Definitions and technical points

Some technical points

At the beginning of the railway transportations, the tracks were quite horizontal, but quickly arrived the necessity for the trains to use inclined areas . To solve this problem, the cog wheel trains were used for the long distances with multiple curves. But this system is limited for inclines with medium gradients. But for small distances with big gradient and small sinuosity another system was used: the funicular traction. With this system, the vehicle is pulled by a cable during the rising, and only guided during the descent. The cable is moved by a fix power unit which can be of different kinds.

In this magazine we will only speak about funiculars and cable railways (vehicles guided by rails). So it will exclude another kind of cable transportation which are the aerial cableways.

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TYPES OF FUNICULARS
(the red circle is a power unit, the white circle is a passive pulley)

	Conterbalanced / one cabin is heavier than the other one
	Conterbalanced / one cabin is heavier than the other one / one cable for the tension
	Classical Funicular: one cabin is pulled, the other one is guided
	Only one cabin, sometimes also called lift
	Only one cabin and a conterweight
	Only one cabin but the power unit is at the lower station
	Two cabins independant or coupled
	Modern Funicular: same as classical Funicular but with a cable for the tension
	Same as modern Funicular but with the power station at the bottom
	One cabin, one cable for the tension and the engine in the middle
	Two half sections and the power unit between the two sections
	Cable car / APM (Automated People Mover)
	System Agudio / the power unit is into the cabin
	Cable to help normal train to climb an incline track
	The cabin is suspended to the rails
	Cabin on rails pulled by aerial cable
	One cabin, one loop cable, engine at the top
	One cabin, one loop cable, engine at the bottom
	Movable Boat carrier
	Reversible monocable

 

TYPES OF TRACKS

	One track with a siding (2-4-2)
	Two tracks with 3 rails, a siding, one track (3-4-2)
	Two tracks with 3 rails and a siding (3-4-3)
	Single track
	Two parallel tracks
	Two parallel tracks and a siding
	Rollers (no rails)
	On cables (Telefuni)

 

STATUS

	Disapeared
	In use
	Stopped
	Project or Under construction
	Converted into a cog wheel train
	Unknown

 

ENERGY

	Electricity
	Water counterbalanced
	Water counterbalanced Additional method
	Water counterbalanced Subtractive method
	Steam
	Human or Animal
	Sun
	Petrol, gazoline
	Gravity

 

USE

	Public
	Industrial (private)
	Industrial (with special visits)
	Military