Cog rail
jobst_b...@hp1900.desk.hp.com
on standard gauge rails. I am aware of four different types of
cog/rack systems that all seem to have originated in Switzerland.
The most common are Riggenbach and Abt. Abt is newer if not more
common and the most economical and mechanically smooth design with
convenient modular hardware. The four kinds are named after their
designers Roman ABT, Nikolaus RIGGENBACH, Emil STRUB, and Eduard
LOCHER. Other lesser ones also existed but I do not know whether
they are still in use.
The first cog driven railroad was the Mt. Washington in the USA
designed by Sylvester Marsh in 1858 and completed in 1869. With
its odd gauge of 4'7.55" it climbs a max gradient of 33.4%. I
haven't seen it so I don't know how it looks today. Riggenbach
took notes and went home to start a cogwheel empire in Switzerland
building his first demonstrator in 1869, the Viznau-Rigi railroad
just across the lake from Lucerne. He used a pair of channel irons
back-to-back with trapezoidal rungs as a ladder rack in contrast to
Marsh's round rungs. There is no doubt where Riggenbach got his
idea. This system is used widely and propels trains such as the
Brunig (SBB), Engelberg (LSE), Stuttgart (SSB) and the two Rigi
rail lines to mention a few. I should point out that on none of
the cog systems is the tooth engagement noticeable to the passenger.
The Abt uses two side-by-side racks each laminated of two thick
flat steel plates. The two halves of the rack are offset by a half
pitch to engage a double cogwheel that is similarly out of time by
a half pitch. This gives a more continuous transmission of power
than other racks. There is also a triple offset version used in
Germany. In the flatlands just a single plate pair or even a one
sided rack is used on lines that have no wheel drive.
Strub is unusual because it seems to offer no advantage over
Riggenbach except that it is more expensive. It uses a single
cogwheel that runs in a rack cut into the head of a steel rail
profile that looks much like standard railroad rail except that the
head is taller. I noticed that it is used on the Jungfrau Bahn (in
the Eiger) and on the Martigny-Chatellard-Chamonix. The Jungfrau
Bahn is reached by the Wenger Alp Bahn (WAB) and the Berner
Oberland (BO) that are both Riggenbach but the BO is meter gauge
while the WAB is 800mm and the Jungfrau is meter gauge again. The
Mont en Vers-Mer du Glace line in Chamonix is cog drive only and
has a rack that retracts flush with the street when its crossing
gates rise.
Locher is the supercog of them all because it can climb as steep as
you like. It has a double sided rack that lies flat, has stubby
truncated teeth on either side, and is mounted on an inverted U
shaped carrier that has flat sides. The opposed cogwheels run on
vertical shafts to engage the rack from both sides with guide
wheels below the cogs running against the carrier. Thus the
flanged wheels serve only to keep the trucks aligned with the track
because lateral position is governed by the rack. However, for
some reason the flanges are on the outside of the track. I think
this is just to be different. This system is unique to the Pilatus
railway near Lucerne where it climbs grades up to 48%. You can
fully appreciate 48% when the train reaches a place where the
tracks first parallel a cliff, then turn sharply to go in the
opposite direction in that cliff on a bench and tunnel above you.
Other rail news that warms the heart is that the cog line in Spain
up to Monserrat has been rebuilt after 50 years silence since WW2.
Also the Rimini-San Marino meter gauge non cog but steep rail line
is also running again after a similar Rip Van Winkel act. Europe
is full of good stories as in the Cuneo (IT) to Ventimiglia (IT)
Tende mainline that has also been running again since 1986 after 43
years rust.
The good news for Abt fans is the rebuilding of the Furka Oberalp
(FO) mountain line over the Furka pass, the place where the noted
Glacier Express got its name (Rhone Glacier) after abandonment in
1981. The FO built a long tunnel to achieve all year traffic and
abandoned the mountain line. As you can imagine, hundreds of
effective protesters made their voices heard rallying even more
thousands of enthusiasts of that line to prevent rail removal. The
line now belongs to a private group of volunteers that look more
like the SBB (Federal Railway) in their power and fund raising
abilities.
