If you watch old films about the future, they almost always show taxis, buses and cars that do not drive on the road, but fly in the air. And if you think about it, we actually have this type of transport now - it’s funiculars. And although this transport cannot be called new and revolutionary, because the first prototypes appeared back in 1854 in Italy and Austria, but, nevertheless, these carriages floating in the air evoke a feeling of awe. But, over time, their main function changed a little, and instead of delivering their passengers to their destination, despite the difficult and impassable paths, the funicular became one of the indispensable tourist features of the 21st century.
Let's do it ourselves virtual tour the best funiculars in the world and try to find out what is so interesting you can see in them.
Venezuela
The longest cable car in the world is located in Venezuela, and not somewhere in Switzerland and America, as one might think. Is it open? funicular I was there quite recently, in the summer of 2014. You can ride it for just 43 cents. Cable car passes at an altitude of 3200 to 4000 meters above sea level! The travel time is 10 minutes, and you can get in this way from the city of La Paz to the city of Alto. During the trip, you can get a good look at these towns, dotted with colorful houses, which from a bird's eye view resemble a goosebump. Passengers will also be able to admire the beautiful and majestic snow-capped mountain peaks Ilmani.
India
The Indian one can also compete for the title of the tallest funicular in the world. Gulmarg. Its trailers take tourists straight to the largest ski resort in the Himalayas. The cable car has been operating since 1998, and can lift its passengers to a height of up to 3100 meters, although its second part was recently opened, which surpassed the Venezuelan funicular with a height of 4114 m. You can ride this funicular for only $2.7, and get colorful emotions for millions, because there are few places where you can see all the beauty of the Himalayas so close and so clearly.
China
It is here that you can find another leader, which differs in the length of the road (7.5 km) and the duration of the trip (40 minutes).
But, if we are talking about panoramic views, then here “ Road to Heaven" (as the Chinese informally call it), the undisputed winner. After all, the funicular ride itself goes through National Park Zhangjiajie, right above the mountains Tianmen.
This cable car got its romantic name due to the fact that as it rises, the funicular from time to time disappears in thick fog and it seems as if it is floating among the clouds.
Brazil
See Rio and statue of Christ the Redeemer and the bay in all its glory is possible precisely thanks to the modern funicular, which is located at an altitude of approximately 400 m above sea level. But no less interesting is another cable car in Rio, located in the most disadvantaged areas of the city (including Alemao), where crowds of bandits and drug addicts live and walk the streets, so it’s not very safe to see these places in any other way.
And, although for now this transport serves more as a means of transportation and not as a tourist attraction, it is worth a ride here, because from above the Brazilian slums look very interesting. By the way, the fare is only $0.5.
Israel
View from the funicular window Masada, somewhat reminiscent of photographs from Mars - yellow earth cracked from the heat and harsh rocks. But this has its own charm; it all looks especially beautiful at sunset. You can see and appreciate all the beauties using the funicular, which takes its tourists directly to the top of the plateau, where the ancient Masada fortress. And although the maximum height of the cable car is 257 meters, this does not prevent you from admiring the endless desert and appreciating the beauty Dead Sea. But the round trip fare is $19, which is a little expensive compared to other funiculars.
France
This is probably the most unusual cable car in the world, because the cars are shaped like huge glass balls, which the French themselves call “bubbles”. The road was opened back in 1934, but it was the most ordinary cable car that served as a means of transportation for the townspeople, but in 1976 the old cars were replaced with these very “bubbles” and the cable car turned into a famous tourist attraction, which makes it possible to admire the city in very comfortable conditions.
You can ride there and back for 6.8 euros.
Malaysia
You can fly over the jungle and watch monkeys climb trees in Malaysia, namely in the city Genting. This is one of the first high-altitude resorts in Malaysia, where, moreover, the gambling business. So there are a lot of tourists here. And in order to surprise and amaze them even more since 1997, it has been working here cable car, which is considered one of the fastest in the world - the speed of the funicular is 6 meters in seconds, and the price of a round trip is only $3.
Ukraine
There are funiculars in Ukraine, of course, they are not the most panoramic, or fast and high, but you don’t have to travel far. quite famous, and you can ride it from Podol to Upper city to admire the old part of the city and the view of the Dnieper. You can also take a ride over the city in Kharkov. Kharkov cable car was opened in 1971 and still remains not only a tourist attraction, but also a means of transportation for city residents.
