Mountain Railways

 

No strict definition exists for mountain railways but they are often narrow gauge railways. The narrow gauge means tighter curves and narrower tunnels, meaning lower construction costs. Sometimes the track can be too steep to rely on adhesion for climbing, so a rack system is required. Often this is a toothed rack rail between tracks.

 

Gornergrat Railway

The Gornergrat railway. A train from Zermatt on its way up to Gornergrat.

 

In July 2006 the Qinghai - Tibet Railway was officially opened. The railway is 1972 kilometers and runs between Xining in Qinghai and Lhasa in Tibet. It includes both the highest railway station in the world, Tanggula Station at 5,068 meter above sea level, and the highest rail track in the world, Tanggula Pass at 5072 meter above sea level. In addition, the 1338 meter Fenghuoshan tunnel is the highest rail tunnel in the world at 4905 meter above sea level. A lot of challenges had to be overcome during the construction of the railway, 550 kilometer of the track is in the permafrost region. Clearly, the Qinghai - Tibet Railway is a must for every train buff. Unfortunately, it is in a remote location but quite a few travel organizers offer tours that include a ride on the railway.

 

A number of mountain railway can be found in the Alps. The highest of them is the Jungfraujoch top of Europe. As the name implies, at 3454 meters altitude, it is the highest railway station in Europe. Close by is the Rothorn Bahn, a steam train from Brienz up to Rothorn. Here is an overview of the steam train from Brienz up to Rothorn The first mountain railway in Europe was the train from Vitznau up to Mount Rigi. The line started back in 1871, during the summer months you can take a steam train up to the top.

 

India has several mountain railways, most of them are in Northern India. The Kalka-Shimla Railway is one of the most fascinating railways in India. The track is just 96 kilometers but it still includes 864 bridges and the views are wonderful. The only Indian rack railway is in the south, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.

 

Although not much of railways, the Peak Tramway in Hong Kong and Corcovado Rack Railway in Rio de Janeiro are two trains that must be recommended, not for the ride itself but for the views from the top.