Zig zag (railway)

A hairpin is a railway facility, which serves as a rule, to overcome with the lowest possible outlay and space consumption a height difference. It consists of at least one dead-end track, the two tracks converge in a most steeply graded railway line via a switch. In dead-end track, the train makes a direction change. Serves such a hairpin at the same time as the railway terminus, one also speaks of a switchback railway station.

  • 4.1.2.1 Baden- Württemberg
  • 4.1.2.2 Bavaria
  • 4.1.2.3 Hesse
  • 4.1.2.4 North Rhine -Westphalia
  • 4.1.2.5 Thuringia
  • 4.2.1 Tanzania
  • 4.2.2 South Africa
  • 4.3.1 Argentina
  • 4.3.2 Ecuador
  • 4.3.3 Peru
  • 4.3.4 USA
  • 4.4.1 China
  • 4.4.2 Taiwan
  • 4.4.3 India
  • 4.4.4 Korea
  • 4.4.5 Lebanon
  • 4.4.6 Pakistan

Construction

Hairpins are created when it is not possible or too expensive due to the topology of the route to overcome the height difference with reversing loops or sweeping tunnels. Hairpins are the simplest design, with a railroad line by lengthening can overcome a slope. Follow several hairpins in succession, a railway line in a zig -zag can cope with large height differences.

Operation

The change of direction can be formed from individual cars in trains by changing locomotives or the loco on a second track. Alternatively, the train can be inserted, where appropriate after another hairpin - to be pulled again - or put the locomotive in the railway station. Hairpins hinder However - as well as terminal stations - by the direction change operation and capacity of a route. Therefore, they are found today only on little-traveled routes. Some of the hairpin was also desired: On some steep grades, the locomotive had to be implemented for reasons of safety on the valley side of the train. With a switchback railway station on the ridge, for example, this shunting was saved.

Today by the use of push-pull trains or railcars disadvantage of having to implement a Lok omitted. So only a stay of three minutes will be scheduled, for example, in the hairpins station Lauscha. In Michael Stein station of Rübelandbahn comes with two locomotives - one front and rear - reduces the maintenance and management simplified by relapse turnouts.

Comparison hairpin - loop tunnel / viaduct sweeping circle

Under construction are helical tunnel, circle loop tunnel ( also called spiral tunnel ) or circular sweeping viaducts much more expensive than a hairpin. They can also be much easier operated without loss of time, because the direction of travel must not be changed. Therefore switchbacks to overcome height differences are not as common as the other two methods for overcoming height.

Hairpins by State

Europe

Germany, switchback railway stations in operation

Baden-Wurttemberg
  • Stuttgart Central Station. Usually referred to as a terminal station, it is so that one of the three access routes drops with 1:100 ( Bad Cannstatt ), while the other two rise ( to Vaihingen and Feuerbach ) with 1:52 or 1:80. It would not be possible without exceeding the allowable slope values ​​to apply for through traffic connecting curves of Bad Cannstatt to Feuerbach Vaihingen or. In this respect, Stuttgart Hbf different from all other major terminal stations in Germany. The extreme cost and elaborate tunnels of the Stuttgart 21 project is the logical consequence.
  • Sweeping station Eybtal of 1940-1944 the Tälesbahn ( Geislingen - Wiesensteig )
Bavaria
  • Station Schliersee
North Rhine -Westphalia
  • Pan mountain in Neunkirchen- Salchendorf, freight of the circular path of Siegen-Wittgenstein to the Shepherd works, formerly range of outdoor Grunder railway to the pit pan Berger unity
Saxony-Anhalt
  • Michael Stein ( Rübelandbahn )
Schleswig-Holstein
  • Holm train Lüttmoorsiel - Nordstrandischmoor - Crossing the outer dike in Schleswig -Holstein
Thuringia
  • Lauscha ( railway Sonnenberg Probstzella )
  • Rennsteig ( Rennsteigbahn )
  • Rauenstein ( hinterland rail)
  • Wurzbach ( Sormitztalbahn )