Maybe this article will inspire you to travel to one of these countries, where, in addition to other attractions, you will also ride a cable car, and then share your impressions and photos with us.
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A funicular is a rail vehicle with rope traction, designed for transporting goods or people over short distances along a steep route. Here is a list of the ten most famous cable cars in the world.
The Zagreb funicular is located on Tomica Street in the city of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It was built in 1890 and opened on April 23, 1893. The funicular is included in the list of cultural monuments of the Croatian capital, as it has retained its original appearance, design and most technical characteristics.
The line is only 66 meters long with a height difference of 30.5 m and an inclination angle of 52%, making it not only the shortest, but also one of the steepest passenger funiculars in the world. It has two carriages moving at a speed of 1.5 m/s and designed for 28 passengers each. The entire trip takes 55 seconds.
Montesanto
The Montesanto funicular is located in the city of Naples, Italy. It is part of the Naples metro connecting three stations, Morghen, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Montesanto. It was opened in 1891. The length of its line is 825 meters, rises to a height of 168 meters, and has an inclination angle of 23%. The cars move from average speed seven meters per second, and the entire route takes four minutes and twenty-five seconds. The funicular carries more than 4 million passengers a year.
Guindais
Guindais funicular - located in the city of Porto, Portugal. It was originally opened on June 4, 1891, but was closed two years later due to a major accident. The reconstructed Guindais funicular began to function again only on February 19, 2004. The line, with a total length of 281 m, rises 61 meters and has two carriages that move at a speed of 5 m/s, with a capacity of 25 people each.
Flying Dutchman
Flying Dutchman funicular - located near the cape Good Hope in the Western Cape, South Africa. It was opened in 1996. The line is 585 meters long and has an inclination of 16%, rising to a height of 87 meters. The capacity of the trailers is 40 passengers each. The trip lasts about 3 minutes. The total capacity of the line is about 450 passengers per hour. The name of the funicular comes from the legend of the ghost ship “The Flying Dutchman”.
Gloria
Sixth place in the list of the most famous cable cars in the world is occupied by the Gloria cable car, which is located in the center of Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened in 1885.
Fløibanen is a funicular railway in Bergen, Norway. It was officially opened on January 15, 1918. The length of its line is 850 m, and the height difference is 300 m. Two carriages with a capacity of 80 passengers each move at an average (depending on workload) speed of 6 m/s, making the entire journey in about seven minutes. The funicular is one of the most basic and popular attractions in Bergen and Norway. Fløibanen carries about 1 million passengers annually.
The Wellington Cable Car is located in the capital of New Zealand, Wellington. Connects the heart of the business district - Lambton Quay and the suburb of Kelburn. It was opened in 1902. The line is 628 meters long and rises 120 meters. The funicular is recognized as a symbol of Wellington.
Victoria Peak Tramway
In third place in the ranking of the most famous funiculars in the world is the Victoria Peak Funicular, located in Hong Kong, China. Designed to transport tourists and residents to the top of Victoria Peak - one of Hong Kong's main tourist attractions, which offers views of the city and nearby islands. The funicular was opened in 1888. The length of its line is 1365 meters.
The funicular is located on the highest Parisian hill, in the north of the city. It connects the foothills of Montmartre with the high point Paris - Sacré-Coeur Basilica. The funicular opened in 1900. And then it was completely rebuilt in 1935 and again in 1991. Today it carries two million passengers a year. The length of its line is 108 meters, along which the trailers rise and descend from a 36-meter height.
Budapest Castle Hill Funicular
Budapest Castle Hill is a funicular railway in the city of Budapest, Hungary. It links Adam Clark Square and Chain Bridge Szechenyi. It was opened on March 2, 1870, but was completely destroyed during the Second World War. The funicular was reopened only in June 1986. The length of its line is 95 meters, rises to a height of 51 m. The carriages, with a capacity of 24 passengers each, move at a speed of 1.5 m per second, spending approximately 90 seconds on the entire journey. Interesting feature Budapest Castle Hill are two pedestrian bridge that cross it.