Since nearly everyone except a few FO managers are enthusiasts of
this project, a Swiss government office in Vietnam found the
locomotives in the mountains near Cambodia where they hauled
freight for the US Army. They found four of the original steamers
and some rolling stock. Two of the steamers were indoors and look
good, while two others will become spare parts most likely. The
VFB as they are known built a special low bed trailer, put it on a
ship to Saigon and while you read these lines are working hard to
bring the FO home after 55 years in exile. I should say, the FO
went electric 55 years ago.
This summer the first steam trains pulled out of Realp, the eastern
terminus pulling members up to and through the 1874m long summit
tunnel to view the Rhone glacier. The locomotive is a former
Brig-Visp-Zermatt (BVZ) unit that had been on display in Brig. One
of their special features is a corkscrew tunnel with cog drive, a
real tight elevation gainer just below Gletsch.
Volunteers that I met were building bridges and doing tunnel work
that definitely didn't look like volunteer work but more like heavy
construction. These guys are from all over Europe and they are
going to make a true "Swiss Job" out of this with gold plated
dinnerware. When the equipment comes back from Vietnam it will be
displayed at the transportation museum in Lucerne with promotional
action Photos from the old days when they were the mainstay of the
FO. Major donations are expected and stock will be sold. A
newsletter is available to all subscribers for SFr30 per year.
For more information write to:
Verein Furka Bergstrecke
Mitgliederdienst
Postfach 3468
CH 4002 Basel
Switzerland
Check the appropriate box:
[] Construction volunteer (summer)
[] Rolling stock maintenance (winter)
[] Administration, marketing, PR
[] Want to purchase stock
jobst_b...@hp1900.desk.hp.com
rail adventures in Switzerland so I replied:
Well now that you mention it there are a few Swiss specialties that
rate high on the "must" list as I see it. Depending on your
specialty, the order of importance may change, however...
o Pilatus 800mm gauge Locher horizontal opposed cogwheel drive.
Steepest cog in the world at 48% with spectacular view over
Lucern. Take the SBB Brunig line from Lucern to Stansstadt.
o Brienzer Rothorn Bahn (BRB) 800mm gauge steam cog line with
spectacular scenery. Runs original steam Abt cog equipment. Can
be reached by SBB Brunig meter gauge adhesion/Riggenbach cog
rail line from Lucern or Interlaken.
o Jungfraujoch Bahn with meter Strub cog up through the Eiger to
the Jungfrau overlook. Unique 99% in tunnel cog rail. Must be
seen to be believed. You cannot miss this one if you ever get
near it. Berner Oberland Bahn (BOB) meter cog from Interlaken to
Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald, then by Wenger Alp Bahn (WAB) 800mm
gauge cog to Kleine Scheidegg and then the Jungfrau Bahn.
o Furka Oberalp (FO) meter steam operation over the Furka on the
old line from Realp. This is a resurrected mountain line that
was bypassed through a tunnel. Original steam from 50 years ago
has been reactivated to run over the top. Not a revenue railroad
but an interesting extension to the rest of the FO that runs from
Brig to Disentis and makes connections to the mainline at the
Gotthard tunnel and at Brig.
o The Rhaetische Bahn (RhB) Bernina Express from Chur to Italy over
the Albula and Bernina Pass route. Meter non-cog but 7% grades.
One of the most photographed lines in Switzerland. Get to Chur
either by mainline or from the FO through Disentis.
o Martigny-Chatelard-Chamonix meter Strub cog line from Martigny to
Chamonix. This 1000 VDC line runs third rail through the
countryside with no protection. Its climb out of the Rhone
valley leads to an unbelievable ride on the edge of the "grand
canyon" in a manner that defies description. Mont Blanc is a
fitting terminus for such a ride.