Germany, switchback railway stations out of service

Baden-Wurttemberg
  • Station Gomaringen the Gönninger web
  • Lenzkirch in the Black Forest ( railway Kappel Gutachbrücke -Bonn village)
Bavaria
  • Hairpin in the station Schillingsfuerst the railway line Steinach bei Rothenburg Dombühl
  • Hairpin of the Main valley train when traveling between Central Station Miltenberg and Wertheim. Here the hairpin did not serve to overcome a height difference, but to retract from a narrow Talsituation with fixed points, which also pretended the bridge over the Main, the station can.
  • Hairpin of the port railway Kitzingen. This was located at the southernmost point of the rail tracks, and was apparently built only for turning the trains with a minimal footprint. Significant gradients, the former position at least on both sides not to.
  • Hairpin Passau - Voglau. Branch of the railway line Passau Hauzenberg of the railway line between Wels and Passau. Due to a bridge on one side and a cliff on the other side here the change of direction of the route could only be realized by a hairpin.
Hesse
  • Erdbach (Westerwald cross- train)
  • Großalmerode - east, the hairpin Gelstertalbahn
  • 5 -fold hairpin of 900 mm overburden path of the Messel Pit
  • Station Elm, today the North-South route Hanover - Fulda - Würzburg belonging, originally switchback railway station on the route Frankfurt - Bebra / Fulda; the hairpin was replaced in 1914 by the construction of Schlüchterner tunnel, the old route still used today, however, as the connection path
North Rhine -Westphalia
  • Bright light railway stone - Medebach: double hairpin
Thuringia
  • Kleinschmalkalden ( Schmalkalder circular path )
  • Fürstenhagen ( Eichsfeld ) ( railway Holy City Schwebda )

Switzerland

Switchback railway stations in operation

  • Meiringen, in the range of Brünigbahn from Lucerne to Interlaken.
  • Niederbipp is for the Aare Seeland mobil ( ASM ) - a narrow gauge railway - a pointed return station.
  • The meter gauge line of the Montreux- Bernese Oberland Railway ( MOB), from Montreux to steering, takes a hairpin in Zweisimmen station.
  • Chambrelien, on the Jura Neuchâtelois route from Neuchatel to La Chaux -de-Fonds.
  • Combe- Tabeillon, along the route of the Chemins de fer du Jura Glovelier to Saignelégier.
  • Aigle- Deposit, at the Aigle- Leysin train.
  • The Wengernalpbahn has with the station Grindelwald Grund railway station with a hairpin. At its highest point, the Kleine Scheidegg station, there is a track triangle ( turning triangle ), which is however not used in regular service. It allows turning the trains, so they can take in accordance with regulations of the locomotive ahead downhill on either side of the mountain.
  • Châtel -Saint -Denis, on the narrow gauge route Palézieux bull.

Hairpins in operation

  • A hairpin is located directly after the key station of Les Planches at the Aigle- Sépey - Diablerets Railway. The trains from Aigle ( mountain driving) and Les Diablerets ( talfahrend ) hold the key station of Les Planches, then go to the hairpin over to the railhead Le Sépey, there change their direction to pass again the hairpin turn and hold on the other side of the wedge station Les Planches. A siding is located only on the mountain side facing the train station Planches.
  • The through trains Basel -Biel the Juratrain need to change in Dels Bergbahnhof the direction of travel.

Former hairpins in Switzerland

  • Vallorbe: head station with hairpin (up to 1915)
  • Lenzburg: hairpin for the trains (Lucerne - Beinwil - ) Lenzburg station - Lenzburg hairpin - Lenzburg city ( - Wildegg ). mined 2005
  • Klosters: The previously existing during the Rhaetian Railway Station hairpin was in 1930 replaced by the Klosters tunnel. The old railway bridge over the country Quart is now used only for pedestrians.

Denmark

  • (Also called " cable car ", with excursions ) The port railway in Lemvig.

Italy

  • During construction of the Val Gardena railway in South Tyrol ( Klausen Plan, 1915-1916 ) was created a hairpin in St. Christina. The final route envisaged a loop tunnel here. With the hairpin, the track could be put into operation before the completion of the helical tunnels. After completion of the tunnel, the hairpin was dismantled.
  • Between the stations and Palau Palau Marina on the railway line Sassari - Palau.
  • On the railway line between the stations Porlezza - Menaggio Menaggio and Grandola.