The name "funicular" has Latin roots, "funiculus" is a rope or cable. In its classic form, a funicular consists of two trolleys connected by a long cable, one of which is at the top and the other at the bottom. Rails are used as the road surface for the funicular. This is done for two reasons - firstly, the coefficient of rolling friction on rails is lower than in other types of movement, and secondly, rails eliminate the need to choose the direction of movement. The only significant limitation for the funicular is its length. Usually cable cars are short in length, no more than two hundred meters. This is determined by the specific elasticity of the traction rope, which, if long, can break under its own weight.
Device
To propel the funicular, an electric winch is usually used, installed at the top. Before the invention of the electric drive, the funicular was driven by filling the tank of the upper car with water, which was emptied after lowering down. In some ways, the principle of its operation is similar to the operation of a conventional elevator, the movement of the cabin of which is accompanied by the movement of a counterweight in the opposite direction. For increase bandwidth In a cable car, the counterweight to the car being raised is the car being lowered. This kind ground transport is discrete in principle of operation. Each of its working cycles has different directions of movement.
Since a classic funicular consists of two cars, they are usually classified according to the number of rail tracks. There can be four of them - two for each car, three, when the cars on the right and left sides move along one rail, and two, when there is only one track for each car. Three and double track funiculars are equipped with siding tracks controlled by switches. The funicular is always designed for each specific case. This is determined, in particular, by the fact that the cargo or passenger platform must have a strictly horizontal position.
Advantages
The funicular as a lifting device allows for maximum efficiency and minimal costs solve the problem of delivering passengers and cargo in areas with large elevation changes. It is not as heavy-duty as conventional wheeled vehicles, but there is no need to build a road for it, causing harm to the environment. At the same time, its support on rails makes its carrying capacity significantly greater than that of an aerial cable car. Its demand allows many companies, such as Optima Lift, to build their business on the design and creation of cable cars.
The Optima Lift company designs and creates both classic funiculars and devices similar in operating principle. For example, funiculars with one carriage resting on a monorail. This technical solution allows you to create a lift with minimal costs and damage to the environment. Further development Funiculars have become rack railways, in which a rack is used instead of a traction cable. Optima Elevator produces rack railways of any configuration, including those with an individual cabin that has its own drive mechanism. Such railways make it possible to create a path to a vacation spot that fits into the surrounding nature as much as possible.
Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia
There are several types of funiculars.
The most common funicular design is with two non-motor cars, rigidly connected by a rope thrown over a pulley. In this scheme, the pulley and the motor that rotates it are located at the top station of the funicular. The engine drives a rope thrown over a pulley and laid between the supporting rails, at the ends of which the cars are rigidly fixed. The cars thus move apart in the middle of the line. This scheme is the most economical - energy is spent not on raising and lowering the cars themselves, but actually on transporting the difference in weight of two cars differently filled with passengers, as well as on overcoming the friction force and braking. An example is the Kyiv funicular.
There are other schemes for constructing a funicular. For example, it may be a variant of a mountain railway, in which, in addition to the usual smooth rails on which the car rolls, additional cogwheel rails are used. In this case, motor cars are used, and the drive gear of such a car clings precisely to the teeth of such a comb-like rail. This technical solution ensures safe ascent or descent of the car. For example, a fairly long (4.27 km) Mountain road Pilatusbahn (German) in Switzerland, which usually runs up to 9-10 cars, reminiscent of trams in the nature of their movement.
Typical for cable cars are relatively short (usually several hundred meters) routes with a very steep gradient, reaching an average of 70% (). The slope on the route is usually constant, but sometimes varies slightly from one section to another.
The record holder for the steepest route is a 415-meter-long mountain road located near the Australian city of Katoomba, the so-called Katoomba Scenic Railway in the Blue Mountains region, located west of Sydney. The slope of its route reaches 122% (). This road was originally built to lift coal and shale from a mine located in a closed mountain basin, but has now been reconstructed and is used exclusively as a tourist site. Several cars of this road are connected into a common train that runs up and down the route. Since the slope of this road changes noticeably during movement, for safety all the seats are made in the form of benches located one after another across the entire width of the car. You can only travel on this train while sitting, facing the direction of descent, that is, with your back to the mountain, and while moving, you cannot leave your seat.