Of course the whole Gotthard line from Lucern to Locarno and then
by the FART (Ferovia e Autolinea Regionale Ticinese) meter gauge
Centovalli line to Domodossola and back to Brig through the Simplon
is a worthy adventure. From Brig you could take the Brig Visp
Zermatt (BVZ) meter cog to Zermatt or the FO to the Furka Pass or
the Bern Lotchberg Simplon (BLS) mainline back to Interlaken.
While you were going south, instead of going straight to Locarno
you could go to Lugano and take the balanced funicular from the
station to the marvelous downtown for a tour of the shops. While
you're there you ought to go to Capolago and ride the Monte
Generoso 800mm cog that looks over Lugano and Como and has a
panorama hard to beat. Or even better go to Chiasso and Como that
has an enchanting waterfront and endless shops with worldwide
appeal. An ancient city with lots of charm.
All this Swiss stuff is nearly free on a Swissrail pass except for
the super cog lines that only give a small discount. This pass is
good on the mainlines, meter gauge lines, all postal busses and city
transportation. Get a second class one for one week or less. They
can always be extended if need be at any train station. The
Eurail pass is not good on any mountain lines. The Swissrail is
worth it.
Ride train!
Douglas W. Jones,201H MLH,3193350740,3193382879
by jobst_brandt%4...@hp1900.desk.hp.com:
> A reader asked me by direct mail whether I had any suggestions for
> rail adventures in Switzerland so I replied:
Good advice. Also try the Roche de Naye line out of Montreaux. (Please
pardon any misspelling or lack of accents in my French).
The station in Montreaux is a crowded hillside station serving the SBB
(standard gauge, Swiss Federal Railways) the MOB (meter gauge adhesion,
Montreaux Oberland Bernoise) and Roche de Naye line (meter gauge, pure
abt rack). A small park overlooks the station, and in the fifteen
minutes I spent there before going down to catch my train, I saw two SBB
passenger trains go through, one SBB freight, one MOB freight, and one
MOB passenger train. The MOB freight was an engine and two cars, one of
which was a classic billboard boxcar (diminuitive because it was meter
gauge) advertising Fanta (the soft drink). There's no dual gauge trackage
in the station (as far as I could see), but I think I saw an interchange
track between the MOB and the Roche de Naye line. (Interchange traffic
must be minimal, however. As on the Manitou and Pikes Peak line, they
don't use couplers on the Roche de Naye line, they just put the freight
wagon uphill from the engine and let gravity hold the train together!)
The Roche de Naye line leaves the station via a tunnel and provides
breathtaking views of Montreaux, Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) and the
Alps, centered on the Dents du Midi (a set of spectacular crags with
a name that aptly translates as the teeth of noon). From the top, on
a good day, you can see idiots jumping off the mountain on hang gliders
while you enjoy the view.
A second suggestion is the restored steam line on the French shore of
Lac Leman (one end is barely inside Switzerland). This line connects
with the steamboats on the lake, and they advertise the idea of a day
trip from Geneva, Lausanne or Montreaux with the first and final leg of
the trip by steamboat, and the central leg by steam train.
(Unfortunately, few of the steamboats on Lac Leman are still steam
powered; most if not all were dieselized some time ago. Are there still
good steam boats on any of the Swiss lakes? I remember seeing some
years ago in Lucerne with the cylinders driving the sidewheels clearly
visible, and the brass valves well polished).
Doug Jones
jo...@herky.cs.uiowa.edu
Douglas W. Jones,201H MLH,3193350740,3193382879
by jobst_brandt%4...@hp1900.desk.hp.com:
> The first cog driven railroad was the Mt. Washington in the USA
> designed by Sylvester Marsh in 1858 and completed in 1869.
Thanks for the excellent summary of rack railway technology! I hadn't known
about Strub racks, and I found the information about the restoration of the
old Glacier Express line encouraging.
One thing puzzled me about the turnouts used with the Abt racks on
the Manitou and Pikes Peak railroad. To understand my question, you must
understand that the M&PP engines have no powered wheels and therefore
require continuous racks through turnouts. Many (but not all) European
rack railways have engines with powered wheels, and thus, can run on
conventional track and turnouts (with no racks) on level ground and light
grades.
