What are Funiculars and How do they Work?

When it comes to traveling up a steep slope along a mountain or large hill in modern times, we have plenty of options. Whether that be cars, gondolas, or ski-lifts, they're all fairly modern inventions. In the late 1800s, there was another way to travel up mountains call funiculars. These train-like vehicles are some of the most energy efficient ways of traveling up and down a slope, and they're quite mechanically simple.

Funiculars function in a system of two counterbalanced cars attached at the end of a long cable that goes from one car, up the slope, around a pully, and back down to another car. This means that as one car goes up the slope, the other one must go down. Movement is accomplished through the changing of the weight of each car, or through the use of a motor to move one car up.

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[Luigi-ujml]

An interesting "water powered" funicular is that of Friborg in Switzerland. At sunset they turn on the front lanterns and internal lamps that run on kerosene. It is also equipped with a braking rack. Here in Genoa, even the legendary Funicular of Sant'Anna worked as a counterweight of water. In continental Europe, most balanced two-cab funiculars running on a single-track line with a midway loop are generally equipped with pointless switches (turnouts) of the type devised by the Swiss engineer Roman Abt. Even the legendary Principe - Granarolo rack railway is equipped with Abt-type switches, perhaps the only case in the world. A system to visit absolutely is the famous Trenovia Trieste - Opicina (Tram de Opcina) which has a steeply sloping section with funicular traction.

[PyroBlaze_alt]

I’ve never been on one of these, but I’ve seen a few here in Europe! Never knew some of them used water and gravity to propel themselves though. Great video btw!

[MisakaMikotoDesu]

Thanks for the explanation. I've been wondering what made these so much different than a train for a while

[quakethedoombringer]

Honestly that's a pretty impressive piece of technology

[totalbrootal]

In about a month from now, I should be riding the water powered funicular at Bom Jesus do Monte, looking forward to it!

[zaxisontherun]

Ive been on funicular in Penang Hill in Malaysia, which was open almost a decade ago

[mikey]

Why don't all hills have these :o