Funiculars usually have only two stations (upper and lower). In this case, the car moves along the track without stopping from start to finish. If the funicular has intermediate stations, the stop of the car at the intermediate station can be provided for by the schedule (Prague Funicular) or upon additional request of passengers (Carlovy Vary Funicular “Diana”).
The funicular cars are designed individually for each route, taking into account its steepness. Thus, if placed on a horizontal surface, they would appear “skewed.”
Funiculars are quite common in Europe (available in Paris, Barcelona, Bergen, Prague, Kyiv and other cities). Funicular lines, while performing transport work, at the same time often become an attraction and the object of attention of tourists.
Comparison with other modes of transport
The design of the funicular is similar to that of a cable car or cable car. cable car- “cable car”; there is no established Russian term). The differences between a funicular and a rail tram are as follows:
- The funicular line is laid over a short distance, usually with a large constant slope directed in one direction along the entire length of the route.
- The cars are designed taking into account this slope and have a constant orientation on the line (one side is lower, the other is upper).
- The cable car lines never form a network, branch or intersect.
- The movement of the rope driving the cars is reversible, changing direction whenever the car or cars reach the end of the line.
- The drive (motor) is located at the upper station; the funicular cars do not have their own engines.
An escalator is similar in function to a funicular. The differences between a funicular and an escalator are as follows:
- The funicular is a transport of discrete action.
- The funicular has a much lower carrying capacity.
- It makes no sense to use a funicular on very small slopes (height difference up to 10 m).
- On long lines, the funicular, on the contrary, is much cheaper to construct and operate.
Records
The highest funicular in the world runs from the town of Saas-Fee (1800 a.s.l.) to the highest in the world revolving restaurant"Allallin" (3457 m), located on Mount Mittelallin in Switzerland.
see also
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Notes
Links
- article about the largest funicular in the world.
- on YouTube
- on YouTube
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An excerpt characterizing the Funicular
“Okay, okay, I don’t have time now,” said Ermolov and left the hut. The disposition compiled by Tol was very good. Just like in the Austerlitz disposition, it was written, although not in German:“Die erste Colonne marschiert [The first column goes (German)] this way and that, die zweite Colonne marschiert [the second column goes (German)] this way and that way,” etc. And all these columns on paper they came to their place at the appointed time and destroyed the enemy. Everything was, as in all dispositions, perfectly thought out, and, as in all dispositions, not a single column arrived at its time and in its place.
When the disposition was ready in the required number of copies, an officer was called and sent to Ermolov to give him the papers for execution. A young cavalry officer, Kutuzov’s orderly, pleased with the importance of the assignment given to him, went to Ermolov’s apartment.
“We’ve left,” answered Yermolov’s orderly. The cavalry officer went to the general, who often visited Ermolov.
- No, and there is no general.
The cavalry officer, sitting on horseback, rode to another.
- No, they left.
“How could I not be responsible for the delay! What a shame! - thought the officer. He toured the entire camp. Some said that they saw Ermolov go somewhere with other generals, some said that he was probably home again. The officer, without having lunch, searched until six o'clock in the evening. Yermolov was nowhere and no one knew where he was. The officer quickly had a snack with a comrade and went back to the vanguard to see Miloradovich. Miloradovich was also not at home, but then he was told that Miloradovich was at General Kikin’s ball, and that Yermolov must be there too.
- Where is it?
“Over there, in Echkino,” said the Cossack officer, pointing to a distant landowner’s house.
- What’s it like there, behind the chain?
- They sent two of our regiments into a chain, there is such a revelry going on there now, it’s a disaster! Two musics, three choirs of songwriters.
The officer went behind the chain to Echkin. From afar, approaching the house, he heard the friendly, cheerful sounds of a soldier's dancing song.
“In the meadows, ah... in the meadows!..” - he heard him whistling and clanking, occasionally drowned out by the shouting of voices. The officer felt joyful in his soul from these sounds, but at the same time he was afraid that he was to blame for not transmitting the important order entrusted to him for so long. It was already nine o'clock. He dismounted from his horse and entered the porch and entrance hall of a large, intact manor house, located between the Russians and the French. In the pantry and in the hallway footmen were bustling around with wines and dishes. There were songbooks under the windows. The officer was led through the door, and he suddenly saw all the most important generals of the army together, including the large, noticeable figure of Ermolov. All the generals were in unbuttoned frock coats, with red, animated faces and were laughing loudly, standing in a semicircle. In the middle of the hall, a handsome short general with a red face was smartly and deftly making a thrasher.
