Pilatus railway
Logo of the Pilatus -Bahn AG
Pilatusbahn at the entrance to the mountain station Pilatus Kulm
The Pilatus (PB ) is a funicular railway in Switzerland and the world's steepest her you kind runs from Alpnachstad to Mount Pilatus.
The route is operated by the Pilatus -Bahn AG, which operates next to the two cable cars from Kriens to the Fräkmüntegg and from Fräkmüntegg of Mount Pilatus.
Route description
The train runs on a 4.618 km long narrow gauge track ( track width 800 mm) and overcomes a difference in altitude of 1635 m. The maximum slope of 48% makes it the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. Since this slope with conventional racks there is a risk of Aufkletterns of the gear from the rack with a vertical engagement, Eduard Locher developed specifically for this course, a rack with side (gear system Locher ). Because of this rack using conventional course is not possible - instead, sliding platforms and track Wender used. Particularly interesting are also the wheel flanges of the vehicles that roll on the rail along outer sides.
The travel speed is uphill 9 to 12 km / h downhill maximum of 9 km / h This results in a travel time of 30 minutes uphill and downhill of 40 minutes. The maximum transport capacity is 340 people per hour. The drive power is 210 PS and 154 kW per railcar.
The turnout Ämsigen has been upgraded with recording of the summer schedule of 2006, a well as for tourists regularly stop usable.
Rolling stock
Currently 10 railcar 40 persons each are used.
- PB Bhm 1/2 1-11 (all discarded )
- PB Bhe 1/2 21-30 (No. 29 as a wagon box, stand by No. 31)
- PB Ohe 1/2 31 (Mostly with interchangeable body as Bhe 1/2 No. 29 road )
- PB XHM 1/2 32
Two steam railcars from the early days of the Pilatus railway are still preserved. Carriage 9 is at the Transport Museum in Lucerne, the carriage 10 can be in the Deutsches Museum traffic in Munich visit.
History
In Lucerne aroused the success of the Vitznau- Rigi -Bahn, which initially was pouring out a return of 15% to start with a desire cog railway to Mount Pilatus. A first license application was submitted by the Kreditanstalt on 22 April 1873. But there was the problem for the ausersehene Trassee of Alpnachstad to the summit that achievable with a Riggenbachschen rack 25 % gradient was not sufficient. Eduard Locher made a proposal in 1885 with seven tunnels, narrower track system and deep in the ground attached to steel anchors for fixing of the tracks. This proposal allowed a slope of 38% on average and up to 48 % on a brick base. On the basis of this proposal an implementation in April 1886 could be tackled. The track was built in sections. Beginning in the valley, the first of the ordered steam locomotives were transported load platforms for freight transport of the granite stones to the next phase of construction. Thus, the trackbed and rail construction and the machines have been tested in the construction phase under load. The car bodies for passenger were first built at the end of the landing gear. The first passenger train ride brought on August 17, 1888, the directors of the Pilatus Bahn AG on the mountain. The steam car No. 7 was shown at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889.
The line was opened on 4 June 1889, the railway ran in steam operation. It had been initially created from 3000 counted climbers annually transport capacity for 288 persons per trip and could carry in the first ten years, an average 34'400 people to the mountain hotel. The success of the Pilatusbahn expressed in the first years of operation by a dividend of 7% on the share capital, and destroyed the stagnant for over a decade building more mountain railways new boost - so could about Edward Guyer- Zeller and Eduard Locher realize the project of the Jungfrau Railway.
Goods at the start of operation, the motorized railcar still too weak, so could provide the required power 50 years later electric railcars. In 1936, the web has a catenary and new red railcars. After the switch to the electric drive, the sheet was reopened on 15 May 1937.