Fell mountain railway system
Encyclopedia
The Fell system uses a raised centre rail between the two running rails on steeply-graded railway lines to provide extra traction and braking, or braking alone. Trains are propelled by wheels or braked by shoes pressed horizontally onto the centre rail, as well as by means of the normal running wheels. These horizontal wheels and shoes are fitted to specially designed or adapted Fell locomotives and brake vans.
History
The Fell system was designed, developed and patented by British engineer John Barraclough FellJohn Barraclough Fell
John Barraclough Fell , was a British railway engineer and inventor of the Fell mountain railway system.Fell spent the early part of his life in London, living with his parents. About 1835 he moved with them to the Lake District. In 1840, he married a 25-year-old woman named Martha in Kirkstall,...
. The first test application was alongside the Cromford and High Peak Railway
Cromford and High Peak Railway
The Cromford and High Peak Railway in Derbyshire, England, was completed in 1831, to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge -Origins:...
's cable-hauled incline at Whaley Bridge
Whaley Bridge
Whaley Bridge is a small town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England, situated on the River Goyt. Whaley Bridge is approximately south of Manchester, north of Buxton , east of Macclesfield and west of Sheffield, and had a population of 6,226 at the 2001 census. This...
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, England, in 1863 and 1864.
These tests attracted the attention of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Government, which conducted its own tests on the slopes of Mont Cenis
Mont Cenis
Mont Cenis is a massif and pass in Savoie in France which forms the limit between the Cottian and Graian Alps.A road over the pass was built between 1803 and 1810 by Napoleon...
in 1865. As a result, the Mont Cenis Pass Railway
Mont Cenis
Mont Cenis is a massif and pass in Savoie in France which forms the limit between the Cottian and Graian Alps.A road over the pass was built between 1803 and 1810 by Napoleon...
was built as a temporary connection between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
whilst the tunnel under the Alpine pass was being built.
A list of Fell railways
Snaefell Mountain Railway
The Snaefell Mountain Railway is an electric mountain railway on the Isle of Man in Europe. It joins the town of Laxey with the summit of Snaefell, at above sea level the highest point on the island. It connects with the Manx Electric Railway in Laxey. The line is long, built to gauge and...
on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, which occasionally uses the centre rail for braking only - the cars are all now equipped with rheostatic braking
Dynamic braking
Dynamic braking is the use of the electric traction motors of a railroad vehicle as generators when slowing the Locomotive. It is termed rheostatic if the generated electrical power is dissipated as heat in brake grid resistors, and regenerative if the power is returned to the supply line...
, which meets all normal braking needs. The only surviving Fell locomotive, New Zealand Railways
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
H 199
NZR H class
The NZR H class locomotive was a unique class of locomotive used by the New Zealand Railways Department on the famous Rimutaka Incline, the three-mile section of 1 in 15 gradient between Cross Creek and Summit, over the Rimutaka Ranges...
, is preserved at the Fell Engine Museum
Fell Engine Museum
The Fell Engine Museum in Featherston, New Zealand, is a museum based around the only remaining Fell railway locomotive in the world.This locomotive, number H 199, climbed up the Rimutaka Incline using John Barraclough Fell's unique method of four grip wheels on a raised center rail.H 199 is one...
, Featherston
Featherston
Featherston is a name of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings contribute to the collection of pages in the website called "The Featherstone Society".The name is applied to people and...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, near the site of the Rimutaka Incline.
Brazil
- The Estrada de Ferro CantagaloEstrada de Ferro CantagaloThe Estrada de Ferro Cantagalo or Cantagalo Railway in Brazil operated from 1873 to 1965, and used the Fell mountain railway system, with equipment from the temporary Mont Cenis Pass Railway which closed in 1871. From 1883 the Fell rail was used for braking only...
(Cantagalo railway) from Niterói to Nova Friburgo opened in 1873. Brazil's first mountain railway, of 1100 mm gauge, it re-used some of the equipment from the Mont Cenis Pass Railway, and continued in operation until the 1960s.
France
- The Chemin de Fer du Puy de Dôme at Clermont-FerrandClermont-FerrandClermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
opened in 1907 and closed in 1926. It used compressed airCompressed airCompressed air is air which is kept under a certain pressure, usually greater than that of the atmosphere. In Europe, 10 percent of all electricity used by industry is used to produce compressed air, amounting to 80 terawatt hours consumption per year....
to force the wheels against the centre rail. - The Mont Cenis Pass RailwayMont Cenis Pass RailwayThe Mont Cenis Pass Railway operated from 1868 to 1871 during the construction of the Fréjus Rail Tunnel. The line used the Fell design of mountain railway with three rails. The railway, opened in June 1868, was long, with a gauge of and a maximum inclination of 9 per cent. It was used...
on the border with ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
was 77 km (47.8 mi) long and ran from 1868 until superseded by a tunnel under the pass in 1871.
Isle of Man
- The Snaefell Mountain RailwaySnaefell Mountain RailwayThe Snaefell Mountain Railway is an electric mountain railway on the Isle of Man in Europe. It joins the town of Laxey with the summit of Snaefell, at above sea level the highest point on the island. It connects with the Manx Electric Railway in Laxey. The line is long, built to gauge and...
opened in 1895. It uses electricElectricityElectricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
railcarRailcarA railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
s, with a Fell rail for braking.
New Zealand
- The Rewanui Incline on the West Coast of the South Island used a Fell rail for braking from its opening in 1914 to 1965. It closed in 1985.
- The Rimutaka Incline on the Wairarapa LineWairarapa LineThe Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...
near FeatherstonFeatherstonFeatherston is a name of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings contribute to the collection of pages in the website called "The Featherstone Society".The name is applied to people and...
in the North Island opened in 1878 and closed in 1955. It was replaced by the long Rimutaka tunnelRimutaka TunnelThe Rimutaka Tunnel is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Rimutaka Ranges, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line.The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 November 1955, is long...
. - The Roa InclineBlackball BranchThe Blackball Branch was a branch line railway of New Zealand's national rail network on the West Coast of the South Island and worked from the 1900s to 1966. It included the Roa Branch, also known as the Roa Incline...
on the West Coast of the South Island used a Fell rail for braking from its opening in 1909. It closed in 1960. - The Wellington Cable CarWellington Cable CarThe Wellington Cable Car is a funicular railway in Wellington, New Zealand between Lambton Quay, the main shopping street, and Kelburn, a suburb in the hills overlooking the central city, rising 120 m over a length of 612 m. It is widely recognised as a symbol of Wellington.-Track and stations:The...
used a Fell rail for emergency braking from its opening in 1902 until 1978, when it was upgraded. - The Kaikorai Cable Car which ran from DunedinDunedinDunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
to the Kaikorai ValleyKaikorai ValleyKaikorai Valley is a long broad valley which runs through the west of the New Zealand city of Dunedin, to the west of the city centre. It is the valley of a small stream, the Kaikorai Stream,which runs from northeast to southwest down the length of the valley.The valley provides a route into...
used an off-centre fell rail for braking purposes.
Renewals
Ten kilometres of new Chinese manufactured Fell rail was expected to be delivered to the Snaefell Mountain Railway in December 2006 for track-laying between the 2006 and 2007 seasons (Railway Magazine, February 2007).Related patents
Fell lodged the following patents relating to his system with the British Patent Office:- Patent 227 of 1863
- Patent 3182 of 1863
- Patent 899 of 1869
- Patent 762 of 1895
External links
- Fell Centre Rail - Describes with pictures how the Fell system works.
- The Fell Engine and the Rimutaka Incline from Masterton Library.
- The Cantagallo Railway (page down to Nova Friburgo).