The old M&PP turnouts were conventional looking turnouts, with racks added.
The two halves of the rack split apart between the points, spreading farther
and farther apart as they approach the frog. (Recall that an Abt rack has
two halves, left and right, with the teeth staggered, and the cogs under the
engine are split similarly to engage the split rack.) About half-way from
the points to the frog, each branch of the rack must cross a point rail.
Here's something of a diagram of the crossing:
Double rack continues past frog into track beyond.
|
v
Frogward
\\ ||
\\\\ || <- inside of point rail rail
\\\\ ||
\\ ||
\\ ||
||||||======= linkage to near side rack to pull it away from rail.
||||||
||||||======= linkage to far side rack to push it away from rail.
|| \\
|| \\
|| \\
|| \\\\ <- brief stretch of double rack between points and crossing.
|| \\\\
|| \\
|| \\<- 1/2 of the double rack that split at the points; each half
|| \\ provides traction in one direction the turnout could go.
Pointward
This seems to be a relatively simple design. As the cogwheel passes over the
point rail (going diagonally up and to the left) the left side rack slides
away from the center line of the cogwheel, but before its teeth disengage, the
right side rack slides in and engages. The auxiliary linkages serve to pull
the racks away from the running rail to let wheels pass when the turnout is
aligned the other way.
What's wrong with this? For some reason, all the newer turnouts use what
appears to be a far more complex and certainly expensive solution to the
problem. They have pivoted sections with rack and running rail on them,
so that the running rail is interrupted and swings out of the way like an old
stub switch to let the rack continue. Why? The only possible explanation
I could figure out was that it allows continuous double rack to run through
the crossing with the point rail, but trains always slow down for turnouts
anyway, and there is still the single rack stretch where the two halves of
the rack split apart at the points.
------------------------
It's worth pointing out that Sylvester Marsh never did figure out how to
build a turnout with his rack, and the turnouts currently used on the Mt
Washington railroad today are incredibly cumbersome.
Can a Riggenbach rack (which really ought to be called a modified Marsh
rack) continue through a turnout?
A strub rack could certainly continue through a turnout using a scheme
similar to the Abt rack, since it's teeth are cut in the top of a rail.
All you'd need would be sufficiently wide cogwheels to span a railhead
and a half-rack on each side. The side plates of the Riggenbach and
Marsh racks prevent the rack from being slid out from under the cogwheel,
posing problems both at the points (where two racks would have to diverge)
and at the places where the rack and running rails cross.
I know that Lochier racks (with their teeth on each side of the rack rail
and the drive axles holding the cogs vertical) cannot run through turnouts.
The Pilatus railroad uses transfer tables to overcome this limitation (or
at least it did when the book I have on the subject was published), and
the high cost of such facilities is probably one reason that there is only
one railroad in the world using this scheme.
Doug Jones
jo...@herky.cs.uiowa.edu
Martin Harriss (ACP)
with same, and ask a couple of questions.
About 20 years ago I spent 10 days or so in the skiing village of
Champery, in Switzerland. (Not to be confused with ChamBery, in France,
also a skiing resort.) Anyway, the village was reached by a cog line.
I have no idea if there was a road open up there - this was in January.
For all I know the tram may have been the only way up there.
We got off the main line train in Aigle. (Overnight train from Calais -
I think we went throught the Simplon tunnel.) We then got on the tram,
right across the street from the main line station. There were two
trolley cars, plus a baggage car - actually it was more like a flat car
with railings around it. The train ran for a little way through
the countryside, on ordinary flanged rails at this point. I don't
really remember, I think it was standard gauge. After a little while
we came to a largish town. I don't remember the name, but I think
it started with 'L'. I think there was a tram depot there, and
we stopped there for a little while.
We the resumed the journey out of the 'L' town. Shortly after leaving
the town, the line started to climb, and we came to the cog portion
of the line. Whatever was underneath the trolley made quite a loud
chunch as it engaged the cogs. The cogs were a single line of teeth
maybe 9 inches wide, in the middle of the tracks.
