Dresden Funicular Railway

51.05527777777813.816111111111Koordinaten: 51 ° 3 ' 19 " N, 13 ° 48' 58" E

The funicular Dresden is a circulating in Dresden funicular railway, which was opened on October 26, 1895 and 1909 operating steam converted to electric operation. It connects near the " Blue Wonder " Loschwitz in the statistical district Losch / Wachwitz with Loschwitz -northeast in the statistical district Bühlau / Weisser Hirsch and operated by the Dresden Transport AG. In addition to the neighboring monorail Dresden is one of the two Dresden mountain railways.

History

The industrialist Ludwig Küntzelmann made ​​in 1873 for the first time the project is a funicular railway between the grains in place Loschwitz and the White Deer develop, on which he had many plots. Since only a small demand was expected Küntzelmann but got no concession. 15 years later Heinrich Lahmann opened his sanatorium and the White Stag developed into an internationally renowned spa. Renewed demands for better transport links of the White Hart culminated in 1890 in a renewed application for a license by Ferdinand Dörfinger and Alfred ram. Initially, these efforts seemed to unsuccessful because at the same time a narrow gauge narrow gauge railway from Dresden -Neustadt on the White Stag, Bühlau and Weißig to Dürrröhrsdorf was planned and the Saxon government wanted to create no unnecessary competition for the Royal Saxon State Railways. This project failed, however, in 1893 and the regional government of Saxony demanded Dörfinger and pestle to submit their application again. Then, the building permit was issued on September 4, 1893.

The entrepreneur Dörfinger and pestle were not to finance the construction costs in the situation. Therefore, the United railway construction and operating company took over the concession and built the funicular in a construction period of eleven months. The funicular was opened on 26 October 1895 steam operation. The cost was 800,000 Reichsmarks. In the first five years of operation, the railway also carried freight. It transported uphill and downhill feces coal and building materials, the latter was due to the bad smell permitted only at night. The transportation of horses and oxen was possible; the freight cars had this a domed clamping hood.

In the first year of operation tithes of the owner of the cable car changed hands several times. First, the United railway construction and operating company founded on 18 March 1897, the subsidiary funicular Loschwitz - Weisser Hirsch AG, which operated the train. In 1906, Elektra AG took over the majority of the funicular railway, and in 1912 she went into the possession of the city of Dresden. Since then operated the Dresden Transport AG the funicular.

In 1909 it was converted to electric operation. In 1932, a top line on the track was installed that allowed an electric lighting and heating in the vehicles. The Second World War was the funicular without major damage. When bomb alert the staff drove the vehicles in the tunnel. Therefore, these were also the big air raid on Dresden on February 13, 1945 unscathed. The route was also passable again after a few days.

In the years 1978 /79, a general renovation was required. The carrier, the Princess Louisa tunnel and the viaduct structure were repaired. Since 1984, the funicular is a listed building. After the turn of a modernization of the entire railway system followed under the leadership of general contractor Waagner -Biro. Both mountain and valley station and both tunnel and the viaduct structure were renovated and renewed the equipment type. The mountain station received a control stand on the platform, which shifted the work of the machinist from the basement to light and the base station received a new translucent roof structure. As the new generation car needs no more catenary, this was dismantled. On 22 October 1994, the funicular railway began operation after reconstruction techniques.

Route description

The single track is 547 meters long and has a track gauge of 1000 mm. At its center is located on the viaduct a passing place with a Abtschen crossover, in which the mountain and the car talfahrende happen. The car climbs at a maximum gradient of 29% a difference in height of about 95 m. Directly to the valley station of the 96 m long tunnel closes at Castle Hill. Approximately in the middle of the track 102 m long viaduct structure and just before the summit station of the 54 m long Princess Louisa tunnel.

Rolling stock

The two cars are connected by a 578 m long and 38 mm thick rope together, driven and deflected into the mountain. The carriages are accelerated and decelerated over the rope. To adapt to the inclination of the track, the compartments of the cars are created in steps. Since the start of operation four cars generations were in use.

• The first generation car was in use from 1895 to 1934. The two main cars could if necessary be supplemented by two support cart for carrying passengers and two freight cars with rotating bed.
• In 1934, the company Christoph Unmack in Niesky renewed the vehicles.
• The third generation car built the tram workshop Trachenberge 1962 /63. An enclosed storage compartment and the electric door operator presented are the major innovations
• The wagon Bautzen GmbH introduced the fourth generation car in 1994 ago. The two cars have two broad Luggage compartments for strollers, wheelchairs and bicycles. Unlike previous generations, they have an electro-hydraulic brake control with preloaded spring packs and a newly designed drive.

Drive Technology

The engineering works and shipyard Übigau supplied the drive technology and used a chain drive tow as he had already been tested on chain tugs on the Elbe. For a funicular railway, however, this drive technology, a special dar. As combustion engines initially found two steam engines with a drive pulley of four meters in diameter, later a DC shunt motor with 240 volts and 44.2 kW of power use. A rectifier substation in the mountain station supplied the funicular and the neighboring monorail Dresden with electricity. Two large batteries presented depending on the charge state of the several hours of continued operation, but at least driving in the stations safely. In 1964 the first electric motors were replaced by new, manufactured in Elbtalwerk models with 250 volts and 80 kW. While the drive with steam engines only a speed of 2.5 m / s allowed, 5 m / s are possible with electric drive today.

Two drive stages with the translation Verhältnisen 1:8,833 (stage 1) and 1:4.5 ( Level 2) transfer the power from the engine to the two drive pulleys. This drive concept has remained unchanged since commissioning.

In normal operation, the web is electrically accelerated and braked. In an emergency, the funicular can be brought to a standstill by disc brakes. Both drive wheels are equipped for this with a brake ring, each acting on the an operation and a safety brake on the use case.