- Ha, ha, ha! Oh yes Nikolai Ivanovich! ha, ha, ha!..
The officer felt that by entering at this moment with an important order, he was doubly guilty, and he wanted to wait; but one of the generals saw him and, having learned what he was for, told Ermolov. Ermolov, with a frowning face, went out to the officer and, after listening, took the paper from him without telling him anything.
- Do you think he left by accident? - a staff comrade said to a cavalry officer about Ermolov that evening. - These are things, it’s all on purpose. Give Konovnitsyn a ride. Look, what a mess it will be tomorrow!
The next day, early in the morning, the decrepit Kutuzov got up, prayed to God, got dressed, and with the unpleasant consciousness that he had to lead a battle that he did not approve of, got into a carriage and drove out of Letashevka, five miles behind Tarutin, to the place where the advancing columns were to be assembled. Kutuzov rode, falling asleep and waking up and listening to see if there were any shots on the right, if things were starting? But everything was still quiet. The dawn of a damp and cloudy autumn day was just beginning. Approaching Tarutin, Kutuzov noticed cavalrymen leading their horses to water across the road along which the carriage was traveling. Kutuzov took a closer look at them, stopped the carriage and asked which regiment? The cavalrymen were from the column that should have been far ahead in ambush. “It might be a mistake,” thought the old commander-in-chief. But, having driven even further, Kutuzov saw infantry regiments, guns in their boxes, soldiers with porridge and firewood, in underpants. An officer was called. The officer reported that there was no order to move.
“How could you not...” Kutuzov began, but immediately fell silent and ordered the senior officer to be called to him. Having got out of the carriage, with his head down and breathing heavily, silently waiting, he walked back and forth. When the requested General Staff officer Eichen appeared, Kutuzov turned purple, not because this officer was guilty of a mistake, but because he was a worthy subject for expressing anger. And, shaking, gasping for breath, the old man, having entered into that state of rage into which he was able to enter when he was rolling on the ground in anger, he attacked Eichen, threatening with his hands, shouting and swearing in vulgar words. Another person who turned up, Captain Brozin, who was innocent of anything, suffered the same fate.
- What kind of rascal is this? Shoot the scoundrels! – he shouted hoarsely, waving his arms and staggering. He was in physical pain. He, the commander-in-chief, the most illustrious, whom everyone assures that no one has ever had such power in Russia as he does, he is put in this position - ridiculed in front of the entire army. “It was in vain that I bothered so much to pray about this day, in vain I did not sleep at night and thought about everything! - he thought about himself. “When I was an officer as a boy, no one would have dared to make fun of me like that... But now!” He experienced physical suffering, as from corporal punishment, and could not help but express it with angry and painful cries; but soon his strength weakened, and he, looking around, feeling that he had said a lot of bad things, got into the carriage and silently drove back.
The anger that had poured out no longer returned, and Kutuzov, blinking his eyes weakly, listened to excuses and words of defense (Ermolov himself did not appear to him until the next day) and the insistence of Bennigsen, Konovnitsyn and Tol to make the same failed movement the next day. And Kutuzov had to agree again.
The next day, the troops gathered in the appointed places in the evening and set out at night. It was an autumn night with black-purple clouds, but no rain. The ground was wet, but there was no mud, and the troops marched without noise, only the occasional clink of artillery could be faintly heard. They forbade talking loudly, smoking pipes, lighting fires; the horses were kept from neighing. The mystery of the enterprise increased its appeal. People walked cheerfully. Some of the columns stopped, put their guns in their trestles and lay down on the cold ground, believing that they had come to the right place; some (most) columns walked all night and, obviously, went to the wrong place.
Count Orlov Denisov with the Cossacks (the most insignificant detachment of all the others) alone ended up in their place and at their time. This detachment stopped at the extreme edge of the forest, on the path from the village of Stromilova to Dmitrovskoye.