I don't really remember anything about the jouney up the side of the
mountains, except that it was just that - a journey up the side of
some mountains. When we got up to Champery we got off the train,
collected our baggage from the "baggage car" and went to our hotel.
Now the questions:
Is this line notable for anything in particular, or are there many
others like it in the Alps?
Is it still there? From the look of the depot in the 'L' town, it
seemed to be part of a larger local mass transit system. I think some
other lines joined at this point. Is this so?
And finally - what is the name of the 'L' town?
Any other information about this line would be interesting. As I said,
it was 20 years ago, so some of the memories may be a little blurred.
I don't think I was very interested in trains at the time, else I would
have taken more notice.
Martin Harriss
mar...@cellar.bae.bellcore.com
jobst_b...@hp1900.desk.hp.com
the new turnouts on the PP&M Abt rack system. I can make a guess
but I don't know for certain. It seems that general purpose
turnouts for cog/adhesion systems such as the FO, typically are
either adhesion with no rack and therefore, of moderate speed, or
they are cog operation where speeds are limited to less than 15 mph
and continuous engagement is essential. Therefore, if you need a
rack then you don't need speed and you need full engagement.
Those RR's that have no wheel drive are usually run at rack speeds
even on the flats (that are usually stations or storage sheds) so
load carrying rails need not have high speed continuity. From this
it seems that it is reasonable to build only one kind of rack
turnout, the one that makes a 100% rack. This is the only kind
that I have seen and they come in all three flavors, Abt, Strub,
and Riggenbach.
Interestingly the Pilatus Locher system does not use a transfer
table outside of the summit station but rather a flip-over two
sided table that curves to the left on one side and to the right on
the other. The advantage is that it works in the snow. They are
proud of this recent addition to their unique RR. Being as steep
as it is and the nature of the terrain (avalanche chute), all
catenary and supports are removed for the winter, the same as the
FO used to do on the Furka pass. No winter rides.
I think I said the MCM to Chamonix was 1000 VDC, make that 750 V.
On the other hand the Gornergrat Bahn from Zermatt to the
Gornergrat is 1000v 3phase and Abt meter gauge. It was double
tracked a few years ago and is, I think the last of the 3phase
RR's. I rode the Arth-Rigi when it was 3phase trolley pole. Up to
the 1960's FS Italia was 3 phase on the Brenner as was most of the
system before that.
Martin Harris asked about the AOMC chemin de fer from Aigle to
Ollon, Monthey and Champery, a Strub meter gauge 1000V line that
has a max ascent of 16%. It has some siblings that go off to
Villars, Le Sepey, Diablarets, Lesyn and other steep places. I
think the Simplon part of the ride came after the skiing because
the tunnel is beyond Aigle by about 40 miles when coming from
France.
As Doug mentioned the Rochers de Naye is a great line that climbs
1670m from Montreux. The big news is that they ordered two or more
brand new steamers to the original drawings from Swiss Locomotive
Works (SLM) after more than 50 years of electric operations. SLM
makes *all* the locomotives of interest both steam and electric.
The BRB also has a couple of new locomotives on order. The nice
thing is that the VFB will have no trouble restoring their Vietnam
veterans because SLM is always there with complete documentation.
As Doug also noted, the lake steamers are beautiful works of
engineering art with exposed machinery behind glass for all
passengers to admire. Polished brass and sparkling steel abounds.
Three of these jewels run out of Lucern on the Vierwaldstetter See.
A fourth one, the Wilhelm Tell is parked in Lucern as a restaurant.
This operation is being denied a use permit after years of
operation and it seems that the owner either gives up or sells the
boat back to the navigation company for refurbishment. The latter
seems to be the intent of the authorities.
By the way the entire BVZ-FO-RhB net and a number of other
mountain lines are still on vacuum brakes. The low speeds and
big dynamic braking capability have allowed them to slip by this
long. In contrast the SBB Brunig line is one of few that has
fully automatic couplers but not AAR style, more like a heavy
version of the light rail kind.