Sweden

  • On the Swedish island of Gotland hamn on the narrow gauge railway line Larbro - Burgsvik in the section between Visby and Visby.
  • On the narrow gauge railway line Glava Glasbruk - Glava.

Slovakia

  • Forest railway with historical hairpins ( Forest Railway Vychylovka, abbreviation HLÚŽ ), with five hairpins
  • The Tisovec station on the railway line Jesenské Brezno - pointed 1896-1949 a hairpin on

Czechia

  • Dubi ( Eichwald ) on railroad track must - Moldava ( Vltava mountain railway )
  • Dětřichov u Frýdlantu on former narrow gauge railway Frýdlant Heřmanice
  • Liteň on railroad track Zadnà Třebaň - Lochovice
  • Klobouky u Brna on railroad track Cejc - Ždánice
  • Tachov ( Tachau ) on railroad track Domažlice - Plana u Mariánských Lázní
  • Stupno u on railroad track Chrást Plzně - Radnice
  • Žleby on railroad track Čáslav - Třemošnice

Africa

Tanzania

  • The Sigi - web had a four-fold hairpin. The railway no longer exists.
  • The Usambara pointed between Pongwe and Ngommi / Muheza a double hairpin. It was replaced by a revised track alignment.

South Africa

  • The railway line Aliwal North - Lady Grey - Barkly East has 8 hairpins. The line was closed in 2001, the tracks are still.

America

Argentina

Their traveling from Salta tourist train tren a las nubes has traveled on his way to San Antonio del los Cobres two hairpins. Without it, the height differences of the route would be unable to cope. The railway line has, in addition to the natural beauty of the landscape on yet another ground technical refinements such as turning loops and crossovers.

Ecuador

The train from Riobamba ( 2,754 m) across the Andes to Simbambe ( 1,806 m ) contains the steep part of the Devil's Nose (Spanish Nariz del Diablo ). In this section, considered the steepest railroad in the world, approximately 500 meter height difference in several switchbacks.

Peru

The slope on the touristy major railway between Cusco and Macchu Picchu is only overcome through switchbacks, making the trip on the only 120 km route takes five hours.

Ferrocarril Central Andino overcome the trains on the route Lima - La Oroya - Huancayo the slope of Lima up to the highest point in Galera ( 4871m ) using a total of 6 hairpins.

USA

  • Kohala Mill at the Hawaii Railway.
  • Cascade tunnel
  • Cass Scenic Railway, West Virginia, a former lumberjack train, now a museum railway, 2 hairpins close to Whittaker station.

Asia

China

Along the so-called Jing - Bao- line from Beijing to Zhangjiakou there in Qinglongqiao two independent hairpins directly below the Great Wall, as each track of the double track line has its switchback railway station on an opposite side of the valley.

Taiwan

In Chiayi in the south of the island on the Alishan

India

In the course of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in India there is next to three circular reversing loops six hairpins. The track has been registered on the basis of their structural characteristics of the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage.

Korea

Between the stations Heungjeon and Nahanjeong at the Yeonggong railway line in South Korea existed until 2009 - now superseded by a tunnel - hairpin.

Lebanon

The Lebanon railway from Damascus to Beirut dismissed in the course of crossing the Mount Lebanon on two hairpins.

Pakistan

Along the railway line through the Khyber Pass are quick succession two switchbacks, the train is pushed between two uphill.

Oceania

Australia

  • Glenbrook, eastern flank of the Blue Mountains as part of the Trans- Australian Railway, degraded
  • Zig Zag Railway, west flank of the Blue Mountains as part of the trans- Australian railway at Lithgow, today: museum railway

New Zealand

  • Driving Creek Railway in Coromandel on the Coromandel Peninsula of the North Island of New Zealand: 5 consecutive hairpins in the course of only 2.7 km long route.
Train station#Terminus Zigzag Push–pull train Effelder-Rauenstein La Chaux-de-Fonds Wye (rail) Keilbahnhof Delémont railway station Palau, Sardinia Grandola ed Uniti Usambara Railway Machu Picchu Khyber train safari Blue Mountains (New South Wales) Trans-Australian Railway Lithgow (New South Wales) Coromandel, New Zealand
742198
de