Before dawn, Count Orlov, who had dozed off, was awakened. They brought a defector from the French camp. This was a Polish non-commissioned officer of Poniatowski's corps. This non-commissioned officer explained in Polish that he had defected because he had been wronged in his service, that it was high time for him to be an officer, that he was braver than everyone else and therefore abandoned them and wanted to punish them. He said that Murat was spending the night a mile away from them and that if they gave him a hundred men as an escort, he would take him alive. Count Orlov Denisov consulted with his comrades. The offer was too flattering to refuse. Everyone volunteered to go, everyone advised me to try. After many disputes and considerations, Major General Grekov with two Cossack regiments decided to go with a non-commissioned officer.
“Well, remember,” Count Orlov Denisov said to the non-commissioned officer, releasing him, “if you lied, I’ll have you hanged like a dog, but the truth is a hundred ducats.”
The non-commissioned officer with a decisive look did not answer these words, sat on horseback and rode off with Grekov, who had quickly gathered. They disappeared into the forest. Count Orlov, shaking from the freshness of the morning that was beginning to break, excited by what he had started on his own responsibility, having seen Grekov off, came out of the forest and began to look around the enemy camp, which was now visible deceptively in the light of the beginning of the morning and the dying fires. To the right of Count Orlov Denisov, along the open slope, our columns should have appeared. Count Orlov looked there; but despite the fact that they would have been noticeable from afar, these columns were not visible. In the French camp, as it seemed to Count Orlov Denisov, and especially according to his very vigilant adjutant, they began to stir.
Residents of some cities around the world can boast that their small homeland has such a landmark as a funicular. This is not just a vehicle. It can confidently be called an attraction in which the utilitarian function of lifting is combined with entertainment.
How does the funicular work?
The fundamental structure of the funicular is characterized by its name (the word “funicular” is translated as rope from Latin and Italian). It consists of a traction system and trailers, usually moving in opposite directions. This scheme allows you to balance the load. The engineering structure also includes rails, gearboxes, electric drives and a braking system, including an emergency one, which is activated automatically if the rope breaks or another emergency situation arises. The designs of funiculars are varied; in each city they were built according to their own design, with a unique station architecture and rolling stock design.
Revived Odessa Funicular
For example, in Odessa, next to the Giant Staircase (later renamed Potemkin), a funicular operated since 1902, the first in Russian Empire. In the 60s of the 20th century, an escalator, similar to those that operate in the metro, was installed in its place. increased, but too much modern look did not fit well with the historical appearance southern city. Eventually, the modern “moving staircase” wore out, and now the funicular began operating again in its original location. This building enjoys well-deserved success among Odessa residents and guests of the city; it offers a wonderful view of the port and harbor, and it also makes the path to Primorsky Boulevard easier, because climbing 192 steps is tiring for some people, especially the elderly.
Tram in San Francisco - a model for the funicular in Vladivostok
The funicular in Vladivostok was conceived as one of the measures to transform this wonderful seaside city into a “Soviet San Francisco”. During a visit to the United States in 1959, First Secretary N. S. Khrushchev was impressed by the urban transport system of this Californian metropolis, which has no equal in the whole world. Like Vladivostok, San Francisco is located in an area with difficult terrain, and walking along it is quite difficult, you have to climb and descend steep slopes. Some of these ascents might not be possible for ordinary city transport, and then an interesting decision was made. All San Francisco streetcars run on rails with a cable running between them. To stop the car, the driver must open the connecting device and press the brake, and the movement begins when the reverse action is performed. It’s even difficult to determine exactly whether it’s a funicular or a tram, but this system works great, and the rolling stock uses restored old carriages without motors, brought from different countries, which gives any trip the character of a fun adventure.
Funicular - attraction "Vladika"
It is possible that the funicular in Vladivostok, commissioned in 1962, is inferior in scale and ramifications to the American one, but it is also very good. The only one in the Far East, it connects the bay with the Orlina hill along V. Sibirtsev Street. Students love to use it to get to the Higher Technical School, tourists certainly visit this attraction, and city residents climb the steep hill if they don’t want to go up the “thousand and one steps” stairs (in fact, there are 368 of them, but that’s also a lot). The ascent by cable car to a height of 70 m lasts one and a half minutes, during which time it covers 183 m of the path. Thus, the average slope exceeds 22 degrees, which is quite a lot.
