Sassi–Superga tramway

The cog railway Sassi - Superga (Italian: Tranvia a dentiera Sassi - Superga - or - Cremagliera Sassi - Superga ) in Germany as Superga rack railway or earlier Supergabahn known, is a funicular railway in Turin, which originally operated as a funicular to the Agudio system been. It leads from the Turin district Sassi Superga on the mountain to the Sanctuary Basilica di Superga. Due to the tram moderate appearance of the vehicles, the web is often considered one of the trams and officially referred to as Tranvia.

Route

The 3.135 km long track has a track gauge of 1445 mm. It overcomes on their journey a height difference of 419 meters and has a slope of up to 20 percent. The track has two shorter tunnels. The hill station is situated at 672 meters above sea level. It is a popular vantage point overlooking Turin, the River Po and the Alps.

The former alternative location Raddoppio in the middle of the track is still visible, but has only one track, so that no trains can cross on the track. Although the track was rebuilt in the 1930s considerable effort in a rack railway, it can be seen in some places along the route is still the bodies of the cable guide of the former system " Agudio ".

It often leads to longer service interruptions.

History

Funicular system Agudio

The Sassi - Superga Railway was opened as a funicular to the system by Tommaso Agudio on April 27, 1884 - the third of its kind in Italy. The Agudio system was one of a revolving steel cable driven gear train. In this system the car from a standing downslope always drive cars, the Agudio locomotive, the mountain were pushed up. The drive car was equipped with gears, which intervened in a mounted in the track's center rack. The drive of the gear wheels was carried out by the laterally arranged on the rails encircling steel rope running on the drive carriage via pulleys. The rope had to be driven only for the ascent, the descent was made with standing rope, the speed of the train was controlled by the braking of the drive carriage.

In the Sassi - Superga Railway was located the stationary steam engine to drive the rope at the top station. The Agudio locomotive had two large pulleys that powered four gears lying under the vehicle. The gears attacked in pairs horizontally into the herringbone rack that resembled the system Locher. A car could drive uphill push one to three passenger cars. The drive cars themselves transported due to the sophisticated drive system, no passengers, but was occupied only with the cart driver and a brakeman. Judging by historical pictures he had either no structure or was provided with a windowless box. On the whole, were on the single track system with passing place at least two drive cars in use, which could pass for heavy trains, if necessary, in double traction.

World War I

During the First World War, the company was temporarily halted due to the sharp drop in passenger numbers, however, resumed in early 1919. In 1922, the stationary steam engine was replaced by an electric motor that powered the rope for Agudio locomotives until 1934.

Rack railway

After the plan of one of the two cables, the remained without consequences because of effective emergency braking system, the railway was rebuilt on 24 October 1934 to April 16, 1935 to a conventional electrically operated rack railway system by Strub. The over older systems such as Riggenbach system more cost-effective rack system Strub was first applied by Sassi - Superga Railway in Italy. After they had proven themselves in here, most rack railways in Italy were also equipped with Strub rack.

The vehicles were replaced by new railcars of Officine Meccaniche della Stanga (OM Stanga ). The drive cars no longer required have been scrapped, the Vorstellwagen rebuilt or sold to other tracks. The three new railcar can carry a maximum of two sidecar. Such a train can take 220 ​​passengers in about twenty minutes on the mountain. The railcars are also used solo, especially in weaker peak hours.

Power is supplied via a laterally arranged third rail at 600 volts DC. The Custodian has no rack or power rail so that the vehicles with the help of its own catenary -powered small electric shunting must be moved.

Although the train does not operate in the streets of the city of Turin, the vehicles have both the appearance as well as some characteristics of tramcar. Therefore, the web is often considered one of the trams and will be officially ( German: Gear Sassi - Superga tramway ) with Tranvia a dentiera Sassi - Superga designated as such. The track has a rail connection to the city's tram network in Turin Gruppo Torinese Trasporti the ( GTT ), which is not used operationally and only serves to convert the vehicles into the main workshop for repairs.