Although some of this is from first hand experience, much of the
detail comes from a reference book that is the fifth volume of a
monster series. Back in the sixties when most rail fans in Europe
had not come out of the closet there were practically no good books
available. I wanted one about the Swiss mountain RR's so I was
given an official technical volume 585 pp 7.5x10.5" called:
One Hundred Years Swiss Railroads" volume V the mountain railroads.
1847-1947 (1962) published by Huber & Co. Frauenfeld CH 1964.
Because the mountain (private) RR's are generally not well
organized, this book came out 15 years late and 10 years after the
first volume. It is full of builders photos and reams of trivia
like track cross sections and circuit diagrams of braking resistor
systems, etc. Even gear drawings of Locher mechanisms abound. Sad
to see is that lines like Leuk-Leukerbad and Brunnen-Morschach cog
RR's are gone.
On another subject I should caution our members not to make
disparaging remarks about other religions such as:
> From the top, on a clear day, you can see idiots jumping off the
> mountain on hang gliders while you enjoy the view.
Remember they ride trains too to get up there, and probably believe
someone who hangs around locomotive sheds is not to be trusted.
Douglas W. Jones,201H MLH,3193350740,3193382879
by mar...@cellar.uucp (Martin Harriss (ACP)):
> About 20 years ago I spent 10 days or so in the skiing village of
> Champery, in Switzerland. ...
>
> Now the questions:
>
> Is this line notable for anything in particular, or are there many
> others like it in the Alps?
>
> Is it still there? From the look of the depot in the 'L' town, it
> seemed to be part of a larger local mass transit system. I think some
> other lines joined at this point. Is this so?
>
> And finally - what is the name of the 'L' town?
Aigle Switzerland (on the Rhone river just up from where it flows into Lac
Leman (Lake Geneva) is the terminus of 3 meter gauge lines, none of which
is more than 20 miles long. These are:
1) The AOMC or Aigle-Ollon-Monthey-Champerey railroad. This is a rack
and adhesion line with 3 rack sections as it goes up the Val d'Illez
on the south side of the Rhone valley. This is the railroad you
took on your ski vacation.
2) The Aigle-Leysin railroad. This is a rack and adhesion line that
leaves Aigle and then begins a single long rack section that ascends
about 1000 meters (about 3000 feet), ending in a tunnel into
Leysin's Grand Hotel. Leysin is another great ski resort.
3) Aigle-Sepey-Diablerets. This pure adhesion line rises on a 6% grade
up the Ormont valley to Le Sepey, from which trains reverse
direction on a switchback to continue to Les Diablerets, also a
great ski resort.
20 years ago (when the book I have on the subject was published) these were
independent railroads, but that may have changed. In any case, when I last
drove down the Ormont valley 2 years ago, the Aigle-Leysin and Aigle-Sepey-
Diablerets lines were still there. I didn't drive in the right direction
to see the AOMC.
Are these lines notable for anything? I don't think so. As a narrow gauge
system, they don't compare in size to the system a few miles west anchored
at Montreaux (the Montreaux Oberland Bernoise, which connects to a few other
narrow gauge lines), and none of these compare with the great narrow gauge
systems of south-east Switzerland, connecting Zermatt with St. Moritz
(the Glacier Express route, over 3 different connecting railroads). The
Brig-Visp-Zermatt is also rack assisted in places, as is the Furika-Oberalp
from Brig east (I don't know that much about lines east of the FO).
From LeHarve to Aigle, you were indeed on the Simplon main-line, but you
didn't go through the Simplon tunnel. That tunnel is entered at the far
upstream end of the Rhone valley and goes to Italy. What you did is go
through the almost 4 mile long Mont d'Or tunnel under the Jura mountains
between France and Switzerland at Valorbe. Then you went through Lausanne
and Montreaux on the shores of Lac Leman before arriving at Aigle.