Funiculars in Prague - a road for lovers
Unlike the modern and extremely useful for local funicular, in Railway Mount Petřín is an exclusively entertaining attraction, and its age is respectable - it began operating in 1891. At the same time, another famous funicular was opened in Prague, on Letna Hill. The route is romantic and picturesque. Along its 510-meter length, the carriage passes through a small tunnel under the wall of the old fortress, and at the final stop, in addition to the observation tower, a sculpture dedicated to the kiss awaits visitors. This is a favorite meeting place for young Prague residents.
Barcelona funiculars
Tibidabo is the oldest funicular in Barcelona (there are three in total). Its route leads to the top of the mountain after which it is named, another station is located on Dr. Andreu Street. There is another cable train to Tibidabo - the Vaividrera, which departs from the Peude station, but it is much smaller, accommodating only fifty passengers. The lift height of both funiculars is approximately the same, more than 160 meters, but the length is different (1152 and 729 meters, respectively), which means that the movement occurs at different slope steepnesses. Therefore, the flatter Tibidabo, despite its venerable age (it has been in operation since 1901), carries four hundred passengers, and its younger brother Peude - eight times less.
Montuica funicular - urban transport and attraction at the same time
The third funicular - "Montuica" - is part of the municipal transport of Barcelona, it is automatic and high-speed. Its purpose is to connect the local one with the Parallel metro station. The track is very beautifully located, its 758-meter route passes through lush thickets and takes passengers to a height of 76 meters. The desire of the Barcelona city administration to ensure that the attraction brings as much money as possible to the treasury is worthy of emulation. The tourist pilgrimage is facilitated by a developed infrastructure, full of restaurants, cafes and other entertainment venues, which create all the conditions for enjoying the beautiful views from Mount Montuica. The funicular was built in Barcelona on the occasion of the world exhibition held there in 1929, but its excellent technical condition allowed it to be used as an Olympic facility more than six decades later.
Kyiv funicular - idea and implementation
The funicular in Kyiv is one of the symbols of the city. He had to endure many historical upheavals. Revolution, Civil War, directory, Makhnovshchina, Austrian intervention, Ukrainian republic, devastation, the Great Patriotic War and a couple of “Maidans” - this is just an incomplete list of events that the Kiev cable car went through. And its life began in 1905, when, after two years of construction, the Belgian Joint Stock Company accepted it into operation. The authors of the project, Russian engineers N.I. Baryshnikov and N.K. Pyatnitsky, planned a length of a quarter of a kilometer, but the owner of one of the houses at the bottom of the route refused to sell his property to the city authorities, and the plan had to be revised, shortening the path by fifty arshins. However, the general task, namely making life easier for Kiev residents who were forced to climb from Podol along paths and stairs with hundreds of steps, was solved. The tram could not pass along the steep Kyiv hills. After Odessa, Kyiv became the second city in Russia whose improvement system included such an electromechanical miracle as the Mikhailovsky Rise (as this technical innovation was originally called).
The rebirth of the Kyiv funicular
The Kiev funicular operated in its original form until 1928, when during routine maintenance one carriage broke down, which, rolling along the rails, smashed the second. Fortunately, there were no casualties in this incident, but the structure required serious reconstruction. The cable lines and braking system were replaced. In addition, the lower station was finally moved and the route was extended by another 38 meters. The power unit, consisting of two Swiss-made DC electric motors (65 hp each, manufactured in 1903), as well as the rope drive pulley, served until 1984.
In 1986, the third major reconstruction, which the Kiev funicular has undergone in its history, was completed. This structure now lifts a carriage with a hundred passengers to a height of 75 m at a speed of 2 m/s. The power supply has increased significantly; the power of the installed engine is 100 kW. The total length of the rail track reached 222 m. Cars depart every seven minutes. Every day, approximately 15 thousand passengers use this convenient type of transportation.
Work to improve the funicular is carried out regularly, they relate to increasing safety and improving passenger awareness. Much attention is also paid to the aesthetic side, because this building has long become part of the historical appearance of the Ukrainian capital.
