The Nerobergbahn is a funicular railway

Funicular

A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...

 in the city of Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. The line links the city with the Neroberg

Neroberg

Neroberg is a mountain of Hesse, Germany....

 hill to its north, where visitors may view a panorama

Panorama

A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....

 of the city.

The line opened in 1888, and is one of the few funiculars with water propulsion. At the upper station, tanks on the downbound car are filled with up to 7000 litres (14,793.6 US pt) of water to ensure that it is heavier than the upbound car. The downbound car can then pull the upbound car uphill with a 452 metres (1,482.9 ft) long steel cable. When the downbound carriage arrives at the lower station, the water is discharged and pumped uphill.

In 1939, it was planned to convert the line to electric propulsion and to provide larger cars, but the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 prevented this. The line was taken out of service in 1944 due to war damage, and service was restarted in 1948. In 1988 the line was protected as a technical monument by the State of Hesse

Hesse

Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...

.

The funicular has the following technical parameters:

• Length: 440 metres (1,443.6 ft)
• Height: 80 metres (262.5 ft)
• Maximum gradient: 26%
• Average gradient: 19%
• Journey time: 3.5 minutes
• Cars: 2
• Capacity: 50 passengers per car
• Track gauge: 1 metres (3.3 ft)
• Traction: Water ballast
• Haulage speed: 2 m/s

External links

• Nerobergbahn web site (in English)