I can't tell you which L town you were involved with, sorry. Again, if I've
murdered the spelling of any Swiss place names, please pardon me.
Doug Jones
jo...@herky.cs.uiowa.edu
Martin Harriss (ACP)
>From LeHarve to Aigle, you were indeed on the Simplon main-line, but you
>didn't go through the Simplon tunnel. That tunnel is entered at the far
>upstream end of the Rhone valley and goes to Italy. What you did is go
>through the almost 4 mile long Mont d'Or tunnel under the Jura mountains
>between France and Switzerland at Valorbe. Then you went through Lausanne
>and Montreaux on the shores of Lac Leman before arriving at Aigle.
Yes, I remember going through Lausanne and Montreaux, at least on
the way back. In fact, we changed trains at Lausanne and had dinner there
between trains. I don't remember going through there on the way, though.
I seem to remember a long tunnel close to Aigle, and I thought it was
Simplon. I'm probably just remembering wrong.
Also, it was Calais we started out from - got the cross-channel ferry from
Folkestone. The train went through Lille, Strasboug(sp?) and Metz
(not neccessarily in that order) and I think we crossed into Switzerland
at Basle.
>I can't tell you which L town you were involved with, sorry. Again, if I've
>murdered the spelling of any Swiss place names, please pardon me.
Boy, 20 years is a long time! I think the town I was thinking of was
Monthey. This, of course, starts with M. Don't know where I got L from.
Thanks to everybody for the info. I wish I'd paid more attention at
the time!
Martin Harriss
mar...@cellar.bae.bellcore.com
Douglas W. Jones,201H MLH,3193350740,3193382879
by mar...@cellar.uucp (Martin Harriss (ACP)):
> Also, it was Calais we started out from - got the cross-channel ferry from
> Folkestone. The train went through Lille, Strasboug(sp?) and Metz
> (not neccessarily in that order) and I think we crossed into Switzerland
> at Basle.
Entering Switzerland at Basle, it's quite possible you went via Bern, the
Lotschberg tunnel (spelling is probably wrong) on the BLS railroad
(the Bern-Lotschberg-Simplon), to Brig, then down the Rhone valley from
Brig to Aigle on the Swiss Federal Railroad. Following this, your exit
from Switzerland via Lausanne and possibly Valorbe would have made a nice
tour.
Doug Jones
jo...@herky.cs.uiowa.edu
jobst_b...@hp1900.desk.hp.com
the cog rack. I meant to get to this but missed it the last round.
This is similar to the skid marks on the runway when a plane touches
down. The wheels must be brought up to speed. The cog wheels on
the cars are not connected to the support wheels and have independent
brakes. At the approach to the rack, a spring loaded ramp with
a progression of cog profile from none to full teeth is used to bring
the cog wheels into sync with the fixed rack. Sometimes this fails
and causes a bang at the end when the cogs drop in. The engine puts
its cog drive in neutral on approach and then switches from wheel to
cog drive. This feature is the same for the three vertical cog
systems where they run in mixed adhesion and cog operations. The
reason for not having wheel drive on lines like PP&M is that the
mechanism for mixed operation is complex and is avoided where it
brings no major advantage.
jobst_b...@hp1900.desk.hp.com
the station master at the railway station takes a steel rod in hand
and rings the bell to announce the approach of the train. This bell
is a used cog ring from the Abt cog system of that railway. The
director of the film, not understanding the fine points of steam and
cog rail, never gave a good view of the hardware nor the name of the
railway. I don't have any idea where this was and what the climb is.
Little is heard from Indian Railways around here but there are
magnificent rail lines there from the little that I have seen. One
in particular that is both exciting and sad is the Darjeeling two
foot gauge steam line that apparently is slowly vanishing into the
mist with infrequent runs. Up to the roof of the world where it winds
its way over the mountains that we can only imagine if we fly
scheduled air and think that just about now (at 15000 ft) we would
just make it over the foothills to Darjeeling and when at full
altitude we feel safe to barely fly over the big ones at 30000ft.