railway
• Rigi Railways (Arth-Rigi and Vitznau-Rigi railways)
• Rorschach–Heiden railway (RHB, now AB), Rorschach to Heiden
• Wengernalp Railway – the longest continuous rack railway in the world
• Zentralbahn (Zb) (former Brünig railway line and Luzern–Stans–Engelberg railway line)

United Kingdom

North America

Mexico

• The gauge Mapimi Railroad in Durango State had a short Abt rack section from El Cambio to Ojuela. The maximum grade was 13.6% and it was worked by two Baldwin 0-6-2T steam locomotives built in 1896 and two Baldwin 2-6-2T steam locomotives built in 1898 and 1900. The railroad closed in the early 1930s.

Panama

• Large ships are guided through the Panama Canal Locks by electric locomotives known as mulas (mules), running on rack rails on the lock walls. The new locks, projected to open in 2015, will use tugs.

United States

• The Chicago Tunnel Company (abandoned) used the Morgan rack system on the steep grade up to Grant Park.
• Pikes Peak Cog Railway, Manitou Springs, Colorado. Swiss-made Diesel-Pneumatic railcars, 1- or 2-car trains. Strub rack system, originally Abt.
• Mount Washington Cog Railway, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Bio Diesel & live steam cog train operations with Marsh rack system, world's first to be used as a mountain railway (inaugurated in 1868).
• Quincy and Torch Lake Cog Railway, cog rail tram opened in 1997. Hancock, Michigan.

South America

Argentina

Brazil

• Corcovado Rack Railway
• The Estrada de Ferro Santos-Jundiaí which became part of Rede Ferroviária Federal Sociedade Anônima (RFFSA) 1957–1997, now owned by MRS Logística. gauge between Paranapiacaba and Raiz de Serra.
• Teresopolis and Petropolis railways, both out of service, near Rio de Janeiro.

Chile

• Arica–La Paz railway, Arica–La Paz
• Santa Lucía Hill tramway (Abt system), Santiago (1902–1910)
• The Transandine Railway, Santa Rosa de Los Andes – Mendoza, Argentina The rebuild will be adhesion only and use a base tunnel.

Venezuela

Oceania

Australia

• West Coast Wilderness Railway in Tasmania, originally opened in 1896 to service the Mount Lyell copper mine and closed and lifted in 1960s. Rebuilt and re-opened for tourists in 2003. Uses the Abt rack system. gauge.
• Dawson Valley railway line on Mount Morgan – rack system existed until 1952 when the line was deviated. Used the Abt rack system. gauge.
• Ellalong Colliery – underground Lamella rack – installed in 1984
• Skitube Alpine Railway – Lamella rack – in the Snowy Mountains, opened in 1987; gauge.
• Blue Mountains sewerage project – temporary gauge construction railway, 1995

See also

• Mountain railway#List of mountain railways
• Rack railway

References